Ｄａｒｌｉｎｇ 浦ゆン

【ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ｆｏｕｒ】

Next up is none other than Hajime Hinata. I would have been excited to finally meet the protagonist of the original story, but my encounter with Hiyoko left me agitated.

"Um, are you all right?" he asks, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You look pretty angry."

"Absolutely! I'm just a bit tired. That's all."

He gives me a skeptical look. "Yeah, right. Are you sure it's just exhaustion?"

I nod, smiling awkwardly.

"I don't buy it. I noticed that Hiyoko greeted you immediately before me. Before she came along, you seemed completely serene. While she was there, your body was far too tense, and your smile was a bit too forced. Really, it's alright to tell me about your feelings. Do you not trust me or something?"

His gaze sharpens slightly, and I can feel his eyes looking deep within me. I return the gesture, staring right through him.

There's something off. I don't think the canon hajime would pester me for answers like he's doing right now. We've only just met, after all. His incessant questioning is a nice gesture, but I'm not going to confess. We remain in silence for a few seconds before he looks away, sighing in defeat.

"Fine, I'll back off. I don't buy it, but I know that you won't budge right now. It makes sense that you'd like to keep your wits about you when meeting all these new people."

Wow, that was strangely intimate.

I glance behind me, taking a look at the long line of impatient classmates.

"I'm so sorry to rush you out so soon, but I have a very large parade of people to meet right now. I do hope that we can connect later, though."

Hajime nods, grinning. "Yeah, that'd be great. See you later!"

Next up is none other than my favourite nurse, Mikan. She apprehensively walks up to me, twiddling her thumbs and staring intensely at the ground. "H-hello. My name is Mi- Mikan Tsumiki. It's nice to meet you," she stutters.

"It's nice to meet you as well!" I chirp, clasping my hands in front of my chest.

It makes a little clapping sound, and she immediately flinches. "P-please don't hurt me! Her arms raise to her face in a defensive stance. "I'm s-sorry for whatever I did wrong." She sobs.

I begin to panic, waving my arms wildly. "Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for scaring you. I wouldn't dare harm a single hair on your head, honest!"

Mikan looks up at me timidly, hope glimmering in her eyes. "Really? You mean it?"

"Absolutely."

Tears immediately begin to well up in her eyes, and I begin to freak out once more. "Are you alright? Did I say something? What can I do to make up for it?"

This only makes her cry harder. "Hngh- gh- y-you really do f-forgive me?"

"Of course I do! There's really nothing to forgive in the first place," I say, giving her a gentle pat on the back. "There's nothing you could ever do that would really agitate me."

Immediately after I say that, a waterfall of tears burst from her eyes. "Gh- ah- th-thank you s-so mu-mu-much!"

I was not expecting that.

Before I can say anything else, she runs off. I am left stunned.

Alright then.

"Bunny!" Someone cheers, crashing into me like an overly affectionate wrecking ball. We topple to the ground.

"I-Ibuki?" I shakily call out, slowly pushing myself up off of the ground.

"That's me! Ibuki Mioda," said girl proudly states, puffing out her chest. Immediately after, she explodes into giggles and runs into me again. This time, however, I'm a bit more prepared and thankfully grip onto her waist without losing my balance. She's an inch or two taller than me and therefore heavier, so it's a bit difficult to keep myself upright.

God, my twiggy-ass self was not meant to carry this much weight.

"Gah. it's been sooo long! Ibuki missed you."

I pat her back awkwardly, internally cringing at the sheer amount of emotion put into those words. She sounded as if I'd run off to Siberia for ten years and had just arrived home. "I'm flattered that you missed me so much."

She affectionately rubs my cheek against hers, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

What the fuck?

Surprise, you gorgeous motherfuckers! I bet you didn't expect two chapters in one day. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book. It isn't that popular, but that makes me all the more grateful for every last one of you. I really do hope you enjoyed reading these chapters as much as I enjoyed writing them.