Ayano Aishi, the Emotionless Lover

Week One, Tuesday

Week One, Tuesday

Routine carries Ayano as she gets ready for her day. It very quickly breaks when she steps out of her house at six-thirty, and Osano is waiting beside her door.

To his credit, he doesn’t drag her this time, but he does grab her arm still. It’s gentle, and Osano walks silently beside her. Ayano is content, and the walk is a chance for them to relax, preparing themselves for the day. Osano finishes waking up, and Ayano gets ready to fake emotions for the day.

When they get to school, Osano looks at her and asks if she wants to sit with her while he waits for Taro. He tries to pretend he doesn’t care, but one look breaks him.

Ayano does her best to look remorseful as she declines his offer. She would, but she needs to introduce herself to some people. She has a feeling that Osano will insult someone out of panic, and doesn’t want anything to go wrong. So she leaves him, waiting at the front gate, and heads near the fountain.

There’s a group of six girls talking, wearing matching bracelets. Ayano walks over to the group, donning a small, shy smile.

One of the girls notice her, a sweet looking purple-haired girl. “Oh, hello! Are you new?”

Ayano nods. “Yes. I just came here, and I was hoping I could make some new friends. You all seemed really nice...I hope I’m not bugging you right now.” Every word is chosen carefully, and the six all look at her kindly.

“Of course not! It’s always nice to meet new people!” The purple-haired girl says cheerfully. “I’m Kokona Haruka, from class 3-2! This is Saki Miyu, Yui Rio, Yuna Hina, Koharu Hinata, and Mei Mio! And you are?”

Ayano introduces herself, and the girls all smile as they make room to include her in the circle.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you. Have you chosen a club yet?” Kokona asks.

“No, I haven’t figured out which one is best suited for me.” Ayano admits this honestly. She knows she should join a club, but there hasn’t been anything (or anyone) to spark her interest.

Kokona and Saki both perk up. The other four see their enthusiasm and laugh.

“You should totally join the Cooking Club!” Saki says, grabbing onto Ayano’s shoulders. “All of us, or most of us,” Saki gives Kokona a playful glare, “are in it! We make food and give it out to our classmates during lunch and sometimes after school! We save the leftovers for ourselves, of course.” Saki winks at the end.

Kokona laughs. “I used to be in the Cooking Club, and Saki is right, but the Drama Club is where you should really go! We’re constantly performing fabulous plays, and with our leader gone for a couple of weeks, it’s a great chance to steal the spotlight!” Kokona smirks and leans in. “And the boys are hot .”

Ayano watches all of the girls break into giggles. Once they calm down, all of them look to Ayano to see what she says.

“Well, both of those are very convincing arguments, but maybe I should spend a day at each club to see which one I like most?”

All of the girls seemed satisfied with this answer.

“Of course,” Kokona agrees. “And you can always join multiple clubs, so long as you go at least once a week to each of them.”

And to Ayano, who has always had too much free time on her hands, the idea clicks. Surely, being in multiple clubs will keep boredom away. She’s read too many books over the summer, and her studies never take long enough.

So she creates a wonderful smile and agrees, and spends the rest of her time before class talking to her new friends.

-----

    In the blink of an eye, the day has passed. Ayano spent lunch with Taro and Osano once more, all of them talking about their mornings. Osano is proud to hear that Taro spent some time before the bell rang reconnecting with Budo Masuta, a boy that Taro hadn’t seen since last year.

    Now, as Ayano finishes cleaning up, she wonders which club she’ll check out today. She knows it’ll be between cooking and drama, but she isn’t sure yet.

    Then Osano walks up.

    “Aya, I can’t walk you home today,” He says. “Not like I planned on it, but I have Cooking Club today.”

    “You’re in the Cooking Club?” Ayano asks.

    Osano nods. “It seemed interesting, so I’m in it. The food is good, anyways.”

    Ayano decides that she’ll go to the Cooking Club today. She says so.

    Osano’s eyes widen a bit. “Really? You want to join me ?”

    “I was planning on checking it out. I want to join a club and am seeing my options.” Ayano explains simply. Osano seems to deflate from the answer, but quickly shakes his head and grabs her arm.

    “Alright, come on then!”

    Ayano blinks as she looks around the room. It’s very...pink. The tablecloth is pink, the walls are pink, even the floor is pink.

    Ayano glances up at Osano, looking at the tiny, pink scrunchie holding some of his hair back. It fits. She thinks simply.

    Saki notices the two and beams. “Ayano, Osano, come on in! I’m cooking for us all today!”

    Osano seems shocked by the fact that Saki recognized Ayano, but doesn’t say anything. He just drags her over to the table.

    Ayano realizes that the Cooking Club has to be the largest club she’s seen. Glancing into club rooms on Friday, only about five or six kids had been in each room. This one, however, had ten. Four people, three boys and a girl, Ayano does not recognize.

    They’re quick to point out that they didn’t know her, and introduce themselves quickly. Ayano introduces herself to Shoku, Kenko, Seiyo and Ajia politely, and they all jump into a conversation with the four rainbow girls and Osano.

    Before Ayano realizes it, it’s six o’clock and they’re all cleaning up. Osano walks Ayano home, muttering that, “You shouldn’t expect me to walk you home every single day...unless you want me to.” She bids him goodnight as she steps into the house, and waits for him to walk away before, finally, returning to her nightly routine.

    Overall, it’s been a pleasant and productive day. Ayano has a feeling that her reputation has improved greatly, and this time it didn’t feel as demanding as last time. This time around, the act of making friends feels less stiff.

    As Ayano falls asleep, she wonders why for a moment. But only for a moment, and with sleep arriving, the thought fades away into nothingness.