The Humanity Club | ✓

47. Are you crying?

CHAPTER 47

          "Hoshino! You're here!"

          I darted my attention from the shrine before me over my shoulder to locate the shout. It was to the least of my expectations to spot the owner barrelling through the crowd, frantically waving his arm in the air as he did.

          Between his shorter orange hair and beanie I barely recognized him, but the unmistakable beam extending to his ears made it effortless to tell it was him.

          "Hey, Hinata," I said, squeezing past the people crowding gathered for the hatsumode. "Happy New Year."

          Once I was out in a more secluded area, free to breathe the air that I did, he arrived to a halt.

          "Happy New Year," he replied, his grin not slipping the slightest. He peered over my shoulder. "Did you already pay your respects?"

          "Like a madwoman," I responded. "I got your postcard, by the way. The little comic strip of the chibi Hakuouki characters saying "Happy New Year" was so cute!"

          He sheepishly laughed, placing a hand to the back of his neck. "I'm glad you liked it."

          "It's pretty sweet he went the extra mile to send out postcards, right?" The unexpected appearance of Hibiki caught me off guard. With his typically suave smile slapped onto his lips, he swung his arm around Hinata's shoulder, dramatically placing his other hand to his chest. "He drew and coloured a miniature me playing my guitar and singing."

          My heart swelled at the idea. More so, when I pictured just what kind of images he'd drawn for the other Humanity Club members. "Aww, he put so much care into each one?"

           The colour that consumed Hinata's cheeks wasn't hard to ignore. "You guys are over-exaggerating! It only took a little while to draw out each one. Besides, it's not so odd for people to send out postcards anymore is it?"

          I let out a coo. "He's blushing, he's blushing."

          Hinata who stood taller in surprise could only bashfully duck his head, flushing to an even darker hue.

          "Trust us, man. If each one only took you a little bit of time your talent must be amazing," Hibiki agreed. He held his thumb and forefinger to his chin. "You captured my good looks perfectly."

          "Hinata's good enough to draw things you didn't originally have?" I teased via a snort. "That's raw talent I tell you."

          Hibiki narrowed his eyes at me in a playful glare. He tightened his hold around Hinata's shoulders.

          "Say what you will, missy. Hinata sees things in me my best friend clearly fails to."

          A laugh pushed past my mouth, one I could feel at the pit of my stomach. My amusement soon died down when I shifted my gaze to Hinata's face once again. His eyes kept discreetly flickering from the ground to Hibiki and his arm wrapped around his shoulder the way that it was. With each not so subtle puppy-like awe, his blush stretched to the tips of his ears. Then when Hibiki caught his staring and properly aimed his attention back to him, Hinata darted his gaze to his toes, clearly more nervous than before.

          My expression promptly morphed to one of shock, eyebrows shooting to my forehead at the realization. Holy crabcakes. Did Hinata have feelings for...

          "So, Miyuki," Hibiki's words snatched my focus at once. He withdrew his arm from around Hinata, letting it fall to his side. "Did you come here alone?"