The Boy With The Blank Stare: The Promise

Chapter Sixteen: The Anime Club

Aitos POV:

"YOU'RE SUCH A JERK AITO!" Seiko scolded as she hit the back of my head with her book, her sky blue eyebrows narrowed in on me. Seiko was a towering figure with her perfect body clearly showing her body language.

"I'm sorry! I just....look I couldn't help it ok? I didn't mean to make him cry I just...I just got pissed off out of nowhere...just built up resentment I guess" I told her with a shrug with my thick and flobby arms.

"You guess?" She repeated almost mockingly, "Aito that robot guy was really nice when he and the detective asked if you would talk with him! The poor boy was in a wheelchair right? He's traumatized to so you better go and say you're sorry you little shit!" She ordered me annoyed.

I shook my head, "it's to late Seiko, I don't want to do that it's to awkward already when I see him...and if I apologize...I don't think I would mean it..." I admitted reluctantly.

"WHAT? You don't regret bullying a poor defenseless blind kid?!" She screeched causing some of the passerby to notice us. They're looking at you. I blushed and quickly looked at the floor.

"Can you be a little quieter please?" I asked resuming sweeping the class, it was cleaning time.

"AITO BULLIES DEFENSELESS-" Seiko started before I clapped my hand over her mouth.

"One, he's older than both of us and I think an adult so he's not a kid, second, I didn't bully him. I just got annoyed and said some bad things, that's not bullying, and third I really can't honestly say I'm sorry when every time I look at him I keep...I keep hoping for an answer...and answer I will never get..." I confessed.

"Seiko you act as if this is easy" I mumbled feeling hot tears "and yeah maybe it is...I feel like a piece of shit for what I did...but that's the thing...if I met him with all this resentment still again....I would do it again..." I told her before wiping my eyes.

"I'm going home..." I told her when she didn't respond, only continued glaring at me.

"We're not friends till you fix this." She told me. My heart ached but I nodded and went off to a different part of the school.

~-~-~

Saihara's POV:

"Things the DICE members liked?" Akamatsu asked while eating some of her onigiri, I decided to spend time with her since Ouma was actually sick today.

"Yeah, any hobbies or clubs you know they were in, I'm trying to find some of their other friends to help Ouma" I said vaguely.

It wasnt a lie. I was trying to help Ouma, just not telling her it was to make a case.

"Hmm...oh! Danuja and Hideyoshi were in an anime club back in middle school, Danuja used to wear anime pins hidden under his uniform and always got in trouble for that" Akamatsu said with a nostalgic look on her face.

"Hm...I could probably dig around for that yearbook we found earlier...maybe I can find a picture of a club meeting they had? Sorry DICE had a lot of introverts so not many of them were in clubs...." she apologized.

"It's fine, I expected this. DICE itself was practically a club in itself" I responded.

Akamatsu smiled at that before she stood up and headed into the storage closet searching around the dusty books and pictures before finally taking one out.

"This is from our last year in middle school" she said wiping some of the dust off before handing it to me.

I eagerly opened it, flipping through the pages.

...

In Ouma's yearbook photo he had a devil like grin as if he was planning something, his uniform was messed up purposefully and his expression was so full of life...

It was with a melancholic feeling that I continued through, a part of my heart hurt seeing Chiasa's photo, but finally I found the clubs section.

Akamatsu was right, only three members of DICE were involved in any sort of club. Two, Danuja and Hideoyoshi, in the anime club and the last Kazue Mori seemed to be in some sort of art club.

I paused looking over the photo showing the anime club during a school festival, I couldn't recognize almost anyone in the photo.

"Oh...darn it seems that it was filled with upperclassman actually...oh wait!" She cheered excitedly as she pointed out a passerby with blue hair.

"Shirogane was in the club!" She told me, "she was?" I asked, "yeah, I remember the photographer was a bit annoyed because she refused to be in the photo, I think she had a breakout that day" Akamatsu said as she struggled to remember the details.

"Ah well that helps, thanks Akamatsu" I told her, "no problem, I'll try and remember and ask if anyone else in our class was friends with DICE and let you know ok!" She said. I nodded grateful, I admit I was anxious about asking the class due to my anxiety.

Finally I pushed forward and started searching around the school for Shirogane, as she was one of the only people who didn't eat lunch in our class finally coming across her the back of the school near the incinerator.

"Oh Saihara, what are you doing out here?" Shirogane asked setting down some manga she had been reading.

"Oh I'm helping Ouma with something" I told her as she looked at me curious, "I mean I'm a bit plain but I can see if I can help" she offered.

"Actually it's something only you can help me with, at least this part, I was wondering if you would be willing to meet with Ouma and me sometime and talk about your time in the anime club with Hideyoshi and Danuja?" I asked.

"Oh...I think even someone as plain as me can help with that" she agreed after some minor reluctance.

I sighed in relief, "thank you, can we exchange emails so we can plan this out?" I asked, she nodded as we exchanged phones for a moment.

"Alright thanks Shirogane" I said as I headed back to the class....maybe it was just my imagination but Shirogane looked sadly as she fumbled with her phone charm.