Four: Always Here

I sat on the bleachers humming along to the tune of my favourite songs playing on my headphones in an attempt to tune out the sounds of my classmates happily playing in the school’s swimming pool while also working on my drawing of Misaki.

My perfect lighting was disturbed when someone’s shadow covered my sketchbook and I sighed when someone’s hip pressed mine.

This grows tiresome.

I sighed and looked up, already tired and gave her my usual blank stare that always seemed to annoy Suzuki. I lowered my headphones and raised a brow, waiting for something stupid to leave her mouth.

“You’re not going to join us in the pool?” I noted that she must have been in the school's swimsuit and tried to focus my gaze on her face and not her figure.

“What’s it to you?” She glared at me and tried to fake a smile quickly.

“You’re drawing that girl again?”

“Why?” she seemed confused by my response. “Why do you pester me daily? I’m trying so hard to have a peaceful high school life, so why me?” she bit on her lip.

“Arata…”

“Yoshida,” she blinked rapidly, “You don’t have my permission to call me by my first name remember.” She huffed and her eyes darted to my sketchbook.

“She’s pretty though.” I groaned, “Really, really pretty.”

“I’m not in the mood to entertain any idiots today so just leave.” Her lip trembled and I groaned, I would only draw unnecessary attention if she started crying.

“Fine, you’re not an idiot, but leave if you have nothing to say,” I stated and she smiled her stupid smile again.

“We’re getting a substitute English teacher.”

“And?”

“She’s my mother! I don’t want her to see me like this but I don’t want to look like a nerd either, I’m so confused.”

“Just ask Ishida, I’m sure she’ll be glad to help,” I said mockingly and she glared at me, looking extra serious at the moment.

“I’m serious Yoshida.” I scoffed.

“You think I’m not? There’s no way I’m going to help you with that shit, I already told you that I won’t be involved in anything concerning your stupid secret. Double identity, what stupid manhwa did you see that, the one that said you’d find love when someone found out that you led a double life?” I slid my headphones back on and continued my drawing.

She looked over my shoulder and started to poke my head repeatedly and I tried to tune it out but eventually snapped. I removed my headphones and turned them off before glaring at Suzuki, she was unaware of my sudden movement and poked my eye.

“Argh.” I groaned and my headphones slipped out of my hands.

I quickly carried it and Suzuki rushed to me. I examined the headphones and there was no chance of its survival unless I took it to where it would get fixed, and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

“You broke it, you bitch.”

“Don’t call me a bitch.”

“Then don’t break my things.”

“Sorry.” I scoffed and put my headphones back in my school bag.

“Why me?” I mumbled as I sat back on the bleachers and she glared at me and her sweat dropped.

“I said I’m sorry.”

“I mean, of all the students to bother at school, why me?” she blinked, slightly taken aback by my question and nervously looked at her intertwined fingers.

“Well Hirata booked me for the week and the others were too scared to get on his bad side so I met you since you weren’t scared although, Matsumoto told me he was pretty sure you were gay or asexual.”

I scoffed. “You sound like an object belonging to petty children.”

“I don’t belong to anyone.” She tried to defend herself and I simply scoffed.

“The literal definition of booking something or, someone in your case,” I said, gesturing to her. “Is to claim temporary ownership of said thing or person. It’s worse considering he pays for you.” She seemed defeated and huffed.

“Why do you care anyway? Or could Arata Yoshida be jealous?” I got up and hung my bag over my shoulder. “Wait where are you going?!”

“I’m done with pool time, I’m going home.”

“Wait! Arata… Yoshida, I’m sorry, you still need to help me with my mother.”

“I owe you nothing, you can’t make me do anything for you.” I walked away and she quickly left the pool area.

The disadvantage of wearing a swimsuit was she had to change before leaving the school. I breathed as I left the school building and tried to calm myself down.

“Yoshida!” I jerked and turned to see Suzuki after me.

Her skirt was worn sloppily and her shirt was unbuttoned, showing the swimsuit, she was barefoot, and her red hair was messy due to the swim cap.

“You have to help me!” she yelled, flaying her arms in the air and I picked up my pace.

“Stay away from me!” I yelled back while taking a sharp turn.

I didn’t hear her chasing after me but I continued to run, not willing to take any chances. When I got home, my brother was lounging on the couch with his friend and my mother was nowhere in sight.

“Mum said you should take this to your friend.” He points at the boba teas and I almost thought it was Suzuki but I calmed down when I realised it would have been Misaki.

“She’s always here,” I mumbled and Kai shrugged.

I grumpily carried the tray and made my way upstairs, Misaki was there, reading my journal and I tried so hard to hide my annoyance.

“You could at least call before you visit and put down my journal.”

“You mean diary?” she asked in a teasing tone and I gritted my teeth.

“If it was a diary would I leave it out for you to read?” she shrugged.

“You still wouldn’t if it wasn’t one.”

“It isn’t a diary.” She hummed and dropped the book on my drawer.

I was ready to argue but someone knocked and I struggled with the knob, I only saw bright red before something hit me and the tray fell out of my hands.

“Aargh,” Suzuki yelled and I groaned.

“How did you get here?”

“Yoshida – your brother let me in.” I groaned.

“Leave.”

“I can’t, I’m wet because of you.” I coughed, trying to erase the foul thought from my head.

I could hear Misaki laughing and she draped her arm on my shoulder in mere moments.

“And who is she Arata?” she asked, with a red face from her laughter and I sighed.

“Only your number one fan, she can’t seem to stop gushing about how pretty you look.” Suzuki’s cheeks matched her hair in seconds and Misaki waved.

“Always a pleasure to meet new fans, I’m Hayashi Misaki.” Suzuki blushed harder and Misaki nudged me with her elbow.

“What?” I asked, looking between Suzuki and Misaki.

“You could a least offer your guest a bath after spilling tea on her.”

“Not a chance, and especially not in my house.”

“Arata, you’re going to offer this girl a bath or else…” I eye rolled, there was no way to argue when she was like that.

“Fine whatever, I’ll give you a towel.”

“Thank you.” I groaned and left the room.

I entered the guest room grabbed a few towels and tossed them at Suzuki when I entered back into my room.

“You can use the downstairs bathroom…”

“No, no, no.” Misaki cut me off and I looked at her while raising a brow.

“Think Arata, your brother is downstairs with his friend, what do you think he’s going to do when Suzuki leaves the bathroom?” I shrugged.

“I don’t know, he has taste.”

“Tch… why are you being so mean?”

“You’re not taking a bath here.”

“She is and you have no say in it.” Suzuki snapped.

“It’s my house and my room, I have a say in what she’s going to do.”

“One more word and I swear, I’ll call Ishida and tell her you want to hang out.”

“W-what…” Suzuki was cut off.

“Do your worst. I already told her she wasn’t my type yesterday, so go ahead and do what you want.”

We glared at each other and she smirked before turning to Suzuki.

“Go right ahead and ignore this whining boy, I’ll take care of him.”

“Y-yes.” She scurried to the bathroom before I could further object and I huffed before falling on my bed.

“After Suzuki, you have to be the biggest bitch I know.” She chuckled and raised her middle finger at me and I chuckled.

“At least I don’t try to emotionally damage someone interested in starting a friendship with you.”

“I didn’t emotionally damage anybody, I only dropped strong hints about me not being interested.”

We kept arguing about Suzuki until we finally heard the shower turn off. Misaki got up, walked into my closet before I could object, opened the bathroom door slightly and handed Suzuki my clothes! I got fed up at that point and carried my backpack to start my homework. The bathroom door opened eventually and Suzuki got out looking flustered.

I raised my head up before letting out a slight gasp, I never understood why boys found girls attractive in their clothes and I still didn’t because all I could focus on was the fact that she hadn’t dried her hair and water was dripping on my floors.

“You!” I yelled, pointing at a startled Suzuki. “There was a hair dryer in the bathroom, why didn’t you use it!?”

“I… I didn’t know if you’d get ma…”

“Of course I would…”

“Wow, one bath and you’ve been reduced to a nerd.” Misaki said absentmindedly and Suzuki’s face flushed.

“Well Hayashi, I don’t look like a nerd since I’m still wearing contacts.” She said smugly and Misaki rolled her eyes.

She took Suzuki’s hand and pulled her to my bed and I scooted a bit to stop her from grinding her hips against mine. She pouted and thankfully didn’t do anything else.

“You’ve had your bath, you can leave.” I stated and Suzuki huffed.

“I can’t leave, not until you help me with my situation.” Misaki raised a brow at me and I shook my head the instant I had an idea of what she was thinking.

“Don’t tell me you and my baby boy already did the deed,” I face palmed and Suzuki’s face turned red. “Are you pregnant, am I gonna be a godmother?”

“I don’t know how your thoughts could have drifted to something so lewd.” Misaki scoffed and eye rolled at my statement.

“Says the pervert.”

“Um… about my mom…”

“Here’s an idea, ditch the dye, make-up, stupid way of wearing your uniform, contact…”

“After everything I did to be popular do you think I’ll throw it all away?”

“Selling your body is only one way to be popular, why not trying to be like Misaki or Ishida.” She squinted her eyes at me while Misaki grinned at me.

“Meaning?” Suzuki asked, looking angry.

“You could be hotter, your boobs could be bigger, join a club, act smarter, and be curvier…”

“So it’s because I’m smaller?” Suzuki asked, her face red.

“Don’t take Arata’s words personally, he’s just a bitter pervert.”

“And don’t you forget it.” I said in agreement and Suzuki forced a smile.

“As for your problem, tell me what’s going on.” Suzuki’s eyes gleamed in excitement and she hugged Misaki.

“My mother is going to be our substitute English teacher for the week and I can’t have her seeing me like this.”

“Leading a double life, huh?” Misaki asked and Suzuki hesitantly nodded.

“If it’s just a week, you could wash off the dye and tell your friends you were planning on changing colours. You could tell your mom you bought contacts with your savings since I’m sure you didn’t steal it and put on a blazer to hide how you wear your uniform.”

“Thank you so much! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner.”

“Because thinking is for people with…”

“Shut up.” They cut me off at the same time and I looked back at my book.

“Maybe I’ll come to school tomorrow to see if the plan works…”

“You’ll come to school because of her but say you won’t when I ask you to!?” I asked, fuming and Misaki rolled her eyes

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***