AUTHOR'S NOTES:So here's the bad news: I was, or
am, a notoriously slow writer. I mean, I'm the type who takes time making my story, writing long, useless scenes just to drop a hint or two (that readers won't probably even pick up at first reading, lol). It takes me a while to introduce my characters, establish plot points, and develop relationships. It's something that can't be helped whenever I'm writing. Anyway, I'm saying this to warn the readers:
I hope you're all prepared to read long, boring chapters, because that's all I know to write. 
Oh well, here goes... probably my
longest first chapter yet, lol
||CHAPTER ONE||She felt the warmth of the morning sun kissing her face.
A soft groan escaped her lips, eyebrows knitting slightly as she blindly reached out for that small obtrusive object that had been begging for her attention for a while now. With one eye open, she glanced at her clock. She had exactly forty five minutes until school started. She contemplated about napping for another five minutes, only to grudgingly decide against the idea a few seconds later.
“Ohayou,” she murmured to the room absently. Madoka rubbed the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes and gently threw the blanket off her body. Her attention briefly fell on the huge and decidedly empty bed, disappointment dancing on the corner of her eyes.
She lightly hopped off the bed, footsteps padding softly on as she navigated across her sizeable bedroom. Sunlight filtered freely through the elegant curtains of her window, bathing her room in a warm glow. She made her way towards the closet on the other side of the room and took out some clothes, after which she headed for the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later and she was checking herself on the mirror, looking smartly dressed in her school uniform. She ran a careful hand through the pleats of her dark gray and crimson plaid skirt. Her scrutinizing eyes roamed over her reflection, making sure that her matching blazer was smooth and creaseless, and her crimson necktie knotted with perfection. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she made a swift exit and proceeded down the winding stairs.
She smiled kindly at the gentleman waiting at the foot of the staircase. Her ponytail swayed gently with each step that she made.
“Ohayou.”
He was thin man in his early forties, neatly dressed in a dark suit and matching tie. With a wide smile and a dignified bow, he returned the greeting. He proceeded to lead her to the dining hall.
“Ohayou gozaimasu, ojou-sama.”
The house was huge, especially considering the number of occupants currently residing in it. Expensive-looking art works and furniture lined the walls and its hallway. On the way to the dining hall, they passed by a sitting room with a sleek, black grand piano inside.
“Really, Goto-san, how many times do I have to ask you not to call me that?” Madoka lightly complained while she settled into her seat.
“Gomen, gomen, It’s hard not to when you greet us looking like one every morning.” He chuckled, laying out a tray of food in front of her. “Please enjoy your breakfast.”
‘Itadakimasu,” She put her hands together then reached for the utensils.
“By the way, has father called yet?” Madoka inquired after a few minutes of eating in silence.
“A while ago. Moriyasu-sama still has some business to attend to in Nagoya.” Goto replied, relaying the message he had received from the master of the house earlier that morning. He poured her a glass of milk. “He will probably be back by next week, is what he said.”
“Is that so....” She wondered with a heavy sigh. Her eyes absently traveled along the long dining table, which looked even more imposing owing to its lack of occupants, aside from her. At the end of the table, a simple, wrapped package caught her attention.
“Did –” Madoka turned to the older man, realizing something.
“She left more than an hour ago,” he answered knowingly.
“Oh.”
The reply came nonchalantly, but all the same, the man recognized the deflated look on her face.
“She made that for you, though.”
“As always,” she lightly dismissed. Nevertheless, there was a pout that threatened to form on her lips. She picked up the utensils she had put down a while ago and resumed eating her breakfast.
His eyes twinkled. “How many times did you set it this time?”
It took Madoka a few seconds to answer, and when she did, she all but whispered, “just… ten.”
Her cheeks stained light pink as she remembered the number of times she had pressed the snooze button of her alarm clock. Already in her final year of high school and still weak like that when it came to waking up. Mornings had never been her strongest suit. But then again, everyone already knew that.
“At this rate, you’re never going to catch her.”
“Mou, it can’t be helped! She’s always running away.” She set down her utensils once more, a small but distinguishable frown now visible on her delicate face. Madoka lightly pushed her plate away and shrugged. “Besides, the bed is so warm and comfortable, it’s so hard to give it up.”
“Well, you just have to try you best, Madoka-chan,” the older man kindly advised. One by one, he cleared the dinnerware from the table and placed them back on the tray.
“You know, sometimes I think she’s just waiting for you to wake up and catch her before she runs away.”
*****
“Goto-san, I still have club activities later, so I’ll just give you a call when I’m ready to go home, okay?”
“Of course.” He stepped out of the car and opened the passenger door to let her out. “Please be careful and, if possible, don’t take too long. It was in the news a while ago; they are expecting a rainstorm later this evening.”
“See you later,” Madoka waved one last time before she crossed the threshold of their school grounds. She made her way to their class building, offering a small smile and a polite greeting to her peers and even kouhais who crossed paths with her.
“Madoka-chan, ohayou!” Madoka looked up from her locker and saw two familiar faces approaching – Kodama Haruka and Anai Chihiro, both of whom are members of the student council like her. She placed her school shoes inside her locker then greeted her friends with a grin. “Haruppi, Chiichan, ohayou.”
“You seem very energetic this morning, Haruppi,” Madoka noted the girl’s unusually high tension, falling into step beside her two friends as they walked towards their classroom. “What did Chiichan promised to do this time?”
“You make it sound like it’s a bribe!” Chiichan wrinkled her nose in protest. The three of them continued to make their way to class, stopping every now and then to avoid bumping into other students milling around the hallway.
“But you have to admit, it kind of is.”
“A peace offering, is what it is. You were pouting at me the whole time we were going here.” Exasperated, Chiichan shook her head, rolling her eyes at Haruppi and rebutted. Upon Madoka’s silent prompting, she further supplied, “I completely forgot that I promised to head over her house and start that project our last night. Fell asleep as soon as I reached home. I didn’t see her messages until it was so late in the night.”
“I see.” Madoka shot the other girl an impish grin. “So what
did you bribe her with?”
They hastily got inside their classroom as soon as they reached their destination. The room was slightly buzzing with activity as their other classmates mingle around with each other.
“Eh? Even you, Madoka-chan?” The student council president pouted.
“We’re going out for yakiniku tomorrow, Chiichan’s treat!” Haruppi beamed, victoriously flashing a peace sign. “Then after that, a sleep over at my house!”
“To start the project. Not for anything else,” Chiichan quickly clarified. The three friends briefly paused by her desk which was situated right in the front row.
“Sure, sure. What else should be we doing?” Haruppi just waved it off, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes. She strolled over to her own seat just behind Chiichan’s, then shot Madoka a conspiratorial grin. “Besides, everything else should be done after, right?”
“Good luck with that, Chiichan.” Madoka gave the girl a sympathetic pat on the head, though she was unable to suppress her giggle. “Looks like Haruppi has lots of other things planned for you.”
Giving a small wave, she headed off to the far corner of the room, near the window, where her own desk was located. Madoka treaded carefully around, noticing that her seatmate was fast asleep. Gracefully, she settled into her seat, eyes falling on the sleeping figure beside her. She took the moment to take a closer look. Long locks of thick, dark hair framed the girl’s smooth face as she slept. Her fair complexion stood out in stark contrast to the dark rim under her eyes.
Her eyebrows knotted slightly. But before she could dwell on that little observation, the school bell rang, signaling the start of morning classes.
The girl slowly stirred.
Madoka quickly averted her gaze.
*****
She carefully stuffed the now empty bento inside her bag.
As expected, the prepared meal was wonderfully delicious, just like the other carefully prepared bentos that always seemed to be waiting for her very morning.
Together with Chiichan and Haruppi, Madoka had spent the greater half of their lunch break chatting while eating their meals together. Now Haruppi had gone off and volunteered to get drinks for all three friends, while Chiichan was briefly called over by some students from the other class.
The room was almost empty, save for her and the other student at the other end of the room who was busy scribbling on her journal. She glanced at the empty seat to her left. That person jumped out of her seat and scrambled away as soon as the lunch bell rang.
Deciding to take advantage of the peaceful moment, Madoka rummaged for small pocket book she always carried in her bag and took it out. She cracked the book open, carefully leafing through its pages in search of her marker.
Not a few minutes later and the complete tranquility she had been enjoying was shattered by the arrival of her two classmates.
“Look, she’s at it again!”
“Who?”
“That girl! Roughing it up with Matsumoto from 3-D. Look, they’re right outside!”
“Matsumoto’s probably getting in her face again, then.”Madoka’s ears twitched. It was getting harder and hard to concentrate on the book she was trying to read. By this time, she knew exactly who they were gossiping about.
“I wonder why Teramoto-sensei hasn’t kicked her out of our school yet. She’s a trouble magnet.”
“Aren’t you being a little harsh? It’s not like she’s the one starting all these fights. Besides, she’s one of the best runners of the track and field club. They won’t let her go that easily.”
“Still! It’s such a nuisance when she’s being like that. She’s ruining our school’s reputation.”Unable to hold herself any longer, Madoka interrupted the conversation.
“Is something the matter?”
*****
“Mou, Jiina, are you even listening to what we just said? You’re supposed to be keeping notes for this meeting, not constantly look at yourself in the mirror.”
“Hai, hai~” A melodious voice rang out. However, Kojina Yui continued to check her reflection, seemingly oblivious to the nature of the complaint. Taking one last look in the mirror, Jiina made some last minute fixes to her fringes then tucked the offending object away. She picked up her pen, looked at her empty notebook, and then flashed everyone a blinding smile.
“Let's see... volunteers for the upcoming interschool sports meet… flowers and get-well-soon cards for Shimazaki-sensei… location for the annual camping trip, and… oh, transfer student coming in soon, right?”
Haruppi eyed her suspiciously, but Jiina just shrugged. With a defeated sigh, Haruppi rested her chin on the wooden table, and grumbled, “Sometimes I wonder why we even keep you in our council.”
“Well, she does get the job done, so that’s good enough,” Madoka thoughtfully reasoned out, earning both murmurs of agreement from the other members, and a grateful smile from the said girl who was sitting across the table.
“And conveniently pretty, too,” the last member of the council, Sakaguchi Riko, concurred with a solemn nod. “She can get any of the kouhais to help out just with that smile of hers.”
“As expected, Madoka-chan is really nice, ne? And Rikopi as well,” Jiina gushed, after which she threw a playful pout towards the short-haired girl at the far end of the table. “Haruppi is just cold to anyone whose name isn’t
‘Chihiro’.”
“Mou, Chiichan, now she’s just bullying me~!”
“But… you were kind of asking for it…”
Sensing the brewing trouble, Rikopi firmly interjected, “That reminds me, did Teramoto-sensei say something about today’s incident, seito kaichou?”
“Well, he said only Matsumoto-san is under probation, since the other students clearly saw her initiate the fight.” Chiichan began filing away the loose papers in front of her and stowed it inside her bag.
“So no other punishment?”
“That’s it.” The council president confirmed. “Matsumoto-san and Matsuoka-san are both scary, aren’t they? They’ve been butting heads since we were first years.”
“I know what you mean. I was there at the scene! The way the bleeding Matsuoka-san glared at Matsumoto-san...” Haruppi shuddered at the memory. Hugging herself, she then turned to the other girl. “Ne, Madoka-chan? I saw you there, too! You even tried to help.”
“Un…”
“Matsuoka-san sure is scary,” the short-haired girl exclaimed once more.
“But you know, Matsuoka-san isn’t really
that bad,” Jiina hesitantly offered, much to the surprise of the other members. “She has actually helped me out a few times.”
“Un. Natsumi-san may look aloof and intimidating, but she isn’t really a bad person,” Rikopi agreed, cautiously nodding her head. “At least I don’t think so.”
“Eh?! You’re close enough to be on first name basis with her?!” Haruppi looked positively stunned. “How come we didn’t know this??”
“We often share cleaning duties in the past,” the other girl casually offered. “She’s surprisingly quite efficient.”
“Mou, I think that’s enough. We should adjourn today’s meeting and head home. Looks like it’s about to rain.” Chiichan finally said, taking a quick glance at the window and noting the overcast skies. The wooden chair grated noisily against the floor as she pushed it back and stood up. Similarly, the rest of the council members gathered their belongings and stood up.
“Ne, Madoka-chan, are you alright?” Rikopi asked the girl who had grown noticeably quiet over the past few minutes.
The unexpected question startled the girl. “O-of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Ah! Must be the impending storm, right?” Without waiting for any confirmation, Haruppi grabbed Madoka’s arm and led her out of the council room. “Don’t worry, Madoka-chan. I’m sure Goto-san will get you home safely before the storm hits. So let’s go!”
*****
She tossed and turned for what seemed like hundredth time that night.
Outside, the storm was raging on, dumping buckets and buckets of water down their roof. Rain pounded heavily on her windows. Thunder seemed to crack the heavens wide open every now and then, punctuated by flashes of lightning that raced through the obsidian skies.
She had spent her evening leisurely, finishing her reading assignments and doing her daily piano practice. But once the heavy rains started pouring, she retreated inside her room.
The wind howled some more, much to her discomfort.
Madoka buried herself deeper under the sheets. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep in this condition. Seeing no other choice, she stuck out her hand from the under covers and reached for her phone from the night stand. She typed a simple message:
Can’t sleep again… 
Then, she waited.
Predictably, it came five minutes after – a personal reply.
She heard it more than she saw it, the door to her room creaking open then shut. A dark figure appeared and padded as unobtrusively as possible towards her. Madoka pulled away the sheets and welcomed the other person into her bed.
The person sank into the soft mattress beside her and tugged on the sheets, covering them both. She gave Madoka’s hand a reassuring squeeze then turned to lie on her other side, facing away from her.
Madoka scooted closer and mimicked the position, lying on the same side.
“When did you get home?”
“A while ago.”
“I didn’t see you at dinner.”
The figure just hummed in response. Despite her misgivings, Madoka decided to let that one go. Instead, her attention fell on something familiar. She quietly reached over and lightly traced her fingers on the small, white bandage that adorned the other person’s left cheek. “Does it hurt?”
“No,” came the dismissive answer.
“Natsumi….” Madoka retracted her arm and let out a disappointed sigh.
The bed tentatively shifted.
“Sleep, Maachan. I’m okay.” The other girl had laid on her back once more. A sudden flash of light zipped across the sky, and in that split-second, Madoka could clearly see the pair of deep, chocolate orbs that bore earnestly into her own. “It’s alright. I’m okay.”
“Go to sleep,” Natsumi repeated, not unkindly. Madoka felt the girl’s warm hand cover hers. Soft fingers lazily traced circles on the back of Madoka’s hand in wordless reassurance. “It’s late, and we still have classes tomorrow.”
Madoka finally relented, head bobbing in an almost imperceptible nod.
“Good night.”
Closing her eyes, she felt Natsumi’s hand slowly pull away. Instinctively, she tightened her grip and intertwined their fingers.
Right before she completely drifted off into unconsciousness, Madoka could swear she felt something warm brush softly against her forehead.
“Sleep tight, Maachan....”
*****
I hope I haven't bored you guys yet. Comments are much appreciated!
Replies:@kuro_808 - ah, then I hope I won't confuse you some more. I do have a tendency to confuse people.
@Yuki88 - thanks for leaving a comment! I love your HKT drabbles. so funny! and you must write that Natsu-is-a-delinquent story it as well! This site is quite lacking in HKT stories.
@ryo_heartkreuz - thanks! more HKT members will appear... and then some more.
@NogamiRumi - Thanks for leaving a 'thank you!'
Topic: The Solitude of Ambiguous States - CH.4 (17/05/16) NatsuMado, Sakura, Jurina (Read 21021 times)