Hey everyone!! Long time no see
it's kind of hard for me to finish this chapter as i have so many assignments from my school..
I hope you guys still want to read this story despite of late update
@Genkikid: the curse for being too popular
@wakaten: don't worry things won't be that bad for nanamin and ashu.. instead it might be bad for naachan waka and reika
love triangle
complicated.. let's see what will happen to that 3.. thanks for your understanding btw.. but it's really late right?
@pretend_2besome1: you're right
since they're my favorite 48group pairing so yeah.. i'll consider your suggestion. Maybe manatsu will face kuroishi wrath soon
thanks anyway
@chocolatepandastarlight: thank you very much
@weirdasspotatoe: yey!!
please keep this story as your daily routine
@finiarel: of course you are.. thank for leaving your comment
it's all because of their ambiguous talking and manatsu really make this all worse..
@ミサキ: here's the long awaited update!! Sorry for the wait..
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"Move away stalker!" Two girls bumped at Nishino Nanase or you could say pushed her on purpose. Books were scattered on the floor. Without saying anything Nanase got down collecting her books. No one helped her. Instead they were just whispering to each other talking about her.
It had been some weeks since that incident. Now after every students in Nogi High knew her condition was getting worse. Not just her classmate but even the upperclassmen were bullying her too. Not to mention since that incident she had been avoiding her newfound friend, Takayama Kazumi.
"Please go away from me Takayama san. You've been good enough to me. I don't want you to be bullied too because of me." Nanase told Kazumi few days after the incident.
"It's not your fault Naachan. I want to be your friend. Let me help you."
Since Kazumi was seen being with Nanase she started to be bullied to. Of course Nanase couldn't let this happen. So she always avoided Kazumi since then. At first she kept persistent to be friend Nanase but after some time she thought that maybe Nanase really needed time to be alone for now. Although she still always saved Nanase from the bullies whenever she was around. But of course Nanase would run away immediately.Nanase was about to take the last book when suddenly some other girls pushed her again and kicked one of her books.
"Ups.. We don't know you're there." The girls surrounded her and laughed at her.
The book landed in front of Kazumi who was on her way to her club room and accidentally saw this scene. Of course this boiled her up. She shouldn't have left Nanase alone.
"Hey! Wha-" Suddenly someone took the book and walked pass Kazumi making her stopped.
The girl pushed the bully girls aways and squat down.
"Are you okay?" Nanase just nodded her head still looking down. Mai patted her head.
"Shi-shiraishi senpai.. I-it's n-not like what y-you think." One girl said stuttering.
Mai got up and then faced the girls, hands crossed in front of her. The girls were scared to death but instead Mai smiled at them.
"Why are you telling me? Do you want me to tell the principal?" Mai asked the girl who seemed like their leader.
"No no senpai. It's just a misunderstanding. We were just playing with her." The other girl tried to back up their leader.
"Hmm.. Is that so.. You see me as a fool hmm?"
"N-no that's not what i mean. We-we're sorry."
"Then get lost! Don't you dare to do this again to her!" Mai bursted out. The girls were running away.
"Geez.. What must i do with you? Don't let them annoy you." Mai got back down and helped Nanase collecting her books. "Here.." Nanase took her books from Mai.
"Naachan! Are you okay?" Kazumi ran closer to Nanase.
Without answered anything she went away form there.
"Geez.. That girl really is stubborn. She really doesn't need to avoid me."
"She's scared you will be bullied too?"
"Yes. I've told her i will manage it somehow. She's the one who should be concerned. She really makes me worry." Kazumi said looking at Nanase who was running away.
"That's so just like her."
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"What is it?" Nanami asked her quiet friend.
"I wonder what can i do to stop bullying on Nanase chan. It's getting worse everyday. Beside looks like she refuses help even from Takayama san."
"That will be quite hard. Wrong moves and you will make everything worse."
"For now all i can do are just keep an eye on the bullies."
"But you can't always be around her."
"That's why this makes me worry so much. What if they put Nanase chan in danger when i'm not around?"
"But.. is she really like Waka?" Nanami whispered.
"Yeah.. I'd asked her when i first saw the portraits."
"Eh? You've seen them before?"
"Un.. I accidentally saw her drawing. She's really good right?"
"But how is Waka?"
"I don't want to know anything about that dumb girl. She's too senseless. I'm sure she even doesn't realize about Reika."
"We can't do anything though."
Suddenly Nanami's phone went off. Nanami check her phone and got new message.
"Asuka chan?"
"Yeah. She said she will be late today as she has to retake a test she failed." Nanami said while typing her reply to Asuka.
"Is that so.."
"What?" Nanami felt Mai looking at her intensely.
"You two seems okay after what happened."
"Not really actually. It's getting better now but she sometimes still become gossip material at her school although i've come there and explaineed what really happen, not everything but at least to clear our names. But it kind of hard here though. As there's Akimoto Manatsu. That sneaky girl really got me this time. Because of everyone's dirty minds especially that Akimoto we had a rough days you know."
"But it was really because of you two were too ambiguous. I would think the same if i didn't know the truth."
"Geez.."
"You should thank Manatsu actually."
"Huh?"
"You get a girlfriend because of her. That's nice right?" Mai laughed.
"We're just pretending. You should help me not teasing me Maiyan." Nanami pouted.
'Waka is really senseless but you're not better than her Maiyan.'"Ne ne don't be mad Nanamin. I'll kick Manatsu on her ass. This will be finished soon.."
"Let just see." Nanami said sarcastically and then continued digging into her food.
"You're cute when you're mad you know." Mai giggled while packing her lunch.
"You're finished already?" Nanami asked her friend. It was rare to see her not finishing her lunch. She often eat too much instead.
"I don't hungry somehow." Mai looked outside from the class window.
"That's weird."
"Hey Nanamin i'll go out for a sec okay." Mai stood up suddenly, surprising Nanami.
"Where are you going?"
"I'll be back." Mai already ran outside before Nanami could say anything.
"Don't skip the next classes Maiyan!" But she still reminded her anyway wether she heard it or not.
When Nanami looked around figuring out what made Mai excited like that she already guessed what she saw. And there she was, Nishino Nanase, walking alone while holding her sketchbook.
#sigh "No wonder she's like that."
Nanami tidying up her desk and put Mai lunch under her desk. "Seems like she won't be back soon."
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For Nanase it had become an usual things to be alone. It was not that she never had one. But ever since what happened to her family no one wanted to be friend with her. Even her bestfriend, she was scared she would be bullied too if she kept befriend Nanase.
With her being a high school student she determined to be invincible. She wouldn't do anything to make anyone knew her. That way she wouldn't get hurt. But unfortunately some of her classmates from middle school were also attending Nogi high and the worst part was they were in the same class. Again.
And after what happened with her sketchbook it was getting worse. She determined not to be known but ended up being known by all over the school. Now things were worse than how it was in middle school. Even her seniors were also bullying her.
Thanks to Takayama Kazumi she could remember how nice to have a friend. She was her first friend after a long time. Of course Nanase was really thankful to her. Absolutely. That was also why she couldn't be friend with her now. She couldn't let her precious new found friend to be bullied too because of her.
"I know you will come here."
"Mai senpai.."
"Takayama san told me you're always no where to be found in lunch time. Fortunately i know this place."
"Don't come near me. I don't want you to be bullied too."
Mai came closer and then squatting down in front of Nanase.
"That's not how you thanks your savior this morning." Mai pouted.
"So-sorry.. Thanks for helping me senpai." Nanase looked down.
Mai chuckled. "You're welcome." She patted Nanase's head then sat down beside her.
"No one knows this place anyway so we can do anything we want here. Beside who do you think i am? No one dares to bully Shiraishi Mai." Nanase giggled.
"You're so full of yourself." Nanase said playfully.
"I'm just saying the truth." Mai shrugged.
"Geez.." Nanase laughed.
"It's been a while i see you laugh. You're cute when you're smiling."
Nanase quite surprised by the sudden commend. She looked at Mai who turned out was looking at her. For some second it turned to be a staring contest which was won by Mai as Nanase looked aside blushing.
"Stop avoiding Takayama san. Don't you think it's unfair for her?" Mai suddenly said, taking Nanase attention back.
"You don't understand." Nanase looked down again.
"I do. I know you do this so she won't be bullied too. I know it, she also know it. But still you shouldn't do this."
"I do this for her own sake. She has gone through a hard time i don't want to drag her back to her past."
"Have you asked her what she thinks? You do this based on what you think is right. You do this for your own sake. Not for her."
"No! Just stop this already. I'm going back." Nanase stood up but Mai stopped her.
"See? You're just running away. Just like how you're running away from Takayama san. You're scared she will leave you too in the end so you leave her first."
"I.."
"Am i wrong?"
Tears started to pouring down as all Mai said were exactly how she felt. "No you're right. I know I shouldn't do this to Kazumin. Knowing how kind she is to me. But i can't help it. I'm scared. Being left alone is too scary. I'm not a good friend. I should have trust her more."
Mai came closer to Nanase and hugged her, patting her back. "It's okay. It's not your fault. I understand." They kept like that for some minutes.
After Nanase had calmed down they sat down again side by side not saying anything.
"Thank you senpai." Nanase broke the silence.
"Hmm it's nothing. Feel better now?"
"Un.. thanks to you." Nanase smiled with her puffed eyes.
"Good." Mai ruffled Nanase's hair.
"Mou.. You ruin my hair." Nanase pouted while straightening her hair.
Mai stood up then stretched her hand. "Let's go."
"Where?"
"Come on just follow me."
"It'a about time to go back to the next class."
"We're already late anyway. Let's just skip the whole day. It's good for you to break the rules once or twice."
Nanase hesitated at first but accepted the offer eventually. "Alright then. But.. Won't we be caught?"
Mai grinned. "Let me show you another secret spot of mine."
"Tadaaa..."
Mai brought Nanase to another corner of the school. But it just a place with lots of trees and bushes with a tall wall surrounding them.
"What's with this place? Just another hiding space?" Asked Nanase confused.
"See? You even can't find it. Come closer." Mai then walked to the very corner of the space then moved aside some bushes.
"We'll not hang out here of course. This is where i usually escape and go out. Come on."
Nanase saw a hole quite big for human to pass on the wall. This let Nanase knew how often Mai skipped classes until she could find places like this. She was so sure Mai knew more places like this at school.
"You really skip classes a lot don't you? I'm sure you still have more places to hide at school."
Mai laughed. "Of course. I'll get caught easily otherwise. You've never heard me being caught right?" Mai said proudly.
"Tch.. You better use that smart brain of yours to study."
"I'm better like this. I have softball anyway. Come on go in."
"Where will we go?"
"You'll know."
"Is it really okay to go out from school? We would be in a big trouble if they caught us right?"
"Then don't be caught. Beside no one pass this school part. We'll be at the back of the school so no one ever go till that part since it quite far from the front gate."
Nanase still not convinced enough to go out. It was okay if you're skip classes but you're still inside the school. The teachers will just give you some disturbing lectures. But it's different if you go out from school. They will give you detention beside of lectures. And as a honor student of course she'd never got that.
"It will be okay. Trust me." Mai reassured once again.
#sigh "Alright then."
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Thanks for reading hope you enjoy this late update
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