Alright, so this chapter is entirely from Teruki’s POV. We get more of a glimpse of that Suzaku character. Oh, and our good boy Yamada’s fate is revealed as a small afterthought. (You’ll see what I mean when you read it XD)

Really not feeling the Hero right now, but I think there’s some foreshadowing that he won’t stay a clueless dude.

Thanks again for checking this blog out, and if you enjoyed it please leave a comment or a like ^^. I love reading you guys’ thoughts!

Chapter 20:

The Feelings of Byakko Teruki Pt. 1

I met Amano Yuu in my first year of junior high.

At first, he came off as a bit selfish. But soon I was bought by his bright and expressive face.

However, his aura eventually became gloomy and everyone started to avoid him. I didn't give up, though. I noticed that if you approached him directly, he'd pull up a cold front. But, as soon as you walked away, he'd watch you leave with a lonely expression.

Of course, if you somehow glanced back and met his gaze, he'd run off.

After pondering for hours why I just couldn't leave him alone, I finally got my answer.

Amano resembled a stray cat I picked up in elementary school. Its coat was a soft maroon and its eyes were tinted the blue of the sky. Their names were also similar – I named my cat Yuujirou.

When I had first brought the stray home, it often hissed and stared suspiciously as I had approached it. And when I had stood to leave, it just hid and watched me go.

They were exactly the same.

Back when Yamada and his lackeys bullied Amano, Amano would always just endure it.

However, a vicious rumor began spreading.

Amano was a poisonous flower. He hurt the people around Houou-senpai.

It was such a stupid rumor. I attempted to gather evidence but couldn't find any. As such, I couldn't launch a countermeasure.

I couldn't help but think that if Houou-senpai and the others sought to a.s.sist Amano, the situation would have been entirely different.

But at the time, it was already too late. The damage from the rumors had already been dealt. When looking at Amano, the eyes of the uppercla.s.smen only held antipathy.

And so Amano became the victim of a witch hunt. Yamada was one of the more bold instigators, actually shoving Amano down a stairway. Mizuki and I tried to report this, but because there wasn't enough evidence, the case was eventually dismissed.

I was so worried. My homeroom teacher said that when Amano fell, he also lost his memory. He told us all to treat Amano warmly when he returned.

Next time, I will definitely protect him. That's what I decided as I awaited for Amano to come back.

To my surprise, when Amano returned to cla.s.s he was brighter and more expressive than ever. He even spoke to Yamada quite nicely.

Even the actions of Houou-senpai were strange. When I relayed Yamada's bullying to him, I was shocked by the look in his eyes.

They were colored by the desire to monopolize.

I should have listened to my older brother; he used to complain about and tell me why  he was afraid of Houou-senpai.

(I honestly thought it was because my brother always skipped out on work, p.i.s.sing him off.)

Back then, I was seriously scared.

He just smiled gracefully the whole time. It's extremely frightening.

By the way, Yamada ended up transferring without anyone noticing.

Among our cla.s.smates, the ones who fancied Houou-senpai became strangely quiet.

Others had their stances changed to not mess with Yuu. Rumors began circulating that if you bullied Yuu, Houou-senpai would retaliate.

This was scary…After all, nowadays it's only me and Mizuki that are around Yuu.

The Princess and her Knights. Somehow, those became our nicknames.

Mizuki didn't seem to notice anything, and everyday he'd take the whispers with a grain of salt.

Once entering high school, the three of us began spending more and more time with each other. All the while, Houou-senpai became increasingly busy.

It was because by order of the Chairman, the Student Council became the caretakers of one of the high school transfer students. Since Houou-senpai was in charge of the transfer student, I was worried that Yuu's condition would deteriorate. So, I was surprised to hear that Yuu had yet to contact him.

Recently, whenever Yuu pa.s.sed by the uppercla.s.smen in the hall, they would glare at him.

There's a twisted logic to this. Right now, people are jealous of the transfer student, who got to spend a lot of time with the popular Student Council. But, they couldn't touch him since he's got the Council's support and the Chairman backing him up. Since Yuu had been a.s.sociated with Houou-senpai negatively in the past, all of the malice against the transfer student have been redirected to an easier target. AKA, Yuu.

Although my cla.s.smates knew that if you messed with Yuu, Houou-senpai would cut you down, our senpai didn't know that.

However, Yuu unexpectedly still did not contact Houou-senpai and the others, and continued to wait from afar.

That's fine; I'm not a push-over.

Those senpai.

During the April Training Camp Suzaku, the transfer student, became my and Yuu's roommate. And Suzaku was escorted to our room by an uppercla.s.sman.

Is this guy a VIP?

While conversing with Suzaku, I felt that something was amiss.

What the, it's like he's ignoring Yuu.

You said you're not trying to make enemies, but what kind of story are you trying to tell here?

I observed Suzaku in secret, still not quite understanding what the true meaning of his words were.

Watching as Yuu left for the toilet, I hesitated before answering Suzaku.

Teruki: "Just now, don't you think you're acting strange towards Yuu? He's probably crying right now."

Suzaku: "Really? But doesn't Houou-senpai also dislike that guy? I heard it from my own ears. The senpai think he's a nuisance. You better be careful, Byakko-kun."

This guy. What the h.e.l.l. My whole body was trembling from rage right about now. He said those words with no malice. As if he was just giving off advice goodwilledly.

I tried to calm down and spoke in a cool voice.

Teruki: "There's such a rumor? Who said it?"

Suzaku: "Huh? I heard it from all the uppercla.s.smen who take care of me."

Teruki: "That's why I'm asking you who said it!"

I unintentionally raised my voice, sparking a look of surprise from Suzaku's face. It was a look of doubt, which mirrored my own in the past.

Suzaku: "What do you mean then?"

Teruki: "The rumors are all fake. Yuu's a nice guy. Don't blindly believe all the rumors you hear. Judge Yuu after seeing the real Yuu! This is the truth. If not, you'll be in trouble."

You wouldn't want to get on Houou-senpai's bad side!

I didn't realize it while lecturing Suzaku, but Yuu still hadn't returned.

Maybe he got caught in a conversation on his way back.

But, what if? What if it's a totally different situation? How far have the rumors spread?

As I was searching for my cellphone to call Yuu, I noticed that he left his in our room.

I had a bad feeling. Immediately, I got in touch with Houou-senpai.

Teruki: "Senpai! Yuu left for the bathroom a while ago and still hasn't come back! Hey, Mizuki! Did you happen to see Yuu?"

While on the phone, I b.u.mped into Mizuki chatting with his friends from the kendo club. The words spilled out of my mouth like running water.

Mizuki: "Huh? I saw him go that way a while ago. He was running somewhere…did something happen?"

Teruki: "Gotcha! Senpai! Check the courtyard!"

Hiroto: "Alright. Byakko, can you leave this part to me? If Yuu came back to your room, he might be worried if you're not there."

Teruki: "….! I'm going too!"

Hiroto: "No, that wouldn't be good. Just leave it to me. Ken! Yuu's disappeared. What? The courtyard? Okay, I'll trust your intuition. Byakko, head back to your room for now, alright?"

"…fine."

When I returned to my room, Suzaku was already gone. I felt a bit relieved. I just wanted to see Yuu.

Yuu probably couldn't take Suzaku's dismissive aura. I hoped he didn't cry. I wanted to fix this soon.  Stroke his head gently, and….and?

"What, am I that tired already?"

I shrugged my shoulders and took care of the kinks in my neck. With each crack I felt more awake.

After a while, Houou and Seiryuu-senpai finally found Yuu. After getting informed about Yuu's whereabouts, I immediately thought of rus.h.i.+ng to the infirmary, perhaps to stay there overnight.

And I was so worried. First thing in the morning tomorrow, I'd go pick up Yuu.

I'd meet you in the morning, apologize, then stroke your head, then…

That night, I had a strange dream.

It started off with me petting Yuu's hair, when suddenly he turned around to face me. Then I leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. As soon as my lips made contact with his soft skin, a rush of…something zipped through my form. I held Yuu tightly in my arms, his laughter the chime of bells, then –

When I woke up, I realized another part of me was wide awake.

"What the heck. I must have been too tired last night. Was I frustrated? Man. I guess I'll just go pick up Yuu for now."

I quickly got ready and rushed to the infirmary. I was also careful to be quiet since Suzaku was still sleeping.

But when I finally got there, Yuu had already been sent home.