Guess who's back, bitches?!

Not me, of course.

=====

The sun has risen. Ayumi woke up with a smile on her face. Her mind was filled with positive thoughts, one of them being the possibility of Yoshiki having mutual feelings with her. She immediately got out of bed and went straight to the showers.

After showering, she then went to put on her uniform and fixed her hair into her usual hairstyle. She smiled enthusiastically at the mirror, thinking that she was cute enough for Yoshiki to compliment her.

After deeming herself presentable, she giggled lightly and went downstairs to eat breakfast with her sister, Hinoe.

After reaching the kitchen, she then went to the table, pulled out a chair and sat down. Hinoe seemed to notice her little sister's happy aura.

"Someone's feeling positive today." Hinoe said, and Ayumi's smile grew wider. Hinoe then gave Ayumi a plate with waffles on top of it. Ayumi inhaled the scent of the newly cooked food, then she turned to her sister and said, "Thanks for the food, big sis."

Hinoe gently ruffled her hair and replied, "You're very welcome, Ayumi."

=====

"Take care, Ayumi!" Hinoe shouted, waving at her sister Ayumi who was grinning happily.

She then proceeded to walk to her school so that she won't be late. Feeling happy and positive, she hummed a tune that she herself made up. Her thoughts were filled with Yoshiki complimenting her, hugging her and... Kissing her?!

She suddenly stopped walking as her face started heating profusely. She covered her face with both of her hands and started to shake her vigorously.

No! Stop overthinking, idiot! As if THAT'S going to happen!

Ayumi then heard a familiar voice, her head quickly turning to see who it was.

A blonde male came into her vision, smiling at her as if he had seen something ridiculous. She blushed even more when he started to walk towards her, grinning like an idiot.

"What the hell happened to you, Shinozaki? Shaking your head vigorously, as if somthing possessed you. You were like," The male said as he re-enacted what Ayumi did earlier. He shook his head vigorously, while making a 'wub-bub' sound.

"Kishinuma, you bully!" She screamed, pouting at him and then crossing her arms.

He cackled loudly, holding his stomach and slapping his knee.

"I'm so sorry! Its just that, you were so adorable." He bluntly said, making Ayumi blush even more than before.

Yoshiki then realized what he just said earlier, and then the atmosphere became awkward. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Uh... F-Forget I said that..."

And with this, Ayumi merely smiled and giggled at his antics. She shook her head and replied, "Its okay. I'll take it as a compliment."

Yoshiki flushed and looked away, too scared to look her in the eye. He then proceeded to clear his throat so that the awkward atmosphere would disappear.

"Anyway, since we both met along the way, why don't we walk to school together?" He asked, holding out his hand for her to take.

She stared at the outsretched hand, her face reddening. S-Should I hold his hand?

Smiling, she took his hand and entwined their fingers together. She looked up and saw a shocked Yoshiki. She chuckled lightly and answered his question.

"I would love to."

========

"Good morning everyone!" Ayumi greeted with a smile on her face, her hand still holding Yoshiki's hand.

Everyone in the room did the same, and then Mayu went charging at Ayumi.

"Ayumi-chan!" She shrieked in delight upon seeing her friend. Upon reaching her however, she abruptly stopped as she saw Ayumi and Yoshiki holding hands together.

"Eh? What is this? Why are you holding hands together? Am I missing something?" Mayu bombarded Ayumi with questions, but Ayumi merely smiled at her.

"Its nothing, Mayu-chan. We've been doing this for quite sometime now. Right, Kishinuma-kun?" She said, and turned her attention to Yoshiki, who was looking away because he was too embarrassed to look at Mayu and Ayumi.

"Y-Yeah." Was all the he said. Mayu giggled lightly, her intuition telling her that there was a deeper meaning to it.

"Whatever you say, Ayumi-chan~" Mayu said, and proceeded to grab her, making Ayumi drag Yoshiki.

"Class rep's here!" She said with a big grin.

"Oh, Good morning class rep!" Naomi greeted, and Ayumi replied with a smile and waved at her.

"Good morning guys!" Ayumi replied. She then noticed that Yoshiki went silent, and so she tugged at his sleeve to get his attention.

"Kishinuma-kun? Are you okay? You're not sick, are you?" She asked, worry coating her voice thickly.

Yoshiki snapped out of his thoughts and fixed his attention on Ayumi, who was gazing at him with worried eyes.

"Oh, me? Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not sick or anything, don't worry." He smiled kindly, making Ayumi sigh in relief.

"Are you sure though?" She asked one more time, making Yoshiki smirk playfully.

"Why are you so worried all of a sudden? Are you my mother or something?" He said with a mischievous smirk. Ayumi pouted at him, making him chuckle.

"Kishinuma is such a bully."

"I know."

=======

It was lunch time, and Yoshiki went to the rooftop in order to be alone. However, a certain someone followed him on his way to the rooftop. So here he was.

Standing beside Ayumi.

Both of them immediately engaged in a conversation. Laughter filled the air as Yoshiki made yet another corny joke.

While laughing, Ayumi thought that this was the perfect time to ask him a certain question.

"Kishinuma..." She said, making Yoshiki's laughter slowly falter. He looked at her with a questioning look.

"Hmm? What is it?" He asked.

"Do you... Like someone?" She blushed as soon as she asked, contemplating whether or not she made the right decision.

Upon hearing this, Yoshiki's lips curved into a smile. He averted his gaze from Ayumi and looked up at the sky.

"I do. Actually, I don't like her. I think..." He paused for a moment, and then turned to Ayumi again and fixed his gaze on her.

"I'm inlove with her already." He replied, gazing deep into Ayumi's eyes. He looked at her with affection, but Ayumi was too oblivious to notice it.

Ayumi panicked. Who was this girl? Does that mean Yoshiki doesn't like her?!

"D-Do I know this girl?" She asked again, and this time, her voice was becoming shaky.

"Oh, you know her alright." He replied, grinning widely at Ayumi. She began to panic even more at the thought of him falling in love with someone she knew.

"D-Does this g-girl know about your feelings towards her?" She asked one more time, her eyes starting to slowly form tears.

With this question, Yoshiki's grin faltered, and he looked away, sighing sadly.

"Unfortunately, no. She doesn't know about my feelings, and she doesn't even care. In fact, she likes someone else. I doubt she'll ever love a guy like me. I mean, come on. I'm a delinquent for pete's sake! Can she really love a delinquent like me? No, I don't think so! I'm practically a bad guy, and I've done horrible things in my life. I'm a piece of crap, that's all I am."

After ranting for a bit, Yoshiki merely sighed and looked at Ayumi again, smiling faintly at the bluenette.

"Sorry for bursting out like that. I was just a little frustrated."

Ayumi felt pity on him. How could he downgrade himself like that? He wasn't a piece of crap! He's not a bad guy either!

He even saved me... She thought to herself.

Without thinking, she suddenly engulfed Yoshiki in a tight hug. Shocked, Yoshiki simply hugged her back, not knowing what to do.

"Kishinuma-kun..." She called out. He looked down to see a crying Ayumi Shinozaki.

"O-Oi, what happened to you?" He asked, slightly concerned at the crying bluenette.

"Please don't downgrade yourself like that. You're not a bad guy at all. Somewhere out there, someone cares for you, Kishinuma-kun."

With this, Yoshiki frowned and scoffed.

"Tch, yeah. Only my younger sister cares for me." Hearing this made Ayumi fume in anger. She looked up and flicked his forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?!" He said, rubbing his forehead.

"Doofus, your sister is not the only one who cares for you." She said, staring at him with a serious face.

Yoshiki raised a brow, and asked, "Then tell me."

"I do."

His eyes widened in shock. Ayumi simply gazed at him with a straight face, making his lips curve into a smile.

"Thanks. I'm actually glad to hear that you care for me, Shinozaki." He said, and with that, he proceeded to unwrap his arms from Ayumi, however, she stopped him and said, "Don't stop hugging me."

Confused, he raised a brow again, but she merely replied, "Can we stay like this for a bit? It makes me feel safe and comfortable at the same time."

Not knowing what her motives were, he simply nodded and complied.

The two of them then sat down, with Yoshiki's arm still wrapped around Ayumi's small frame.

Ayumi then gently laid her head on his shoulder, whispering quietly, "I wish we could stay like this forever.."

Not knowing that Yoshiki actually heard it, she quietly fell asleep.

Upon hearing her mumble those words, he smiled at her sleeping form, and replied, hoping it would echo in her dream.

"Soon."

=END=

FINALLY, I GOT MY SHIT TOGETHER.

So hey everyone! I hope your day's going well! Its been so long! I finally get to update!

I've improved the cover because the last one seemed bland to me, lol.

Anyway, I hope you like this gift! Merry Christmas everyone! 💖🎄

Thank you for being a supportive reader.

Lovelots,

PixelManiac ❤