{30}

Unexpectedly,
he looked up from his worksheets.

"Yes?"

He asked impatiently,
while his piercing gray eyes peered through me.

"Um, 

would you like to join us?"

I asked him,
gesturing with a nod over to my friends.

He stared back at me inquisitively
with a hint of doubt written over his face.
The question has piqued his interest, it seems.

Although the sudden attention
did make me feel nervous once again...
I wasn't going to let it discourage me that easily.

"For lunch, I mean. 

You haven't eaten yet, right?"

I smiled brightly at him,
wishing silently in my head that he would accept.

{31}

I could see his eyes dart from me to the space behind me
as he contemplated my offer.

Hm?

Was there something behind me?

As if to answer my question,
someone promptly grabbed me by the shoulder.

            "Nanoka."

Jun was staring at me with grave and serious eyes.
His voice sounded a bit agitated as well.

"I need to talk to you. Over here."

And he proceeded to drag me away from Ichihara Kazuo.

"E-eh! Jun-kun, where are we going?"

I asked frantically,
but it did nothing to stop him.

He kept pulling me until we were a distance away
and out of earshot from the rest of the students.

When certain that no one was listening,
Jun turned to me.

"What do you think you're doing?"

He asked;

from the severity of his tone,

I could tell he wasn't pleased.