Chapter 115

Yuma.

I picked up Gumi at her place the next day. She opened the door before I could even knock, dressed in blue short pants and a bright green shirt. I opened my mouth to greet her but before I could, she hurled herself at me, crashing against my figure and hugging me.

"Good morning!" She exclaimed, tightening her grip. I never doubted how strong she was, and maybe it was because of the remaining bruises from a week or so ago, but her hug was so tight that it hurt.

"Oh, right!" She seemed to remember that a moment later and loosened her grip, "Are they almost all better?"

"The bruises?" I asked and she nodded, so I smiled slyly, "Why don't you take a look?"

She blushed, which made her look cuter than usual. "M-Maybe later," she stuttered. I leaned towards her.

"How about now?" I whispered playfully. Her body tensed and she sighed.

"Come in," she mumbled, dragging me into her home, "Mom, Yuma's here!"

"I wanted to come in, anyway," I mumbled, running a hand through my hair as the girl pulled me in.

The next person to hug me was Gumi's mother. She didn't hug me as tightly, thank God, and before we could talk, Gumi dragged me up to her room. The girl was really too eager.

"Let's get this over with," she said, crossing her arms and closing the door. I grinned and pulled my shirt over my head. The bruises were better, but they were still there, though they weren't as dark.

"Does it still hurt?" Gumi's voice was small.

I paused before speaking. "No," I lied.

"Stop," she said.

"What?"

"You're lying," she grimaced.

"I'm not going to be honest," I said with a sigh, "Because I don't want to hurt you."

"You just did," she whispered, "I still can't believe it. How could Kaito do something like this?"

"I told you to drop it!" I snapped in spite of myself, trying to soften my words by adding, "It was an accident, okay?"

Gumi sighed and nodded quietly. "Okay, fine. Whatever."

I kissed her nose and hugged her gently. "Just forget about it, okay?"

"How can I?" She mumbled, "You want me to forget about you? I love you. I can't do that."

"We're not immortals, Gumi," I said, "Accidents happen. People get hurt. It takes time for the pain to heal."

There was a knock at the door. "Is everything alright in there?"

"Yeah, mom!" Gumi yelled back, "We'll be out in a minute!"

She looked up and me and I smiled. She blushed again.

"What's the matter now?" I asked.

"Nothing," she gently swatted my arm, "It's just...everyday I realize that I love you more than I thought I did the day before."

"That's pretty deep," I remarked, tousling her hair. She shrugged.

"It's the truth."

I chuckled. "Gumi. You're staring."

She opened her mouth to say something, blushing as she did. "S-So what if I am? Can't I?"

I grinned, leaning closer to her face. "Do it," I whispered into her ear, "I like it when you do."

"Y-Yuma!" She practically squealed, which was a first for a girl like her. She pushed me back, blushing harder as her hands met my skin.

"Gumi, I swear, you're the cutest thing ever!" I laughed and pulled her close for a kiss, "The first and only girl who makes me feel so amazing just by staring at me...do you want a picture with me like this, too?"

"N-No, that'd be embarrassing if anyone ever saw it!" She shook her head. I kissed her before she could get away, and I could tell that as much as she tried to resist, she liked it.

When we pulled away, she looked up at me and pushed some of the hair out of my eyes. "We should head downstairs now."

"Right," I nodded, pulling on my shirt as she opened the door, "Say, I wanted to ask you, Gumi...do you guys have a barbecue grill?"

She frowned and blinked a couple of times before we walked out. "What? Why?"

"You know, the kind that you use without electricity," I explained, "Len called me last night. We're going to have a picnic during the fireworks. He asked if I could barbecue there, because..."

"Wait, wait, wait," Gumi stopped in the middle of the flight of stairs, "You cook?"

I shrugged. "I guess? I'm sort of good at it..."

"You need to cook me something one of these days," she said. I nodded, "And yeah, we do have a grill. You'll have to ask my mom, though."

"Right," I headed downstairs with her. Gumi's mom looked at us with a huge smile. She really thought we were cute together, and she seemed to trust me with her daughter. I frowned momentarily. I didn't want to let her down and end up shattering that trust.

"Are you two heading off now?" She asked. Gumi nodded.

"Ma'am," I began with a smile, "Could we borrow your barbecue grill for tomorrow night?"

"Of course!" The parent didn't question a thing. She just walked up to me and patted my shoulder, "Come by after school if you want to take it then, or maybe tomorrow in the morning okay? What's mine is yours!"

"Right!" I nodded. Gumi's mom beamed and surprised me by kissing me on the cheek. I turned a dark shade of red and she giggled.

"Gumi, he's the cutest thing ever!" She squealed, hugging her daughter, "And handsome, too! Who knew pink could look so nice on a boy?"

I tried to laugh; she really, really liked me. "We should go," I said, tugging Gumi's arm. She let go of her mother, waving goodbye before walking out with me.

"She loves you," Gumi teased as we walked to school. I nodded, putting my hands in my pockets.

"Do you love me?" I asked with a smile. She prodded my arm.

"That's a stupid question, of course I do!" She said, "By the way, you still haven't officially asked me."

"Huh? Asked you what?"

"You haven't asked me to come see the fireworks with you!"

I laughed. "That'd be another stupid question, now wouldn't it?"

"Hey, I'd get to hug you and scream 'yes, yes I will!'"

"You can do that whenever you want, Gumi," I held out my arms, "I'm always here, like a teddy bear or a pillow or something."

"Hmm," she nodded, giving me a quick hug, "That reminds me, I still have to send in my request for a custom made Yuma body pillow..."

"What?" In retrospect, I can't believe I actually thought she was serious.

She responded by laughing. "Why would I want a pillow when I've got the real thing right here?"

Haku.

The school day was about to begin. I was writing down the day's lesson on the blackboard when Dell walked in.

"I know you're the principal, but still, do you think you could knock first?" I mumbled, pressing my chalk against the board a bit too hard. It snapped and fell from my hands.

"Haku, I..."

"I know, I know," I sighed and picked up another piece of chalk, "We went out last week. How did that go? It sounded like a business meeting, Dell. It wasn't...you know. Romantic. Carefree. It was tense."

"I"m sorry," he exhaled sharply and suddenly took my hand off of the blackboard, "Listen. I was afraid, okay?"

"Afraid of what?" I pulled my hand away and continued to write, "Of me? Of the waiters?"

He sighed. "I wanted to make it perfect," he said quietly, "We haven't spoken since our date...it's been really hard on me. I was afraid that it wouldn't be good enough. The whole date, I mean."

I put the chalk down, having finished writing. "I didn't need anything to be perfect," I said, "If you just weren't so worried all the time..."

"That's why...I wanted to ask you again," Dell said quickly, "Tonight? Please?"

I crossed my arms. "Remember all that went wrong last week because of your being stressed? You spilled food on the waiter and nearly ran over a raccoon."

"I won't mess up this time," Dell took my hands in his, "Please, Haku. I gave you another chance...why can't you do the same?"

"Don't bring that up; that was different," I mumbled, "Besides, I already told you last week that there'd be a second time."

"Yes!" He fist pumped and started running around the classroom, "I love you, Haku!"

"Don't get too excited," I drawled, crossing my arms. Right then, my student began walking in. They stared at the principal before quickly finding their seats.

"I should go," he chuckled and I nodded. As he left the classroom, Oliver walked in, waving to me.

"Hey," I smiled. He approached me and looked down at his shoes.

"Hey, Ms. Yowane," he began slowly, "Could...could I ask you for some advice?"

"Sure," I nodded and he took a seat beside my desk. I sat down on my chair, "What's the matter?"

"It's...this girl," he whispered, "I want to ask her to come see the fireworks with me."

"Oh...it's not me, is it?"

He blushed and quickly shook his head. "I mean...it's not you, but if you want to come with me, that's fine."

I patted his head and the sailor hat on top of it. "I was just afraid that you liked me."

"It's not like that, I swear," he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm fine, you know. Anyways, back to the fireworks. Do you see the girl every day?"

He paused before nodding. "Just about."

"Does she have someone else who might take her?"

"I don't think so," he said.

"Just ask her," I smiled, "Talk to her about it today."

"That's what I planned to do, but...don't I need something? Like a gift or..."

"Oliver, if she's your friend...or if she likes you, she won't need a gift to make her say yes."

He exhaled and nodded slowly. "I never thought of it like that..."

"Does she like you?" I asked, "Is it her, that girl? The one with the cell phone and the blond hair?"

He tensed up and nodded really fast. I smiled.

"She likes you," I patted his shoulder, "Trust me, I know. There are signs that show her feelings, and as a girl, I could tell."

"Okay," Oliver looked up at me and forced a weak smile, "Thank you. I'll...I'll just ask her, then."

"I hope it goes well," I said. The bell rang a moment after that and Oliver got up, walking to his seat.

"Good luck," I mouthed. He nodded and pulled his books out of his bag.

Miku.

First period had started, and Len was looking really excited, but in a fidgety way. He wasn't even really looking at the board. His eyes were focused on Rin, who was sitting in her usual spot, copying down the notes. Every now and then, she'd turn to see him and they'd wave to each other. It was really cute, but what I wanted to know was why Len seemed so happy.

"Hey," I poked his arm with my pencil, "What's up?"

"Huh?" He frowned, "Nothing, I guess..."

"Why're you so excited?" I whispered.

"Ohhh...," he nodded and broke out into a childish grin, "Wanna see something?"

He didn't even wait for me to reply. He pulled open his backpack and removed a small plastic bag, from which he pulled out a little box. Then he looked at me again with that grin of his before opening it, revealing a silver chain with a sparkling, circular orange pendant.

"It's for her," he was so quiet that I could barely hear him, and I sit right next to him, "I got it yesterday. I'm going to give it to her during the fireworks tomorrow!"

"Wow...is that a...you know, the fruit?" I didn't want to use the word 'orange' for fear of Rin's ears perking up at the sound of it. Len nodded briskly and put the necklace back.

"You think she'll like it?" He asked.

"Like it? She'll love it!" It was hard to contain my excitement, considering how hard I shipped these two, "It's going to be perfect!"

"I know! I can hardly wait!" He zipped up his bag and turned to face the front again. I sighed.

"I wonder if Kaito will get me something...," I mumbled. Len chuckled.

"You mean, like a box of leeks?" He joked. I smacked him with one as soon as he said that.

"No, you idiot!" I growled, "Like a proper gift!"

"He doesn't need to."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means...," Len paused, "He loves you so much that no material object can express his love."

"You're just spouting crap!" I smacked him again, "What, you don't love Rin as much as Kaito loves me?"

"Hey, I'm sorry!" He yelped, "Maybe the guy already bought something for you! He hasn't told me, that's all...he's better at keeping secrets, you know."

I groaned and put my head down on the desk. "I wonder what it is..."

"Don't get your hopes up; he's broke, I know that."

I smacked Len one last time. He had to go to the nurse after that because his nose and mouth was bleeding.

"Len, I'll come with you!" Rin ran after him, grabbing a tissue from the box at the front of the class. I sighed and ran after Rin.

"Wait for me!" I yelled.

"Miku, get back here!" My teacher yelled after me, grabbing my arms. I kicked her in the stomach and bolted after the two blondes.

"It's my fault!" I screamed as I left the class, "I'm so sorry!"

We were making a bigger scene than we needed to, but I was feeling sorry for smashing Len's face so many times. My anger got out of hand sometimes.

Neru.

Lunch came so slowly, but when it did, I found myself waiting anxiously at my locker for Oliver to show up. I didn't need him to give me anything. I didn't need flowers or whatever. Just hearing the words from his mouth would be enough, but I wouldn't get to hear them till tomorrow night.

"Hey, Neru," he waved, appearing out of of nowhere. I yelped and hit my head against my locker before managing to smile and wave casually.

"H-Hey!" I stuttered. He looked worried, examining the back of my head with a discerning eye, "It's okay, I'm fine! Do you want to go outside?"

Oliver smiled and nodded. "Yeah," he said, "Let's go."

We walked out of the school and into the sunlight bathed schoolyard, taking slow, lazy steps as the hot sphere in the sky beat down on us.

"It's really hot today," I began. Oliver nodded.

"Neru...can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure what is it?" I covered my mouth, realizing that I was talking a bit too fast. He chuckled and pulled his hat off of his head, ruffling his pale blond hair and walking out of the schoolyard.

"Let's get some ice cream today, how's that sound?"

"Huh?" I blinked, "That's what you wanted to ask me?"

He laughed. "No, that's not it! I'll ask once we've bought our ice cream. It's...it's hard to ask."

"Well, sometimes the ask is much harder than the answer," I tried. He shook his head.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, "But I'm not that strong."

I cautiously put a hand on his shoulder. "I think you're strong," I said, "You listen to the problems of so many people. You're excellent at giving advice. You're part of the music club, and you're going to be drumming in the concert. You're not afraid to tell someone the truth. You helped Haku. If that's not proof of your strength, then I don't know what is."

He smiled. "Neru...how do you come up with these things?"

I blushed. "They're all facts!" I burst out, "You're a nice guy, Oliver!"

He laughed. "Where'd that come from?"

"N-Nowhere!" I shook my head, "It's also a...a fact!"

"Okay, okay!" He gestured towards the ice cream truck. Miraculously, Kaito wasn't there yet, so we both got in line and bought ice creams.

"So...what is it?" I asked once we were eating ice cream and walking around. Oliver stopped walking and looked down at his cone.

"It's...," he sighed and looked straight at me. I could see the worry in his eyes. He was afraid of me saying no. He was considering how likely it was that I'd laugh at his offer. There was nothing I wanted to do more than to hug him, to tell him how much I liked him, 'yes, Oliver, I love you, too. I fell for you the moment you knocked on my door. That was when I learned that you cared,' I'd say, but I couldn't, not yet.

I couldn't. I didn't want to rush him. I didn't want him to know that I was eavesdropping yesterday. The results could be disastrous.

So instead, I said, "I'm listening, Oliver. Whatever it is, just say it."

And he did.

"Neru...will you come with me to see the fireworks tomorrow night?"

I said 'yes' so many times, but it felt as though the word never left my mouth. Even though I knew he was going to ask me, I was thrilled to hear it from his mouth, standing right by him.

"Yes!" I nodded, unable to hold back the huge grin on my face, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I will!"

"Really?" He looked so cute when he was surprised. I threw myself against him, hugging him, careful not to get my ice cream on his clothes.

"Yes, Oliver, yes!"

Gumi.

"Guess what?" I was aimlessly walking around the field with Yuma, "I'm getting a haircut!"

"...Huh?" He looked down at me and I grinned, "Why?"

"W-What, you don't want it shorter?" I didn't expect that kind of response from him. I usually kept my hair tied, but it reached my elbows when it was left open, "You like it better this length?"

"No, that's not what I meant," he ran a hand through his hair, "How short?"

"Shoulder length."

He paused. "That's cute," he looked up at the sky.

"Hey, are you trying to picture it?"

He shook his head and smiled. "I remember the length," he explained, "I liked it. But you know, it doesn't matter to me how short or long you want it, so don't stress over it."

I nodded. We kept walking. "So I won't be able to come with you to Rin's place tonight," I said, "That's what I was trying to get at."

"It's fine," he patted my shoulder, "Gumi, do you want to run?"

I shook my head. I hadn't made Yuma run ever since I saw those bruises. They still weren't better yet. "No."

"We can run if you want," he offered.

"No, it's fine," he led me over towards a few trees towards the edge of the field and we sat down, cross-legged, in the shade.

"Are you excited?" He asked, picking at the grass. I sighed and put my head on his shoulder.

"For what?"

I felt him shrug his shoulders as his hand found its way into my locks. "The fireworks, the festival...the end of the school year?"

"I dunno," I answered, "Yuma...after school ends..."

"Gumi," he cut me off, "Put your head in my lap."

"What?"

"Please."

I looked up at him, into his eyes, and did as he said. I rested my head in his lap so that he looked down at me, and he smiled slightly.

"So anyway, after school ends, will we still go for walks?" I finished. He pressed a finger to my lips.

"I'm afraid, you know."

"Afraid?"

He grinned. "If you look this pretty now, making me go crazy, what'll happen if you're dressed for a special occasion? I might die..."

I blushed and smiled. "What is it with you and compliments?"

"I don't know," he stroked my hair. I reached up and put a hand against his neck, slowly lifting myself to kiss him.

"Yuma! Gumi!" We froze before we could kiss, watching Rin sprint towards us. Len walked far behind, a hand over his nose, "Do you guys have a tissue?"

"What happened?"I sat up and Yuma rummaged through his pants pockets, pulling a packet of tissues out.

"Len got hurt this morning and his nose starts bleeding every now and then," Rin huffed, taking the tissues from Yuma, "Thanks. Len, I got some!"

"You should take him to the washroom," I said. Rin nodded.

"I did, but it doesn't stop for long," she sighed, "He got blood all over his lunch, too!"

"You should buy him an ice cream," Kaito appeared from behind the tree with Miku following.

"Were you spying on us?" I scowled. He chuckled and pointed to Miku.

"She's considering shipping you two more tha...," Miku clasped a hand over his mouth before he could go on.

"Why ice cream?" Rin handed a tissue to Len and Miku exchanged glances with Kaito before removing her hand.

"Because it's the remedy for everything!" Kaito flailed his arms in the air, "A panacea! A divine gift! A..."

"We get it," Yuma interrupted, "What do you say, Rin? You want to try giving him some ice cream?"

"I'll run and buy some," I offered. Rin nodded, pulling some change out of her pocket. I looked at Yuma, "I'll be back in four minutes and thirty seconds, tops."

"I don't doubt you," he nodded, "Want me to time?"

I shrugged. "Sure, go ahead."

He pulled out his phone and I got to my feet, taking a deep breath. "Ready..."

"Set...," this was Kaito.

"Go!" Yuma said, and I began sprinting across the field, calculating the shortest route to the ice cream truck in the back of my head while dodging students, basketballs, and other things.

I vaulted over a fence and kept going, a timer ticking inside of my head. Yuma knew how much I loved to run. He knew I was being considerate when I refused to run with him.

It took me one minute and fifteen seconds to get to the truck, and another thirty to buy a banana flavoured ice cream cone. That left me with two minutes and forty-five seconds to get back, which seemed like a lot of time, but I couldn't vault over things or run as recklessly now, because I had the cone with me.

"Excuse me!" I sped past clumps of chatting girls and wove in and out of rowdy groups of boys brewing fights, "Coming through!"

Two minutes, it took me two minutes till Yuma and the others were within eyeshot. Forty-five seconds left. The pink haired boy waved to me and I yelled.

"I'm gonna make it!" I continued to sprint, slamming my brakes in the nick of time, nearly bumping into Kaito and getting the ice cream all over him. I don't think he would've had a problem with that, anyway.

"Four minutes and ten seconds," Yuma stopped the timer and I handed the ice cream to Len, who held a tissue against his nose with a free hand, "Not bad."

I huffed and plopped down beside Yuma. He handed a water bottle to me and I downed the entire thing in half a minute, closing my eyes.

"Len, I'm so sorry!" Miku wailed, "It never occurred to me that leeks could be so dangerous!"

"It's fine," Len nodded and Rin fed him the ice cream, "No problem. I'm not holding anything against you."

Miku nodded and turned to Kaito. "So, Kaito...did you get me a present?"

"Huh?" He frowned and Miku slumped a little, "Well, I..."

Miku sighed and Kaito patted her back. "It's okay," she mumbled. Kaito hugged her.

"I'll buy you some ice cream!" He offered.

"I thought you were broke."

He nodded. "I am, but I've got a separate budget and savings plan and everything for my ice cream expenses!"

"Hey!" This was Len, "I didn't know that!"

I hope you enjoyed this huge and relatively tragedy-free (unless Len's nose injury counts as a legitimate tragedy) chapter. I want to say a few things that are more important than usual, so I'd be grateful if you read this particular author's note.
We've come so far. 115 chapters is not a small number. 40K reads isn't small, either. My point is...
This story is very, very close to its end.
There are less than ten (rather lengthy) chapters left.
That means that in three weeks, Spectrum of Yellows will be finished.
I'm going to miss every. Single. One of you.
It's going to be hard for me to say goodbye. That's why I'm starting now.
But please, don't be sad! (I'm probably the only sad one, but whatever...) There's still ten chapters, and I look forward to reading your wonderful comments and seeing your reactions as we near the end of this adventure.
So I really mean it, you guys. See you next chapter.