At the corridor.
After few days of practicing, Yuzuru finally met Misumi's standards. Now is the time for him to settle the things with Tachibana-san.
"Are you sure this will work?" Yuzuru asked nervously.
"It's okay, it's okay, you have our back. We're going to support you no matter what happens!" Misumi said as he patted his shoulder.
"Right, right!" Hiro sided with Misumi.
'That's not the point.' he thought.
'Gosh, why am I even doing this!' Yuzuru complained to himself.
The last few days, Yuzuru just kept following his friends' instructions as he himself don't know what to do. He was unsure whether to continue getting close to Tachibana-san even if she really opposes him, or to just leave her alone, if that's what she wants.
'Nevermind, I will do this!' he was suddenly filled with courage.
He then reviewed the lessons he took from the two bastards.
-----------
"Remember these things. It may come in handy: Haruka Tachibana hates talkative people!" Hiro said as he pointed at the words written on a board.
"And also clingy people!" Misumi added.
"She specially hates stubborn people" Hiro shouted.
"Hey, hey, doesn't all those things describe me?!" Yuzuru complained.
"That's right." Hiro nodded.
"In short, SHE HATES YOU!" Misumi said.
Yuzuru became even more discouraged.
"But, remember this too..." Misumi said.
"Haruka Tachibana, likes to keep a good image in other girls' minds" he added.
"She definitely won't like that good image to be tainted" Hiro added.
"That's the reason why we decided to blackmail her." he said.
'What a wretched plan!' Yuzuru thought but didn't say anything more.
-------------
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, recalling his lessons, he heard Misumi whisper to him.
"Hey, Yuzu! She's here" he said.
Hiro pushed Yuzuru closer to Haruka, while Misumi pulled him and ran away.
"Hey wait!" he said as he looked back. But they already left.
'Traitors!' he thought.
"What is it?" she said in a cold voice with a cold stare.
'Scary!' he thought.
"Um, Ta-Tachibana-san, um, can we talk for a bit, um-"
But she ignored him.
"How pathetic..." he heard her whisper.
'Does she really think of me as a pathetic loser!' Yuzuru felt small.
He suddenly felt a strange feeling, an urge to do something he doesn't usually do...
He grabbed her hands tightly.
"Hey, let go! Ouch! Hayama! Let go of me! I'm getting angry!" she shouted as she tried to escape from him.
But she can't. He's too strong.
'What's the matter with this guy?!' she thought.
He was too insulted by what she told him. Being called pathetic by the girl he likes was just too much for him.
Or maybe, he was just too sensitive.
He hauled her until they reached the rooftop.
Haruka felt her hand go numb.
As they got near the door, he finally let go of her hand.
Her wrist was red, she was in pain.
'Oouucchh!!!'
"I-I'm sorry Tachibana-san, I went too overboard." he said with a worried look as he held her wrist.
'This is getting bad!' he felt really worried.
But she instantly distanced herself from him.
"What are you doing?" she said.
She suddenly became more alert, as if she just encountered some kind of wild beast.
"I, um, uh..." Yuzuru don't know what to say, he felt guilty hurting her.
'What did I do?! What am I doing?!' he thought.
After all those practice he did with Misumi and Hiro, now that he's facing Haruka, his mind went blank. He even unthinkingly dragged her by the wrist, causing her to get hurt.
'Uggghhhhh! Damn, I'll just go for it!' he shaked his head.
"What now-" Haruka was interrupted.
Yuzuru slowly went closer to Haruka with a flirtatious gaze.
So she stepped back and tried to get away from his seemingly hypnotizing look.
She bumped into the wall at her back.
Then he slammed his left hand against the wall with a loud bang.
Then he leaned closer, so close that it made Haruka's heart skip a 1/10 beat!...no,no, I don't think it's worth celebrating.
But it still made her heart skip a 1/10 beat. That's a huge progress.
Yuzuru's handsome face and tall figure with his seductive look paired with Haruka's top notch beauty and well-toned body with her slightly worried but serious expression...
If only someone took a picture of the two of them, it will be so perfect that it can even be a magazine cover, and that magazine may even end up being awarded as the best magazine ever!
Yuzuru went even closer that his lips are only an inch away from Haruka's.
'What is this bastard doing?!' she thought.
She had an urge to move, but her body seemed paralyzed. She fell victim over Yuzuru's mesmerizing gaze.
Then he whispered something to Haruka's ears.
She felt shivers down her body as Yuzuru's warm breath tickled her ears.
"Would you...like to join the art club with me?" he said.
When she heard this, she tried to push Yuzuru away. But he slammed his other hand to the wall instead.
"No, no, no..." he said as he shaked his head.
"There's no getting away from me... Answer my questions first." he said with another seductive smile.
Haruka then wore an evil grin on her beautiful face.
"There's no chance of me joining that crappy club of yours... So just stop your childish tantrum!" she said as she pushed Yuzuru with a much greater force than before.
She walked away.
'This is getting really bad!' he thought.
'Think, think, think, think of something... AH!!!!'
"PLEASE JOIN THE CLUB!" he shouted.
But it didn't seem to affect her at all.
"Or I will reveal your secret!" he added.
Haruka stopped on her tracks and looked back at him.
"What?" she said as she wore a "serious, but curious" expression.
'Eh?' Yuzuru's eyebrows twitched.
'She has no idea?'
But her curious expression instantly changed into an enraged one.
'This is getting worse!' he thought.
She turned around and went closer to him.
One step, two steps, three steps...
The two are once again, an inch away from each other!
Yuzuru's heart skipped thousands of beats! He felt like he was about to die the next moment.
He is blushing all over.
'So...so close!'
Haruka then lifted his chin as she put her hands in his shoulders.
'Waaaahhhh! What's going on!' he thought.
After a while, she finally spoke up.
"Let's go..." she said.
"Wh-Wha-What?"
"To the club room." she added.