The day after groups for the school trip had been finalized, Haruna was pulled aside in the morning before class started. "Did you need something?" she asked Chiyo, the girl responsible. "Mhm! Just wait here for oooone sec!" Then, Chiyo dashed into the classroom next to her.
"It's okay! Don't be shy!"
"I-I-I-I don't know about this…"
"Aw, it'll be fine! Haru-chi doesn't bite!"
"T-T-That's not really the issue…!"
"What the hell is going on in there?" Haruna wondered. She was about to look inside when suddenly two girls emerged. The first was one Haruna didn't really recognized, but the one behind her giving her back a little push was Chiyo. "Um…" Haruna let out, confused. "Behold, the final member of our group!" Chiyo announced. Standing between her and Haruna was a girl shaking an unhealthy amount.
"Go on, introduce yourself," Chiyo urged. "R-Right. U-Um, m-m-m-my name is H-Hinami Yamth-" The shy girl stopping speaking abruptly thanks to her biting her own tongue. "Uuu…" she moaned, looking like she was on the verge of tears. "Are you okay?" Haruna asked, still confused and now concerned for this poor girl's general well-being. "Seriously, who the hell is this…? Wait… the last member of our group?"
Haruna realized who was in front of her. "Are you Hinami Yamane?" she asked. The girl's eyes went wide before quickly shutting them and nodding excessively. Coming up to about Haruna's chest, she had a black bob-cut hairstyle and brown eyes. Considering the rough minute or so Haruna had spent with her so far, she assumed that this Hinami girl was on the shy side.
"Isn't she just adorbs?" Chiyo said happily while hanging onto Hinami's shoulders. "And you know what the best part is?" "What?" Haruna asked. "She said she's your number one fan!" Chiyo said with pride. "My… number one fan?" Haruna repeated, now thoroughly confused. She turned to look at Hinami again, whose eyes were now darting around as she fidgeted in place. "What… does that even mean?" Haruna wondered aloud.
Ever since junior high, there had been a certain fact that Haruna had come to accept. It seemed that no matter what she did or what she said, everyone around her believed she was mean and unapproachable. Perhaps to a degree, that was true. When she had been fighting with Kanako, there was no doubt that had affected how she had treated others as well (even if she hadn't meant for it to). But, because of this fact, it meant that people tended to avoid her. Chiyo being a friend of hers hadn't done Haruna any favors either, as she had been just as infamous. Now, in their second year of high school, both of the girls' images were on the upswing, but that didn't mean people were flocking to them. Most of the people in Haruna's classes made sure to keep their distance, and unless it was a guy looking to get lucky, nearly everyone avoided Chiyo too.
However, Haruna was now being told she had a fan. The question remained though: a fan of what, exactly? Her brashness? Her height? Her inability to cook? "I have no idea…" Haruna sighed. No matter what she thought of, nothing came to mind that seemed worthy of being able to create a fan.
"U-Um!" Hinami suddenly spoke. "I-It's true, by the way… I-I really am a big f-fan of yours." "Why?" Haruna asked bluntly. "W-W-Why?! O-Oh, uh, um… I-I… I guess it started with seeing you compete." "Compete…? ...Oh… right…" Haruna realized what Hinami meant. Competing. Snowboarding. Something she could no long do. "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I can't compete anymore. I did a pretty good job of busting up my ankle, in case you hadn't heard." By this point, the whole school knew, at least Haruna was pretty sure they did.
"Y-Yeah, I heard…" Hinami said. "B-But! That's not the only reason! It only started with that! I thought you looked really cool out there, but then I started watching you in school too. You have such a cool demeanor, and you're not afraid to say exactly what's on your mind! I wish I could be like that!" Her words came out rapid fire, hitting Haruna in quick succession. "Wait, what-" Haruna tried to say, but Hinami just kept going. "You're just so cool to me! You walk around with confidence, you can send people away with a glare… I just admire all of that!" "Uh…" was all Haruna could manage. "What kind of person do I look like in this girl's head?" she wondered.
"Wow Haru-chi, you sure are getting a lot of praise," Chiyo snickered. "S-Shut up," Haruna said back, feeling a little embarrassed. "Anyways," she continued, turning her attention to Hinami. "I don't really get any of this to be honest." "Ah…" Hinami let out. "Y-Yeah, I'm sure you think it's c-creepy, right?" "Huh? I didn't say that…" Haruna said. If she had to choose just one feeling about the situation, it'd be flattered. Knowing someone was watching her like that did make Haruna a little happy. "But… what am I supposed to do with knowing this?" she thought. Sure it was nice when someone said they admired you, but when that someone was a person you just met, what did that mean for a future relationship?
As Haruna pondered this, she noticed Hinami fidgeting again. "Um, are you alright?" Haruna asked. "W-Who, me?" Hinami asked. "Uh, yeah, you. You're the only one here that looks anxious," Haruna pointed out. "S-Sorry, I guess I'm just nervous. We've been in the same class all year, but this is my first time talking to you, and I admire you, so it's just a lot to process," Hinami explained. "Well it's never great when you get forced into things," Haruna commented, shooting a look at Chiyo. "Hey, I didn't force her!" Chiyo said. "I just knew she was your fan, so I thought it might be a good chance for her to get to know you if she was in our group. Nothing wrong with having more friends Haru-chi." "Well, I guess so…" Haruna admitted, then silently added, "But can I really be friends with this girl?"
Haruna began giving the idea some thought when she had a realization. "Their looks aren't the same, but their voices and the way they talk are pretty similar…" she thought. "Although, I'm pretty sure Yamane-san is even more shy than Kanako." Haruna smiled a bit, then reached up and patted Hinami's head. "Eh?!" she exclaimed. "I guess if you want to be my fan, I'm not gonna stop you," Haruna said. "And… let's get along during the school trip, okay?" Hinami stood star-struck for a second before Haruna's words registered in her mind. "Y-Y-Y-Yes!" she finally responded. "Isn't that great Hinami-chan?" Chiyo said, to which Hinami gave an enthusiastic "Mhm!"
"I hope you three have enjoyed your little chat out in the hallway," their teacher suddenly said. "By the way, class started five minutes ago. You're all late." "Ugh…" Haruna groaned. "Thanks Chiyo." "You're blaming me for this?!" Chiyo whined. "Who else would I blame?!" Haruna shouted back. Behind them, Hinami let out a little giggle. "Oh I can't wait for the school trip to start!" she said to herself.
*****
Later that day, a group of Chiyo, Haruna, Jasmine, Kanako and Hinami were eating lunch in the cafeteria. "Uh, so who's this?" Jasmine asked when she saw the new girl. "This is Hinami Yamane!" Chiyo announced. "Why do you sound so proud about that…?" Jasmine asked, but then shrugged. "Well, whatever. I'm Jasmine Hiraoka. Nice to meet ya." "I-I-It's nice to meet you too," Hinami squeaked out. "I-I-I never r-realized Endo-san was surrounded by so many b-beautiful people." "Oh?" Jasmine let out. "Ya sound kind of like someone who watches her or something." "Well she is Haru-chi's like, number one fan!" Chiyo said. "P-P-Please stop saying that!" Hinami exclaimed. "It's too embarrassing to hear out loud!"
But while those three engaged in conversation, another was frozen stiff. "Number one… fan?" Kanako repeated in her head. "What does that mean?" For some reason, those words bothered her. Hearing Haruna had a fan was already confusing enough on it's own, but there was something about the way Hinami acted about it that made Kanako feel uneasy. "What's… this feeling?"
"Hello? Kana-chan?" Chiyo said as she waved her hand in front of Kanako's face. "Wah!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Wow, you were like, totes out of it. You okay?" Chiyo asked. "I-I'm fine," Kanako said after catching her breath. "You still need to introduce yourself," Chiyo pointed out. "Right…" Kanako said, then looked at Hinami. It seemed even her gaze made the girl nervous. "I'm Kanako Nakatomi. It's nice to meet you." "I-I'm Hinami Yamane. Same here." The exchange was awkward, but it was quickly followed up by Chiyo switching topics.
"So Jas-chin," she began. "I saw you're in a group with Mayu-chan." "Yep," Jasmine answered simply. "You could've grouped up with me y'know," Chiyo said in a tone somewhere between teasing and sulking. "Three days being stuck with you? I think I'd die from constant annoyance," Jasmine retorted. "Annoyance?! Do you think of me as some sort of fly or something?" Chiyo asked, to which Jasmine looked right back at her and said with a straight face, "Buzz, buzz." "Ugh, you're so mean to meee!" Chiyo whined as she playfully hit Jasmine's arm while the other gal smirked.
"But what about you Chiyo?" Jasmine went on, ignoring her assault. "Huh? What about little ole me?" Chiyo said, stopping her attack. "Why didn't you get Fukuhara-san into a group?" Jasmine asked. "Ah," Chiyo said. "I tried, but she said she'd rather fall off a boat than be in a group with me." "Is that supposed to sound insulting?" Haruna commented. "Well, Mi-chan will be Mi-chan," Chiyo said with a shrug. "I'm sure we'll still get plenty of quality time together."
Meanwhile, while Kanako smiled and laughed on the outside, inside she felt conflicted. She had only just met Hinami, and from what she could tell, she seemed like a nice girl. However, hearing that she was Haruna's fan stirred something inside of Kanako. "I just… don't like the way that sounds," she thought.
By the time lunch ended, Kanako hadn't been able to ease her own feelings at all. She spent the rest of the day concerned about what she had heard earlier, wondering if what she felt was just a passing feeling or if it was going to stick around long enough to cause problems on the school trip. "I've been really looking forward to this because I get to be with Haruna, but…" Kanako thought. She couldn't help but worry that somehow things weren't going to go as she hoped.
*****
When it came time to walk home, Haruna and Kanako went together like always. Lately, Kanako had been going to club again (mostly upon Haruna's insistence), but on this day she didn't have a meeting, so there was no waiting around. In a way, that made Kanako happy. She felt like she was beginning to look forward to the days she didn't have club more than the ones when she did have it. Not having club meant being able to see Haruna faster. Kanako knew she still liked cooking, even enough to pursue it as a career, but it seemed that with each passing day, her love for Haruna only grew stronger, threatening to overtake everything else.
As they walked, it was quiet. Their hands remained apart, something that had continued to happen ever since Haruna confessed. Sometimes their hands would connect, but it didn't happen often. Of course, in the time Haruna had needed to use crutches, that hadn't been an option at all, but it seemed to Kanako that they had hardly held hands at all since Haruna had been able to walk unassisted again. "It's fine though," she thought. "As long as I can at least be with her like this, that makes me happy enough."
Although, for as much as Kanako tried to remain positive, there was still no shaking the feeling she had gotten at lunch. "Hinami Yamane…" She repeated the name in her head as if to try to find an answer in it. Then, before she even realized what she was saying, a question slipped out of Kanako's lips. "Hey, Haruna?" "What?" Haruna said. "What do you… think of Yamane-san?"
She had to ask. For whatever reason, something inside of Kanako compelled her to ask that very question. She felt that if she got an answer, that maybe it would help in getting rid of the uncomfortable feelings she had come across. "I need to know," she thought. In response, Haruna stared at her before looking back ahead of herself. "I think she's weird." "W-Weird?" Kanako repeated. "That's kind of mean." "Yeah, maybe, but it's the first thing that came to mind," Haruna said. "Why?" Kanako asked. Haruna thought for a second. "Well, she said she was my fan, but I had never even spoken to her before today, and we're in the same class. I don't even think I knew her name." "You should know the names of your classmates Haruna…" Kanako sighed. "Yeah, yeah, Chiyo already lectured me on it," Haruna said. "But Yamane-san just never really stood out, y'know? You met her. The girl can barely talk without tripping over every word unless she gets excited about something." "W-Well…" Kanako said, wanting to defend the girl not present but not being able to call Haruna's assessment wrong.
"Is it really so weird for someone to be a fan of someone else?" Kanako asked. "Of course not, but that's for like, celebrities and players on pro sports teams. It's not for me, a random high school girl," Haruna said. "Did she say why she's your fan?" Kanako asked. "Apparently she liked how I competed, but she also said she liked my personality. Something about thinking I was cool or something," Haruna said as she tried to recall the encounter. "I see," Kanako said. She could agree with Hinami on those points. Even when Haruna had always been yelling at her, she still thought that Haruna did have something of a cool aura around her.
"It's definitely weird though," Haruna concluded. "But, I gotta admit. It's kinda cool having someone say they're your fan." "I was your fan first…" Kanako mumbled. "Huh?" Haruna said. "Nothing," Kanako said, beginning to walk a couple of steps ahead of Haruna. "Ah, hey, Kanako!" Haruna said, but in her head, she wondered what Kanako had meant. "She was my fan first?" Haruna thought. "What's that supposed to mean?"
By the time they got home, Haruna had gotten the distinct impression that Kanako was annoyed with her. Before they parted, she wanted to ask, but ultimately she didn't. All Haruna did was watch Kanako march into her own house. "What's her problem?" Haruna wondered, although she had a guess. "Does Yamane-san being my fan bother her?" It was the only thing that she could come up with. Haruna and Kanako had been getting along perfectly until the day's walk home, and the only thing that had changed was the entrance of a girl declaring her fandom. "But why would that bother her?" Haruna thought. Not understanding why that could be, Haruna just went into her own home as well.
*****
A couple of days later, the day of the school trip finally arrived. It was a Monday and already just about mid-December, making the timing feel very odd, but it did little to dampen the second-years' spirits. Plenty of people were talking with others about all the things they were going to do on the trip. With how excited everyone sounded, a passing person would've never guessed that they were all just going to Sapporo.
It was earlier than the start to a normal school day as the second year students gathered in front of the school. Several buses were lined up for them to board, and it was about 30 minutes until they'd be leaving. The meet-up time had been set so much earlier than the departure time to allow plenty of leeway for the students who had a tendency to be late.
Currently waiting in the mass of students was Kanako. She had made sure to set her alarm clock extra early to make sure she'd make it on time, but when it went off to wake her up, Kanako realized she had set it too early, causing her to be ready to go well before schedule. She had thought about waiting for Haruna, but when she texted her to ask, she got a response saying that it felt difficult to walk with a suitcase while wearing her brace, so Haruna was going to get a ride from one of her parents instead. Not wanting to wait around any longer, Kanako decided she'd just meet Haruna at school.
While she stood in a more empty spot, she suddenly heard someone calling her name. "Kana-chaaaan!" it shouted. Looking for the source, Kanako saw Chiyo bounding toward her. "C-Chiyo?! H-Hang on! Slow down!" Kanako exclaimed, but it was too late. "Whoa!" Chiyo let out as she slid on a hidden piece of ice, causing her to slam right into Kanako and send them both to the ground.
"Ow…" Kanako groaned. "Oops!" Chiyo said playfully. "Don't 'oops' me!" Kanako said sternly. "That was dangerous Chiyo! You should know better than to just run around when there might be ice!" "Yeah… sorry," Chiyo said, feeling like a lectured child. "Y'know Kana-chan, your serious side is something else." "Huh?" Kanako said, but Chiyo didn't explain any further. Instead, she stood up, then offered her hand to Kanako, who took it. "You're not hurt are you?" Chiyo asked. "Other than my butt being sore and cold, no," Kanako said, still a little miffed. "Pfft," Chiyo let out. "That sounded like something Haru-chi would say." "Y-You think so?" Kanako said. "Absolutely! Maybe all that time you've been spending with her is starting to make you like her," Chiyo said. Hearing that brought a smile to Kanako's face. "I guess that just means we're that close," she thought.
"Oh, and speaking of Haru-chi," Chiyo said. "Are you gonna confess on the school trip?" "C-C-CONFESS?!" Kanako shouted louder than she meant to, drawing the attention of some nearby students. "What, you mean you weren't going to?" Chiyo asked. "U-Um…" Kanako let out. The truth was that the thought had crossed her mind more than once. At this point, Haruna's ankle was healthy enough that she could basically function like normal, so Kanako didn't have to worry about burdening Haruna with her own feelings. Really, all she had to do was give an answer to Haruna's previous confession.
But knowing that didn't make bringing it up any easier. "What would I even say?" Kanako thought. Would there even be enough time on the trip to do something like that? "I guess there's plenty of free time…" she remembered. "But…"
Kanako wanted to say yes. She wanted to run to Haruna, wrap her arms around her and tell her she would love to be her girlfriend. And yet… something was stopping her. Was it nerves? Uncertainty? Or was it… "Yamane-san…" Kanako thought. She wasn't sure what to make of her. What did she mean when she said she was Haruna's fan? Was it really just a form of admiration, or was Hinami hoping for something more? Until she could address that concern, Kanako wasn't sure if she could give Haruna her answer with a heart in the proper condition.
As Kanako thought about all of that, Chiyo stared at her. Then, she gave an understanding smile. "I get it." "Huh?" Kanako said, surprised by Chiyo's words. "You wanna be sure, right? About your answer." "H-How did you know…?" Kanako said. Suddenly, Chiyo brought Kanako into her arms, embracing her gently. "C-Chiyo?" "I seriously love how much you care about Haru-chi. You want to make sure of your feelings so you don't end up hurting her in some way. I really appreciate that. I don't think there's anyone else in the world that cares about Haru-chi as much as you Kana-chan. Well, except me of course."
Kanako wasn't sure if Chiyo was entirely right, but she wasn't wrong either. Kanako was afraid that if she told Haruna yes while still feeling uncertain in one way or another, it might come back to hurt her. What was causing those feelings was probably different than what Chiyo had in mind, but the gal still managed to capture the general essence of Kanako's thoughts.
When Chiyo released her, she was still smiling. "But y'know Kana-chan," she said. "It's not good to keep a girl waiting." "R-Right…" Kanako said. It had been roughly a month and a half since Haruna's confession. Kanako still hadn't given her an answer, but Haruna hadn't brought it up since then either. "No, that's no excuse," Kanako thought. "I need to give her an answer. It shouldn't even be that hard. After all, I already know what I'm going to say."
A short time later, Haruna arrived. Kanako was about to wave hello when she noticed a shadow trailing her. Helping to carry her suitcase was Hinami. "Huh?" Kanako let out. "What's Yamane-san doing with Haruna?"
"Hey Haru-chi!" Chiyo called. Haruna waved back. "Oh, and Hinami-chan made it too!" "H-Hello," Hinami said with a bow. "Were you helping Haru-chi?" Chiyo asked. "Y-Yes. I-I saw her getting out of the car, so I offered to help," Hinami explained. "Aw, you're such a good girl!" Chiyo said, patting Hinami's head. "Wah! Ah! Eh?" the girl let out a series of noises at the sudden contact. Standing several feet from her, Kanako looked on. She had heard Hinami's explanation, but it hadn't made her feel any better. "What's going on with me? Do I not like Yamane-san for some reason?"
When the time came to board the buses, the students were instructed to sit in their groups as best they could. The insides of the buses were fairly typical, but with the amount of the vehicles the school had on hand, there was enough room for two people to sit per seat instead of having to squeeze in three. Climbing on, the students filed in and took their seats. Nearing the back, Kanako's group found a set of two seats available. Haruna sat down in the first one, and then Hinami took the one next to her. "Ah…" Kanako let out. "O-Oh, did you want to sit here?" Hinami asked innocently. "No, it's fine," Kanako said with a little sharpness. Moving on, she took the seat behind Haruna instead. Kanako wasn't confrontational by nature, so she didn't want to fight about seating arrangements with Hinami, but she couldn't stop herself from bearing a small grudge against her. Rounding out the seating was Chiyo.
As the buses began to move and head for Sapporo, Haruna and Hinami started talking. Kanako couldn't quite make out what they were saying due to the surrounding noise, but she could at least tell it was a pleasant conversation. While she tried to listen on, Kanako could feel her chest getting tighter and tighter. She instinctively brought a hand up to her heart, as if she was feeling pain. "Kana-chan? Are you okay?" Chiyo asked. "Um…" Kanako said, unsure how to describe what was happening to her.
"My chest…" she said. "It hurts… especially when I seeing Yamane-san with Haruna." "Ah," Chiyo said simply. "Do you know what it means Chiyo?" Kanako asked, turning pleading eyes to her. "Yeah, I do," she said. "But sorry Kana-chan. Even if I told you, it wouldn't help. This is an issue for your heart and yours alone. Only you can solve this mystery in your chest," Chiyo said. "I see…" Kanako said sadly.
Next to her, Chiyo sat with an odd expression on her face. She wanted to give Kanako the answer she was seeking, but Chiyo had a feeling it'd be for the best if she figured it out herself. So, as the buses got ever-closer to their destination, Kanako struggled with this new and unfamiliar feeling.
End of Chapter Ten.