[20th August, 17.22]
[Kurushima Pov]
Arriving in front of my room, I opened the door.
"It really is a mess... I can't let my girlfriend see my room in such a pitiful state. Alright, I'm a bit motivated to clean now. I should also start a timer. It certainly would be better."
Opening the phone, I immediately set a ten-minute timer.
"Ten minutes start from now," I said, clicking the start button.
Firstly, I began to put all my clothes lying on the floor in the washing machine. It was quite a lot of clothes, but luckily they fit into it. Afterward, I immediately put the plates in the kitchen sink in the rinsing machine.
As for my room, it wasn't dirty, but neither was it really entirely clean either. So, seeing that I still had eight minutes left, I decided to clean the room.
It wasn't quite large, so it was rather easy to clean it. Taking the wash broom from the relative small storage room, I filled it with water and cleaned the relative small room. Then, I wiped it off with a towel.
And voilà, the room was now at the very least clean.
*Biep*
*Biep*
"Just in time. Now I simply have to wait for Hiyori to come."
After a minute of waiting, the doorbell rang.
Although I was right in front of the door for the whole minute, I waited for a couple of seconds before opening it.
I didn't want her to think I waited there the whole ten minutes. It'd become a bit embarrassing, truthfully.
Grabbing the door handle, I opened the door.
"Hiyori, you're here. Come in."
She nods her head. "Please excuse me."
She took her shoes off, then took them off with her right hand, putting them on the floor.
"You bought yourself quite a bit."
Looking around, that was the first thing you could notice.
Compared to her last visit on July 1st, there are now a couple more things here now. The coffee machine is an example of that.
I bought it myself because I wanted to be awake for a bit longer. I would sometimes go jogging after waking up suddenly in the middle of the night suddenly. I was never to begin with a person who could sleep well. I guess that's the aftereffect of having PTSD...
The nightmares had stopped for a while, but after two months, they occurred today again. Hah, I thought I at least managed to solve it somehow.
Yet, they don't seem to stop.
I can't do much about it, though.
Fortunately, I have them rarely nowadays. Compared to the past, that is. I had them frequently for quite a long time, day after day.
Compared to now, just having them in the time span of one to two months is a great improvement.
"Kaoru, can I test the yogurt, perhaps?"
She was looking at the Yogurt Maker device. There were different kinds of flavors I tried after reading the receipt list that depicted them.
I made only those flavors that I could make with the ingredients here and the yogurt sachets I bought from the convenience store. I did make three out of eight entirely on my own, though. As for the others'... well. I did make them with the yogurt sachets from the convenience store.
"Ah, sure. I'll prepare one for you."
"I think they should be by now ready. Do you want to have any specific flavor or test a couple of them firstly? I made them the first time, so I apologize in advance, if the Yogurt tastes bad."
"I'll test a couple of flavors first, Kaoru. I'm sure they'll be okay."
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you."
Opening the Yogurt Maker, I could see her glancing at it.
"They look good."
"I hope they taste as good as they look... haha."
There's always a first time for a failure.
"Don't worry. Even if they don't taste well, it's something you made, so I'll gladly eat it."
"Ah... thanks..."
I'm getting a bit red here.
"Which flavor would you like to eat, Hiyori?"
Looking deep in thought, Hiyori answered. "I'll take the Strawberry Flavor then, please."
I took the Strawberry Yogurt out and gave it to her. "Here you go."
"Thank you, Kaoru."
"No problem. You can take yourself from there, a spoon."
She nods her head.
Meanwhile, I took myself the Vanilla Flavor. It was one of the flavors that were made with the yogurt sachets.
Hiyori stood there, seeming to wait for me.
"One moment."
I took myself a spoon, and the two of us went to my bedroom, which was also the living room. It was a one-room apartment, so I didn't have the luxury of having a separate living room.
The one-room apartment had a bathroom, a small storage room, and a bedroom. That was all.
"Please make yourself comfortable, Hiyori."
She proceeded to sit on my bed.
"Then I shall do that."
In the meantime, I put the DVD in the DVD-Player.
Opening the Television, I opened the signal source list on the remote control, selecting the DVD-Player.
"You haven't eaten the Yogurt yet?"
"I was waiting for you, Kaoru."
"Oh, I see."
Of course, she was waiting for me. Whenever I'm around her, it is as if, I'm becoming less aware of the obvious. Is it because I'm in love for the very first time in my life?
"That naturally makes sense. Anyhow, should I play the Movie now?"
"Please do that."
Before I do that, I want Hiyori to not be so stiff anymore.
"Hiyori, please relax yourself. You can lie yourself against the back of my bed. I think... I'll do the same."
Lying next to each other doesn't sound so bad at all.
"Ah...okay. We're now a couple after all, so it's natural, right?"
"I believe so."
She slowly headed backwards until she reached the back of my bed. I slowly walked to the bed, lying myself next to her.
"Should I move a little bit to the side?" she asked, a bit embarrassed.
"No, don't worry, I have enough space."
I can't help but feel slightly embarrassed. It's still the first day we're a couple, after all. I hope, with time, it goes away.
"Okay."
"I'll play the movie then."
"Please do that, Kaoru."
Taking the remote control in my left hand, I selected play. Now, it appears that we would be watching the Great Gatsby.
Both of us had the Yogurt still in our hands. We haven't taken a bite yet.
The first thing one could see when turning the movie on, was a pitch black screen, with a white little point in the middle. Simultaneously wise, music that made you feel uncomfortable was being played.
"The music is conveying a feeling of uneasiness already. I wonder how the future scenes in the movie will be handled," she said, focusing on the movie.
"Likewise."
At the same time, she took a spoonful of the Yogurt.
"Hmm, this is wonderful, Kaoru! You did a great job," she complimented, giving me a warm smile.
I couldn't help but smile back. "I'm glad you like it. I was a bit nervous since it's my first attempt."
As we were talking about the Yogurt, our attention was cast away by the movie.
The beginning scene in the Novel is now being shown.
In my younger and more vulnerable years...
My father gave me some advice...
"Always try to see the best in people," he would say.
As a consequence, I'm inclined to reserve all judgments.
But even I have a limit...
Back then, all of us drank too much.
"So far, so great," I said.
"I agree. I can't help but get shivers from that scene alone. I must say the green light was a good choice while the monologue from Carraway is being told. Daisy is so close, yet so far away from his grasp. The green light portrays that well. It seems like a great start for the beginning."
The next thing one could see was a sudden light, and now the mansion of Gatsby was shown.
"The mansion... it's quite big. I wonder how that scene will look like."
It certainly is bigger than mine by a far. It looks quite beautiful.
Hiyori knowing to what I was referring, answered, "Likewise."
--
[Hiyori Pov]
Ten minutes into the movie already, both of us seemed to have finished the Yogurt. "Ah, wait a minute. I'll put them in the kitchen sink. I'll be back immediately."
Seeing him getting up and take both mine and his empty Yogurt back, I couldn't help but look around his room for a moment. Aside from the television, his bedroom looked the same.
There weren't any particular changes. However, he seemed to have borrowed or bought a couple of books more. Many of the titles were familiar to me, but some weren't. It was definitely a surprise, because I had read a handful of books.
One in particular seemed to be more special.
"I'm sorry that it took so long."
"Don't worry."
I could see how he began to sit next to me again.
Now that we hadn't any Yogurt in our hands anymore, we could... hold hands together. Something a couple does while watching a movie.
"Can we hold hands, Kaoru?"
"Of course."
Until Minute 24, both of us had talked a bit. But then the scene came... One of the more exciting scenes.
"Wow! It really gives me the same feeling when I read it in the Novel."
"It certainly does. A really great scene."
He seemed to be quite immersed right now. One of the rare moments I see him like that. Normally, he would always seem to be attentive of everything, under most circumstances.
Seeing that he didn't notice that I was staring at him was a surprise. I got a bit closer and concentrated myself on the movie again.
For the next 2 hours of the movie, we still held our hands together.
During some time, I remember that I leaned against his shoulder in the middle of the movie. It was comfortable.
More comfortable than I had expected.
Just when the movie ended, he seemed to be slightly dissatisfied.
"Is everything alright, Kaoru?"
"... Yes, somehow. No matter how often I read it, I still can't help but feel angry at the ending scene. Running away from the responsibility like that... I can't help but feel frustrated... Not even showing up at his funeral, at the very least... I feel very conflicted."
"I agree. I also somehow feel conflicted about the ending... In the end, it just shows how Daisy was being raised. In comparison to Tom, I at least feel a bit of remorse for her."
"... Well, it was certainly a good adaptation, in my opinion. What do you think, Hiyori? Did you like it?"
"I certainly did."
"I'm glad to hear that. That aside, do you remember the actor's name?"
"I do. It was like previously, with the same actor. Leonardo DiCaprio. He's a fantastic actor."
"He certainly is. Of the two movies we watched together, he was in both of them in. If we ever watch a third one, would you like to have him there too? There's a saying, All good things come in three."
"Gladly."
I could suddenly see him smiling.
I didn't know why, but seeing him smile made my heart beat even faster. We are already a couple, so why would I still blush?
"Should we eat something?"
The question came a bit unexpected, but we didn't eat anything after the All-You-Can-Eat Restaurant aside from the Yogurt. Seeing that it should be by now up to six hours over already, I agreed.
"I'm feeling kind of hungry. Do you have something specific in mind?"
"It might disappoint you, but would you like to eat a cup of ramen together with me? I have all the different flavors."
"Ramen? Sure, I don't mind."
Noticing the clock, it was 13 minutes before 20 o'clock, which was probably why Kaoru suggested Ramen. We watched the movie rather late, so it's kind of obvious why we can't eat something other than that.
"Hmm, I'll take Miso-Ramen then. What about you?"
"I'll take a cup of spicy ramen."
He turned the kettle on. "So, Kaoru, should we talk a bit?"
"About what precisely?"
"About our first impressions when we first met, perhaps?"
"You mean at the elevator, on day one?"
That day, he seemed to have quite shopped a bit.
"Hmm, on day one, I was grateful to you for stopping the elevator. I thought she must be a pretty nice person who you can get along with very well. Seeing that you shared a common hobby of mine, reading, I wanted to stir up a conversation."
"I'm really glad looking at it back now that I stirred up a conversation, and we didn't just ignore each other. I wonder if we would have meet at the Library if not for the elevator and things would have developed themselves as they now are."
The elevator—that was the time I asked him for his phone number. Unlike the people in my class, he was actually reading books. I always wanted to have someone with whom I could read books. That's why... I wanted to have his phone number so we could read it from time to time.
"What about you, Hiyori? What was your first impression of me?"
"... I was surprised, when I heard someone saying to stop the elevator, truthfully. Was it that bad to take the next one? But I could see you had problems on your own at that time."
"I didn't think too much about you, but you had quite the memorizable face. I was never good with faces, but I could always remember those who were more 'memorable'. Some people had unremarkable faces, and some didn't. I tend to forget these faces after a minute, instantly. Which is why you appeared a bit strange to me. I suspected you to be immediately the leader of your class. I was certainly right with that."
"... The moment you recognized the book I carried with me instantly, I could tell what I was feeling was immediate joy. Until that day... I never had someone to read with, so seeing on my first day someone who recognized the book I carried with me, and had read the Lord Peter series too, I guess I was overexcited. Suddenly, I had to know your name, and I hoped we could read together."
"Immediately after class had ended that day, I was at the Library. I only came home that soon, because I didn't want to wait so long to claim my keycard at the reception. I'm glad that I decided to go sooner from the library, because I met you, Kaoru."
"Me too! I'm glad that I didn't go further shopping, because we two could meet each other."
"Kaoru..."
"Hiyori..."
He slowly approached me, and I felt how I instinctively approached him too. He bent down, and I felt how my body was trying to tiptoe to reach his height. Everything was happening instinctively, so I wasn't even aware of myself doing these things, currently.
I could see how he was slowly coming down and down, reaching with his lips for my lips. His normal gaze was now filled with something else. All I could tell was that he wanted to kiss me. I wasn't sure, but I felt like I wanted to do it, too. But then, we heard the sound of the kettle.
*Biep*
*Biep*
Both of us being disrupted by the sound, he interrupted our silence.
"Let's eat, shall we? The ramen's are ready."
I nodded my head relentlessly. "Yes, it'd be unfortunate if we wasted them."
Kaoru stopped, and sat himself down. I did the same.
I'm not sure why, but I feel slightly disappointed, I believe.
We're one day together, but we have yet not shared this intimate thing I read—a kiss.
I've read about it so often in books in the romance genre. That feeling when you kiss someone, is said to be a very good feeling, according to these books.
When you love someone, you'll do that intimate thing, kissing them. If it wasn't for the kettle sound, Kaoru and I would have become intimate, wouldn't we?
We would have kissed, if this hadn't happened.
I don't know why, but I feel a bit regretful, right now. I can't properly explain it; it feels like it's just like the feeling I had on the Cruise Ship—a missed opportunity.
I want Kaoru to be my first one.
My first kiss.
With that lingering air and both of us being embarrassed, we ate the ramen.
I could see his gaze, which was, by now, a bit uncomfortable.
Even though we're boyfriend and girlfriend, we're just one day together. From friends, we have become lovers. Just like it was written in these novels.
"Hiyori, it's 20 o'clock in one minute."
"We can't stay in the opposite gender's room until 20 o'clock, right? I remember that being written down, but I never thought I'd be affected, since I didn't have any male friends."
"I think, I'll be going, then..."
I still felt very uncomfortable, and something was telling me, that I should do something right now. If I remember this right, something like this was also written in romance books.
As Kaoru approached me, walking with me until the door, I did something unexpected.
I decided now, that I'd be taking the first step.
Kaoru confessed to me, so I'll have to take the next step.
This should be okay, right?
It's not intimate, is it?
I quickly put on my shoes, and then...
I kissed him on his right cheek...
The next thing I did was running away, out of slight embarrassment.
But I couldn't walk away, without wishing farewell. "Goodbye, Kaoru," I said.
It was deeply embarrassing, but he had already taken the first steps into the relationship.
Now it was my turn.
"Goodbye... Hiyori."
I could hear from his voice that he was shocked.
It must be, right? I kissed him, after all. On the cheeks, I mean.
He didn't expect a kiss, did he?
I didn't expect myself to do this.
Was it perhaps too... intimate?
Perhaps.
But it shouldn't be just Kaoru who takes the initiative; I should do it, too.
That's what being a good girlfriend is about.
--
[Kurushima Pov]
"I didn't expect to get a kiss on my cheeks. It's something... very strange. The last time a woman kissed me on the cheeks was eight Years ago. But strangely, I'm not depressed, when I'm thinking about it. I'm rather happy, that she kissed me on the cheeks. Is it because I fell in love?"
"In her presence, I'm truly different, aren't I? Yeah, that's right. I feel so comfortable, somehow. It feels strange, honestly."
To cool myself down a bit, I headed towards the shower, thinking of everything that happened today. "Should I... stay longer here? In this school? I don't... know anymore. I found a reason to be happy, but am I even allowed to be happy? I really don't know."
--
Chapter End
A/N: With this, that'll be the end of the 11.000 Words Hiyori Chapter. I could have combined them, but I decided that reading so long would be quite hard.
That being said, how do you find their relationship?
Did I do a bad or good job with it?
Of course, in comparison to Ayanokoji and Kei, this one is entirely healthy.
Also, Kurushima is slowly questioning whether it's worth to stay in this school, but even so, he's not entirely sure. It sounds great for most, but he's the type of person who hates to not know what his opponents do, while he's isolated, basically.
It's quite interesting to write, it, honestly. Once December comes, and he gets to know of the White Room, I wonder how I'll write the dynamics between him and the other characters.
I'm tending on making him slightly on the edge before losing his insanity.
But that will be all I'm telling.
Anyway, how did you like these three Hiyori Chapters?
I hope they were enjoyable, but now it goes into the story further. Many of his plans weren't really crazy, but I'll think of doing some with greater difficulty, perhaps.
In particular, against Koji, when he gets to know about the White Room.
That is, if I get any idea, though.
Well, that's really all, now.
Goodbye. Have a great day!
PS: I decided on rewriting the last part of the chapter, since I felt everything was going too fast, somehow. Besides, I don't think I accurately got Hiyori's character there right and made their relationship progress to hastily.
Please tell me what you think of the new version, I decided to write.
Also, somehow I had to delete the other chapter, because Webnovel didn't want to update the rewrite I did for the Chapter.