Ibuki: "What?! How are we stuck?!" —exclaimed Ibuki, clearly irritated.
Kayden: "Well, it seems that way. The elevator stopped, and there's not much we can do." —I replied calmly, shrugging.
Ibuki: "Damn it! What are we supposed to do now?" —she said, her voice filled with frustration as she started pacing back and forth in the small space.
Kayden: "We just need to wait. The problem will be solved as soon as someone from security notices or someone outside helps us." —I tried to maintain my composure, watching how Ibuki was starting to get anxious—. "If all else fails, we can try contacting a friend or asking for help."
Ibuki: "Why does this always happen to me?!" —she grunted, now visibly agitated. Although, judging by her reaction, she seemed to be exaggerating a bit.
Kayden: "Ibuki, just relax. It probably won't be long before this gets resolved." —I said, trying to sound reassuring while she continued to pace.
Ibuki: "Relax? How do you expect me to relax being trapped in here?!" —she shouted, shooting me an incredulous and angry look.
Kayden: "It's not the end of the world." —I sighed—. "We have light, air conditioning... it's not that bad. We just have to wait calmly."
Just then, a metallic noise resonated from above the elevator, as if something had malfunctioned. A few seconds later, the constant hum of the air conditioning disappeared, leaving an uncomfortable silence.
Ibuki: "See what you did by talking?! You jinxed us!" —she shot me an angry glance, as if it were somehow my fault.
Kayden: "Well... it seems we're out of luck today." —I murmured with resignation, noticing how the atmosphere was starting to become denser and hotter. The enclosed space, combined with the outside heat, would soon turn the elevator into an oven.
Ibuki: "Damn it! It's starting to get unbearably hot in here. Why did you have to mention that?!" —she said, agitated, while fanning herself uselessly with her hands.
Kayden: "Come on, Ibuki, don't blame me. Why don't we talk about something while we wait for this to resolve?" —I suggested, trying to divert the conversation to ease the tension.
Ibuki: "I don't want to talk to you." —she replied coldly, turning her back to me and crossing her arms.
Kayden: "You're tough." —I said jokingly, but only received silence in response.
And so, we remained in an uncomfortable silence, as the air grew heavier and the heat intensified. Ibuki was still turned away, clearly upset, while I just stared at the elevator ceiling, hoping someone would notice our situation soon.
...
Dozens of minutes passed slowly. While I could usually withstand both heat and cold fairly well, sweat was starting to bead on my forehead. The atmosphere inside the elevator became increasingly stifling, and I felt the air getting denser with every passing moment.
Ibuki: "God! I'm going to cook in here..." —she complained, desperate as she continued fanning herself with her hands, trying to ventilate.
Kayden: "Well, given how long it's been, I think it's time to contact security." —I said with all the calm in the world, though the idea of playing around with the situation was starting to cross my mind.
Ibuki: "And how do we do that? This elevator doesn't even have a phone!" —she replied, her tone reflecting how the heat was making her more irritable.
Kayden: "All you need to do is press the numbers 1-3-4-6 and then the red button. Immediately after, speak near the button and notify them of the situation." —I explained seriously, though inside I could barely contain myself. I knew Ibuki would fall for the trick.
Ibuki: "Okay... 1-3-4-6 and then the red button..." —she repeated quietly, following my instructions to the letter, completely confident.
After pressing the red button, she spoke with a determined voice:
Ibuki: "Hello? Is anyone there? We're trapped in elevator 7, please, can someone come help us?" —she said almost desperately, staring intently at the elevator panel as if expecting an immediate response.
The scene was too much for me. Seeing Ibuki follow my false instructions with such seriousness was killing me inside, and I tried to maintain my composure... but I couldn't.
Kayden: "Pft... Hahahaha..." —I finally burst out laughing. I couldn't help it; the hilarity of the situation overtook me.
Ibuki: "What are you laughing at, bastard?" —she shouted, confused, until realization hit her suddenly—. "You lied to me! No one is answering!" —she looked at me with a mix of anger and frustration, her eyes practically sparking.
Kayden: "Hahaha... I'm sorry, Ibuki, but I couldn't resist. It was too easy." —I told her between laughs, barely able to articulate the words.
Ibuki: "You bastard!" —she shouted furiously, and before I could react, she launched a quick low kick, clearly trying to hit me for the joke. Fortunately, I reacted in time and caught her leg before she could reach me.
Kayden: "Calm down, Ibuki! It was just a joke, okay?" —I said as I gently released her foot, still smiling. Though I knew this wouldn't help calm her at all.
Ibuki: "What kind of joke is that? I want out of here as soon as possible!" —she replied angrily, crossing her arms and looking away, trying to ignore me.
Kayden: "Alright, alright. Don't get like that." —I raised my hands in surrender—. "I guess since no one from security is going to help us, it's time to resort to plan B. I'll call one of my friends." —I said as I pulled my phone from my pocket, looking for someone to call.
After a few seconds of ringing, the person I called finally answered.
Honami: "Kayden? What's up?" —her tone wasn't the cheerful one I was used to, making me suspect that I might have called her at a bad time.
Kayden: "Honami, you see, I need your help. Right now, I'm at the mall and I'm stuck in elevator 7. Could you come and get me out of here?" —I asked, keeping calm even though the sweat was becoming more uncomfortable.
Honami: "Stuck? Are you okay?" —her voice quickly shifted to a more concerned one, almost as if she was imagining the worst.
Kayden: "For now I'm fine, but if you don't come quickly, I'm afraid you're going to find me fried..." —I joked, although the heat was starting to feel unbearable.
Honami: "Fried? Isn't the air conditioning working?" —she asked, clearly more alarmed.
Kayden: "No, and believe me, things are getting pretty uncomfortable. So please, hurry up."
Honami: "Okay, I'm on my way now." —she hung up quickly, and I turned to Ibuki, who was still sweating and fanning herself as best as she could.
Kayden: "Well, there you have it. Honami is coming. We'll be out of this hell soon."
Ibuki: "Finally! I can't take this damn heat anymore." —she replied, relieved, though her frustration was still palpable.
Kayden: "Yeah, but we'll still have to wait a few more minutes. The mall isn't exactly around the corner from the dorms." —I said as I took off my shirt, setting it aside and exposing my bare torso.
Ibuki: "Why are you taking off your shirt?" —she asked with a mix of surprise and confusion, staring at me.
Kayden: "It's too hot. I don't want to keep sweating into my shirt if we're stuck for a while longer." —I replied calmly while folding it and placing it aside.
Ibuki: "But don't change in front of me!" —she exclaimed, turning her head away, clearly uncomfortable.
Kayden: "You're the only one here; who else am I going to change in front of? Besides, you should do the same. It's better than just cooking." —I said with a mischievous smile.
Ibuki: "You want me to strip?!" —she looked at me incredulously, her eyes wide open.
Kayden: "It's better than dying of heat, don't you think?" —I shrugged, maintaining my carefree tone.
Ibuki: "You're a pervert!" —she said with an accusatory look, but her eyes inevitably wandered over my body, even though she tried to hide it. I couldn't help but take advantage of the situation.
Kayden: "Kyaa~! Ibuki, could you stop looking at me with those lustful eyes?" —I said, pretending to cover my chest with my hands and adopting an exaggerated pose.
Ibuki: "What?? What lustful eyes?!" —she exclaimed, clearly taken aback, but her cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson.
Kayden: "Those eyes that seem to be devouring me with their gaze..." —I continued, enjoying the moment as her blush deepened.
Ibuki: "I-I'm not looking at you like that!" —she said, trying to hide her embarrassment. It was almost adorable to see her so flustered by a simple joke.
Kayden: "Ibuki, pervert..." —I murmured, covering myself even more while chuckling inside.
Ibuki: "I'm not a pervert!" —she shouted angrily, and before I realized it, she threw a quick punch at my stomach. Fortunately, once again, I stopped it just in time, holding her hand.
Kayden: "Hahaha, calm down, calm down. I'm just joking!" —I said, still laughing as I released her hand—. "Why do you always try to hit me?"
Ibuki: "Because you're a headache!" —she replied, clearly irritated, crossing her arms and looking away.
...
The tension from the heat mixed with our absurd situation, but at least the jokes helped the time pass faster.
Kayden: "Hey, Ibuki…" —I tried to start a conversation to break the ice.
Ibuki: "Don't talk to me, pervert." —she replied curtly, not even looking at me.
Kayden: "Come on, are you still mad about that little joke?" —I said, pretending to be surprised, trying to lighten the mood with a smile.
Ibuki seemed ready to throw a sharp response at me, but just then the elevator began to move again, shaking a bit.
Ibuki: "Finally! God! I just want to get out of here and never see your face again." —she exclaimed with evident relief, though her frustration was still palpable.
Kayden: "Are you talking about my beautiful face?" —I said playfully, with an arrogant grin.
Ibuki: "Narcissist." —she shot back without hesitation, giving me a fierce look.
Suddenly, the elevator made a loud noise and shook violently, causing Ibuki to lose her balance. With a small stifled scream, she fell against my chest. At the same time, the elevator doors opened.
Mako: "Ooohhh, well, well…" —I heard Mako's voice, filled with mischief.
I turned to see Mako and Honami standing in front of the elevator, both looking at us with surprised expressions. Ibuki, leaning against my chest, quickly lifted her head, but didn't seem to care much about what the others might think. She immediately stepped away from me, walking toward the exit without even saying a word.
The atmosphere became uncomfortably tense. Mako was looking at me with an arched eyebrow, clearly enjoying the situation.
Mako: "Honami-chan told me you were in trouble, but seeing how things were… maybe you would have liked us to take a bit longer to get here, huh?" —she said, with a mischievous smile as she gave me a judging look, as if assessing my entire life in that moment.
Honami, on the other hand, didn't say a word. She simply looked me straight in the eyes, her brow slightly furrowed. Her silence was heavier than any comment, and after a few seconds, she turned away and started to walk off without saying anything.
I stood there, frozen, surprised by her reaction. What was that? Honestly, I expected a different response. But instead of clarifying what had happened, the awkwardness of the moment hung in the air.
Kayden: "Uh… it's not what it looks like…" —I murmured to Mako, as she continued to look at me with that teasing expression that wasn't helping at all.
Mako: Well, it seems that way.
Kayden: Whatever. The most important thing now is that Honami has been acting strangely. Do you know what's up with her?
Mako: Well... it's true she's changed a bit these days. Not so much with me or the others. I think the change is more with you —she replied with a curious look.
Mako: Why don't you just go ask her yourself? Though I doubt she'll answer you easily; Honami-chan seemed pretty upset with me.
Kayden: I guess I'll try, but yes, her behavior is definitely weird —I commented as I quickly finished putting on my shirt, determined to clear things up.
A few minutes later, I saw her walking alone in the distance. I hurried and caught up to her.
Kayden: "Honami! Wait a second" —I called. She stopped, but when she turned to look at me, her expression was still cold, almost distant.
Kayden: "Can we talk? It'll only be a moment, please..."
Honami: "No" —her response was so firm and direct that it left me completely taken aback.
Kayden: "Huh?" —I couldn't help but let out a surprised sigh.
Honami: "As I said, I don't want to talk to you right now, Kayden. So please, don't talk to me until I decide to." —her words were sharp, and before I could react, she turned and continued on her way.
I stood there, frozen in place, unable to move. What just happened? Was that really Honami? Where was the sweet girl with the always-smiling face that I knew? Something is really wrong here. Ever since the sports festival ended, she hasn't come to my room, we've barely talked, and now… she's telling me not to talk to her anymore? What the hell is going on?
Let's see… let's recap. Honami is mad at me, that's clear. But when did this start? Everything points to after the sports festival. Why? I don't know, I haven't done anything to upset her… or have I? I barely had time to talk to her with all the events I had to participate in, but I don't remember doing anything that could have annoyed her.
Unless… did she get upset after seeing me with Ibuki? Wait... what if Honami is jealous? That would make a lot more sense! But what could have happened during the festival to make her so angry?
Oh, right! Now I remember... I treated Kikyou like a princess in front of everyone. Could it be that Honami saw that and that's why her behavior toward me changed? But that would be strange... I've always been physically close to Mako and Yuki, and she never seemed to mind. So why Kikyou? And now Ibuki?
If Honami is jealous of my closeness to other girls, that can only mean one thing... does she like me? That's the most logical conclusion, right? But if that's true, I'm in big trouble. I'm a total disaster when it comes to romance. I can understand it logically and theoretically, but on an emotional level… I'm lost. I've never loved anyone, or at least, I don't think I have. So I have no idea how an average teenager handles these things.
What am I supposed to do now?