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Editing and proofreading? Lol fuck that shit copying/pasting the immediate final copy is the way to go! Important part of Notes are in the bottom.

“Hanako...” is the only word I can get out while marshalling my thoughts. “What does that have to do with anything?” I manage to shoot out.

Sure, I noticed the similarities between the two, but why bring it up here?

“Well, I don’t know...” Hanako quietly murmurs, her previous bitterness now replaced with sadness. “I thought you were...” Hanako quickly looks back to Akira and Lilly, who are busy chatting away at the bar. “Replacing me.” She quietly finishes.

Ohh, now it’s all starting to come together now. Once Hanako said it, I realize it’d be hard to refute her claim. When I first met Yozora, I considered her a more attractive version of Hanako, as in no scars. The more I hung out with her, the more I noticed the similarities between the two...

“I’m not...replacing...” I really want to say ‘you’, but I can’t put any conviction in it. Right now, my soul has a clear glass pane for Hanako to see into.

Our pool game is completely forgotten at this point, both pool cues leaning against the table. I’m awkwardly shifting around, trying to say what I don’t really mean. I’m so busy trying to come up with a response that I don’t notice Hanako coming up to me, who then grabs my shoulders and pushes me against the wall.

“What’s going o-” I say in surprise before Hanako leans forward and shuts me up, although not in the way one would expect. It takes me a moment to realize that we’re actually kissing in the middle (side, to be more precise) of a jazz club. I’m too shocked to resist if I wanted to, but Hanako pulls back before I can come to a decision on that, looking down at the floor.

“...my first...” I hear her mutter as she attempts to recompose herself. From what I can see of her face, she’s blushing heavily, not that I can blame her. I can already feel the red on my cheeks from that encounter. Thankfully, there was no one else in the vicinity, and it’s dark enough so that no one outside the pool area could see us. If they could, I doubt Hanako would’ve made a move like that.

“Er...what was that for?” I inquire. This was an unexpected turn of events. She doesn’t respond though, as she pushes the remaining balls into random pockets before rushing away towards Akira and Lilly. I can only gape at her before coming to my senses and following her as well.

Hanako takes a seat on the far end of the bar, next to Lilly. I’d like to sit next to her, but Hanako’s next to the wall, so that’s out of the question. Mentally moping, I take a stool next to Akira, who seems to be talking about someone I recognize to Lilly.

“...he’s kind of like the Engineer, they’re both the only sane men in their team...” Akira says.

“Erm...what?” I interrupt. Akira gives me a look of surprise as she turns to me.

“Heyy, Hisao! I was wondering when you’d finish up! I was just comparing my boyfriend to the Engineer, from Left 4 The Half-Fortress. Have you seen that movie?”

“Yeah, actually. Hanako and I watched it together a couple of weeks ago.”

Akira gives me a sly look at that.

“Oh, looks like Hisao and Hanako are growing up!” Akira giggles. I sigh at her ignorance of my situation right now, not that I can blame her or anything.

“Is there any way you can get us a drink, Akira? I want to try it.” I don’t add the part where I want to forget what happened in the past few minutes.

“Oh my, Hisao, I didn’t know you were an alcoholic!” Lilly notes from besides Akira.

“How can I be an alcoholic if I’ve never drank...if I’ve only drank once?”

“Ahh, got me there, Hisao. I was only joking with you.” Lilly responds with a smile.

“Well, it’s not like I can get you a drink here in the open, Hisao. I’ll make you an offer though, although it’ll have to wait ‘til we’re back in the car.” Akira adds.

“Ok that’ll work. What’d you think of Left 4 The Half-Fortress though, Akira?” I ask.

“It was a pretty good movie, at least I think so anyways. It was mainly developed for a Western audience, so I guess it’s appealing to the half-Scottish side of me.” Akira drains the rest of her beer.

“Yeah, you’d make a pretty good Demoman. You’re both alcoholics.” I observe.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any demolitions experience, nor the missing eyeball, and I’m partially Japanese, not full Scottish. I think I’ll stick with the drinking bit.”

“Just make sure you’re not drunk enough to impair your ability to drive. I’d like to get home in one piece, thank you very much.” I shoot.

While our conversation was taking place, I notice Hanako whisper something to Lilly, than both of them getting off their barstools and walking until they were out of sight. Akira didn’t seem to have noticed though.

“Don’t worry Hisao,” Akira waves a hand nonchalantly. “I’m not stupid enough to do something like that. I mean sure, I gave Hanako those bottles of wine for her birthday, but you guys were in a safe enclosed space.”

“True...” Is all I can say to this. It appears I’m at a loss for words today.

Akira looks around and finally notices that Hanako and Lilly are MIA.

“Oyy, Hisao. You know where those two went?” Akira inquires.

“Ehh, I saw Hanako whisper something to Lilly, than they went off somewhere. Probably discussing something private.”

“Huh, I guess we shouldn’t interrupt them for now. We still have about 30 minutes or so to kill. If you want a drink, now would be the best time to get one.”

“Didn’t you just say you couldn’t get me a drink out in the open though?”

“I really meant that I couldn’t get you a drink with Hanako around. From what Lilly’s told me, she’s a real lightweight with the liquor, can’t risk her getting her hands on any alcohol from anyone, especially you, Hisao.” Akira explains.

I’ve got to give Akira credit, she’s pretty thoughtful when it comes to Hanako. And me, now that I think about it. Not many people would go out of their way to procure alcoholic drinks for their sister’s friend. Unless she has an ulterior motive of sorts, which I doubt.

“Yeah, it was pretty bad,” I respond, recalling that awkward scene trying to put Hanako into bed. “But seriously, you can get me something here?”

“As long as you don’t draw attention to yourself, yeah. You’re what? 17 or so? You’ll look mature enough under these lights. And I’m the one ordering to begin with. Just don’t tell Lilly or Hanako.”

“Roger that. I’m not that dense. Anyways, what’s a good beginner drink for a scrub like me?”

Akira takes a menu from one of the stands on the bar, poring over it.

“Hmm, well wine coolers seem to be all the rage with teens in America. At least, that’s what one of my foreign co-workers told me. Tastes good (for an alcoholic beverage, mind you), and with its low alcoholic content, you won’t be noticeably drunk to Lilly and Hanako. Unless you’re more of a lightweight than her...”

She hands me the menu, already turned to the list of wine coolers. Looking at the list, one particular brand catches my eye.

“Mike’s...Hard...Lemonade...?” I slowly read out. Reading English is slightly easier than speaking it, at least to me anyways. Akira grabs the menu again and looks over at the list of flavors.

“Gotta say, you know how to pick ‘em. Had these a couple of times, the original flavor’s always the best. You want one?” Akira asks with a smile.

“Yeah, sure.” I don’t know why I have the sudden urge to consume alcohol, other than the fact that it’s related to that incident where Hanako...kissed me. Maybe some of the stuff will boost my courage when I confront Hanako about it later. At least it’ll only affect my liver, not my heart. Hehe.

Akira calls over the bartender and asks for a Hard Lemonade. The bartender then disappears under the bar for a moment, then emerges with a glass bottle containing a white liquid, the label screaming out that it’s ‘Mike’s Hard Lemonade’. He slams it down into the bar, where Akira shells over a few 100 yen coins.

“Here ya go, Hisao. On the house.” Akira declares, opening the bottle and handing it to me.

“Thanks Akira, I appreciate this.” I cautiously take a sip of the stuff. Surprisingly, it does taste good, for an alcoholic drink anyways. But then again, I guess there has to be something to get people to start drinking.

“Huh, it’s not bad.” I comment, feeling good enough to take a swig of the stuff.

“What’d I tell you, eh? Same stuff teens be drinking in America. I’d have given you a beer, but beer is more of an acquired taste. It’s not something everyone likes on their first try.” Akira responds, watching me intently.

“Apparently, I guess. You know, you’re a nice person, Akira.” I point out.

“So are you, Hisao. You’ve been doing a lot for Hanako lately. I figured its worth buying you a drink over it. She’s kinda like a second sister to me, after being around her from Lilly for this long. It’s nice to see her happy.”

“Hanako...” I murmur. I take another swig of the wine cooler, trying to decipher the situation. At the very least, I now know that Hanako likes me...as more than a friend at any rate. But somewhere in the time that I’ve known Yozora, she must’ve found out somehow about us...Hmm.

“Oy, Hisao you there?” Akira waves a hand in front of my face.

“Uhh yeah I’m still here. What was that for?”

“You were spacing out there for a bit. Thought you had one of the defective coolers for a second there.” Akira replies, a playful smile on her face.

“It’s nothing, just thinking of stuff.” I give a neutral response, hoping to discourage Akira from digging deeper.

“Oh really now? What kind of stuff?” She inquires. Of course.

“Stuff that doesn’t concern you.” I respond with a blunt tone. It’s not that I don’t like Akira, it’s just I’m dealing with sensitive information, and I’d rather keep it to myself if possible.

Akira seems unfazed by my hostility and continues to plow on.

“So I’m guessing you’re thinking about Hanako, am I right?”

Close, but she’s only half of what’s in my mind right now. The other half is being occupied by Yozora, more specifically how the hell did Hanako find out about Yozora? I could use some help right now, but I don’t think Akira can help me right now.

“No, it’s not about her. I was thinking about Yo-...someone.” I nearly blurt out Yozora before replacing it with the vague term. Crap, that was close.

“Yo...? You mind finishing that for me?” Akira calls out, a dangerous smirk on her face.

Fuuuuuuuuuu- I guess it doesn’t matter how Hanako found out now; she knows, and now I have to go to damage control mode. But first...

“Really, it’s no one,” I insist. Noticing Lilly and Hanako walking back towards us, I hurriedly drain what’s left of the cooler and quickly place the bottle on the floor next to the wall. “Hey look, they’re back.” I tell Akira. She spins around to greet the duo.

“Hey Lilly, Hanako. You guys done here? I’ve got to get you back to Yamaku before curfew.” Akira asks.

“I do believe we are done here. I’m feeling a bit tired. What about you, Hisao?”

“I’m feeling drained too. Let’s head back.”

Reaching this consensus, our group departs the jazz club. Walking a little bit behind the three girls, I wonder of what Lilly and Hanako were up to while I was preoccupied with Hanako. I mean, it’s no coincidence Hanako kisses me, then disappears with her best friend. Knowing Hanako, she probably asked for advice.

The drive back is pretty quiet. I notice signs of Lilly starting to doze off on the front passenger seat. Meanwhile, Hanako’s sitting silently on her side of the rear passenger seat, staring out the window. Akira’s probably noticed the general mood, as she keeps her mouth shut for the entirety of the trip. It seems I’m the only one capable of talking right now, yet I don’t want to break the silence. When we finally pull up at the gates, I’m actually relieved because it’s an opportunity to get away from the awkwardness in the car..

After parking the car, our ragtag group heads out towards the dorm buildings. It’s a silent walk through the darkness of night, the sounds of cicadas buzzing the only other companion in the walk. Once we arrive at the area near the two dorm buildings, Hanako suddenly turns to me.

“Umm, H-Hisao...can I walk you up to your room?” Hanako asks quietly, although it’s loud enough for the other two to hear.

Again, my mouth opens in surprise. I wonder if someone replaced Hanako with an alternate version that’s way more forward than usual...oh wait Yozora’s already filling that spot.

Akira gives me another sly look over from where she’s standing. Lilly appears to be smiling though. Must be something they’ve planned out beforehand. Alright, time to see what Hanako has in store for me.

“Yeah sure.” As soon as I say that, my hand automatically stretches out. Maybe I’ve been spending too much time around Yozora. Surprisingly enough, Hanako slowly reaches out and interlaces her fingers in mine.

“Isn’t it supposed to be the guy who asks that though?” I joke in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit.

“Don’t worry about us, you guys. I’m falling to sleep as soon as I lay down on my bed.” Lilly assures us.

“Yeah, I’m pretty beat as well. Just make sure to use protection!” Akira jests. In a show of strength, I don’t blush or flinch at her remark.

Hand in hand, we go our separate ways; Lilly and Akira to the girls dorm, and Hanako and I to the boys dorm. Since this is Hanako’s play at the moment, I decide to stay silent until she speaks up. The silence permeates the area around the two of us as we walk through the lobby doors and into the elevator landing. Mashing the up button, one of the doors immediately opens and we walk in the elevator. There’s no one inside, but that’s to be expected. Unless it’s Kenji.

The ride up is equally silent, and as the doors open to the 11th floor and we walk towards my room, I think Hanako won’t do anything at all. As soon as we arrive at my door, I try to release my right hand from Hanako’s grasp to get my room key, which is inconveniently in my right-hand pocket. Hanako refuses to let go though.

“Hisao...wait.” Hanako murmurs, looking up to me. Her face displays hesitancy, but she continues. “C-can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Hanako. What is it?” I gently say

“Do...you...like...me?” She slowly ekes out the question, her voice becoming softer with each word until I actually have to move my head closer to hear her.

“Yes...Hanako I do.” I reply. I know that much, I like Hanako as a friend and even more than that...but if only it was that simple.

Hanako’s mouth changes from a slight frown to a small smile, and finally releases my hand. Instead of kissing me again (which I was expecting), she wordlessly strides to the elevator and presses the down button. Taking this as my cue, I extract my room key and enter my room.

Changing into a clean set of boxers and a white undershirt, I mentally go through the events of the night. One scene naturally stands out from the rest: the part where Hanako shoved me into a wall and kissed me. As I settle down in bed and try to sleep, I come up with a conclusion.

Yozora tasted sweeter.

For some reason, I think all these short chapters aren't good writing format for this kind of story, so the next chapter will be 2-3x longer, but it should take longer at a rate proportional to the length of the chapter. That, and longer chapters look more impressive. Ahurhur. And I want to get an arc out of the way in one shot, as we'll be approaching the woahh buildup to the climax.

Yozora tasted sweeter.

I hear a burnt joke coming from a certain gurt.

With that said, another great chapter and the wait for next one..counting the minutes. (No rush though)

Bah, Hisao has no game. He should have invited her in and offered to let her 'even the score' with Yorza by staying over if she was so concerned about it. Hell, his makeshift bedding should still be on the floor where he left it which would back up his story that nothing actually happened.

11th floor? Really?
And why does Hisao still wonder how Hanako learned about Yozora? I thought it would be obvious.

Mirage_GSM wrote:11th floor? Really?
And why does Hisao still wonder how Hanako learned about Yozora? I thought it would be obvious.

I dunno, I remember something about his room number being 117 or somewhere around that, so I assumed the last digit was the floor room number and the first digits was the floor number.
And no Hisao already stopped caring about how Hanako found out. There's more than enough sources of info for Hanako and he has other bigger things on his mind.

nemz wrote:Bah, Hisao has no game. He should have invited her in and offered to let her 'even the score' with Yozora by staying over if she was so concerned about it. Hell, his makeshift bedding should still be on the floor where he left it which would back up his story that nothing actually happened.

(Misspelled name there breh)
Damn it, this would've been a good idea to integrate to mah story. Oh well, there are other good ideas I came up with concerning this story. Although now that you mention it, Hisao never says whether he cleaned up that mess. Gotta get around to resolving the crisis of a messy dorm floor then. That and wtf my ending is going to be ._.

A new chapter? HUZZAH!! Hanako seems a little more forward than usual, but hey. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I wouldn't mind waiting ages for a new chapter, especially if you take your time to write another amazing piece. And if it's going to be 2-3x as long, hell, I'll wait a month or two.

Oh, and one thing..

BobBobberson wrote: “Is there any way you can get us a drink drink, Akira? I want to try it.”

You wrote 'drink' twice.

Crossover or no, you've really given this story a life of its own. I'm instinctively rooting for Hanako, but I have that crushing feeling that she's on the losing end. This chapter seemed to tell us that much quite clearly.

MystiKnight wrote:A new chapter? HUZZAH!! Hanako seems a little more forward than usual, but hey. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I wouldn't mind waiting ages for a new chapter, especially if you take your time to write another amazing piece. And if it's going to be 2-3x as long, hell, I'll wait a month or two.

It actually might take a month at most, I have a backlog of drafts to write and publish that includes Avatars, my untitled TF2/Saya no Uta crossover, and some Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu twincest (Don't ask, it's more a writing challenge for me than me actually being into twincest).

Luckily, I have 4 months of summer to create shitty crossovers in my attempt to become a highly respected (read:popular) Katawa Shoujo fanfiction writer.

Mahorfeus wrote:Crossover or no, you've really given this story a life of its own. I'm instinctively rooting for Hanako, but I have that crushing feeling that she's on the losing end. This chapter seemed to tell us that much quite clearly.

I'd insert a tantalizing hint about the next chapter here, except I have no idea what the next chapter's about. Although I probably could've replaced Yozora with an OC with the same characteristics, but I wouldn't have the Neighbor's Club to pull supporting characters from. Although I imagine the whole crossover thing is what shuts down a good amount of the fanfiction readers' interest immediately before even clicking on the link here. Wait...where was I going with this? Oh yeah, don't count Hanako out yet! Or do count her out...kinda sucks being the writer because I'll know what surprises are coming up.

Huh, only 11 days to churn out nearly 6k words? Wut. I realized this arc is going to be far longer than I realized, so here's the part that's done so far. Again, posted this as soon as I finished the last sentence, so excuse any grammar mistakes.

EDIT: Changed things around a bit to make things less stupid. Mostly subtle though, so if you've read it before, no need to reread it unless you really want to.

Ugh, mornings are never kind to me. Slamming the snooze button, I take a moment to determine what day it is...Sunday! It’s Sunday! Now what happened last night? Oh yeah, Hanako kissed me...WHAT?!

With that thought, I bolt into an upright position on my bed. Even though it’s been hours since it happened, that event still managed to surprise me now. Although I think the reason behind the kiss was more disturbing: Hanako thought she was being replaced by Yozora.

As I get out of bed, I think on the precarious situation I’m in right now. In a short summary of this weekend: Yozora goes to Yamaku, we hang out, she ends up sleeping over and find ourselves in a dangerous position before I regain self control. Next day, Shizune and Misha spot Yozora and I as I attempt to escort her out, Yozora pisses off Shizune, then she kisses me. Last night, I go to a jazz bar, Hanako questions me about Yozora, she kisses me too as well. Before bidding me goodbye, she asks whether I like her as more than a friend, which I respond to in the positive.

OK, I think I want to have a few words with the Hisao of yesterday and the day before that. This is becoming one giant clusterfuck, and I’m in the middle of everything. At least it’s Sunday, no obligations, just me time. I can use this time to catch up on my reading, recuperate from the past two days, and plan out whatever strategy I might need for the upcoming future.

Grabbing a random book from the pile on my desk, I throw myself back on my bed and start to read. This distraction only lasts me about 20 minutes before I put the book back on the desk in frustration.

Goddamn, what should I do? On one hand, I do like Hanako, a lot. She’s shy and introverted, but that just makes getting close to her the more valuable and heartening to me. But Yozora...I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel about her right now. I mean sure, she kissed me. But it could’ve been out of insecurity, or boredom, or a million other reasons that doesn’t involve her liking me.

I realize I’ve been pacing my room for the past five minutes. Deciding that it’d be better for me to at least pace the track, I throw on some gym clothes before heading down to the track. Heading out the dorm, it looks like Kenji won’t interrupt me again today. Come to think of it, I’ve been seeing less and less of him now. Maybe he’s just becoming more paranoid and staying in his room. Or he could be performing more missions to sabotage the feminists’ operations.

The thought of Kenji in a ghillie suit and crawling around a random place like Chernobyl gives me a good chuckle. Emerging from the dorm lobby into the outdoors, I take a moment to appreciate the clean air of Yamaku.

As I approach the track, I idly wonder whether Emi will be there to berate me about my lack of exercise. Luckily for my eardrums, she’s nowhere to be found. After stretching a bit. I start my walk around the track. As ideas start to bounce around my brain, my pace starts to increase until I find myself at a power walking pace. Huh. I should get out more often to do stuff like this.

Putting my legs on autopilot, I wonder how I should deal with Yozora...If I misinterpreted her actions and do something unbecoming, I can kiss my friendship with her goodbye. And there’s no way in hell I’d let that happen, not even for Lilly or Akira or Hanako even. I guess my primary objective right now should be to decipher Yozora actions towards me, see if she actually likes me or something like that. Although I do find it hard to believe that a cold person like her can have emotions like ‘love’, and all the other lesser emotions before that.

Well that’s what I would be thinking, but our last encounter shows off Yozora more...sensitive? I think that’s the word I’d use anyways. Well, her more sensitive side. Not that I’d fall for such trickery (if it is trickery) so easily. I’m pretty sure Yozora would berate me as well.

Speaking of Yozora, I wonder if I should set up some plans with her this week? It’s only been two days since her sleepover here, but I want to see her again, awkwardness from the kiss aside. I should play it safe and try texting her first, gauge her reaction and whatnot.

Emboldened by my strategy, I break off from the track’s path and head back to the dorms to grab my phone. When I exit the track, it looks like I did about eight laps, and I’ve built up a bit of a sweat. Yep, should definitely do this more often. I actually feel a lot better after the walk, both mentally and physically. Or maybe the mentally part is because I fulfilled my objective of figuring out what to do next while I walked around the track. Ah well.

Back in my dorm room, I fumble around my room looking for my phone for a good five minutes before finding it in the depths of my bag. Selecting Yozora’s number, I send her a text.

“Good morning, Yozora. How’s yer Sunday treating you?”

I flop down on my bed, leaving the phone on vibrate and placing it on the desk. I don’t want to get my hopes too high that she’ll respond quickly...*pfftpfft* The sound of the phone vibrating reaches my ears. I guess I didn’t place much faith in Yozora’s ability to respond to texts. Getting up from my bed, I get my phone and lie back down on my bed.

“Hey Hisao. My Sunday is just fine and dandy!” Yozora’s message read. She must think I’m dense.

“And by that you mean your Sunday sucks right now, am I right? Even through text, your sarcasm is obvious.” I reply back.

It’s easy to imagine Yozora saying that in her usual sarcastic tone. Imagining her saying all sorts of assholey comments, I almost don’t notice the phone go off again.

“Damn, got me there. There’s nothing to do right now -.-”

“Same here, I’m bored here meself. About to head to the library to get some books.”

“Always the bookworm, aren’t you? You should get out more often.”

I furrow my brow in mock annoyance upon reading this text. Really, an anti-socialite telling me I should get out more often? I should probably head over to the library like I said though, got a stack of books I need to return. I quickly reply back to Yozora’s text.

“You should try taking your own advice. What about going out with Meat or something?”

Leaving it at that, I deposit the stack of books into my bookbag and rush out the dorms. Since it’s a free day, the staff can’t reprimand me for not wearing my uniform inside of the main campus. As I lug the bag to the campus building, I check on my phone to see if Yozora responded, which she has.

“How about...no? If you met her, you’d understand why.”

Based on what Yozora says about Meat, she seems to be an interesting/weird person. I’d like to meet her myself. I wonder what she’ll say back though? I take a small break at the hallway to the library to respond.

“Well maybe I should meet her? If I remember correctly, you said you’d take me to one of your club meetings. And if I didn’t say that, well I still want to go check out your club ”

Entering the library, the first thing I notice is the lack of a certain jittery librarian. Shrugging, I take out my stack of books and push them through the Book Return slot. Now to go find more books to bring back to my room.

Wandering the aisles of bookshelves, I decide to check out the usual beanbag corner that Hanako reads at. Rounding the corner, it appears that she is...not there. The beanbag corner is fully devoid of any Hanako-related life, or human life for that matter. Feeling my phone vibrate yet again, I plop myself down on Hanako’s beanbag, the light-blue one and take out my phone.

“Actually I was going to get to that. If you have time on Saturday, I can meet up with you at the city and lead you to St. Chronicas to meet the club. They don’t believe that I actually made a friend.”

Ahh yes, the Neighbors Club. Their noble objective is to make friends, and judging from Yozora’s stories, they could certainly use a few. This should prove interesting. But first, time for a little trolling...

“You didn’t make a friend though...? ”

I add the tongue-sticking-out face to assure Yozora it’s a joke. That would be a dick move if I said it like that. That’s what I hate about texting, there’s no other cues besides the text to tell you what the sender’s intentions really were. Unless you know the person well.

Getting up from the beanbag, I start to idly take books from the bookshelves, looking more for sequels to books I’ve already read. After a few minutes, I have a decent stack of books piled in my arms. Walking over to the check-out desk, I see Yuuko, who’s decided to finally show up. Something looks different about her though...

“Hey Yuuko, when did you change your hair?” I ask. Instead of just letting her hair down as usual, Yuuko tied up her hair into a ponytail.

“I, uh, decided to try out a ponytail for a while. A friend of mine over at Fumizuki Gakuen recommended it, said I’d look great with one.” Yuuko nervously replies. It looks like she doesn’t have much self-confidence in her new hair, not that she ever had much confidence to begin with.

“Don’t worry, Yuuko, whoever this friend is, they’ve got a good eye for hairstyles.” I compliment. My hair’s starting to get a bit longer, so I might do something with my hair soon.

“T-Thank you, Hisao,” Yuuko stammers. “I-I’ve been getting compliments all day, but I wasn’t sure whether they were saying them out of pity or something.”

“It’s fine, relax. Anyways I have some books I’d like to check out.” I remind her.

“Oh I forgot about the books! I got caught up with the hair talk! I’m a horrible librarian!” Yuuko moans, frowning at her supposed ineptitude.

I resist the urge to facepalm. Any negative reaction to Yuuko’s...outbursts could make her even sadder. And I’m not that much of an asshole. As Yuuko gets around to scanning the books, I can make out bits and pieces a one-person conversation that she’s mumbling to herself.

“...ucky that Kinoshita-kun came by.........third gender, couldn’t find a bathroom...”

Third gender? Mentally recoiling, I pull my eavesdropping efforts away before I hear more things I don’t want to hear.

“H-Here you are, Hisao. They’re due in two weeks!” Yuuko informs me, pushing the books towards me. Thanking her, I put the books back in my bag and head out. Hmm, I wonder if I can find a spot to hide and read for a bit. I don’t feel like going back to my dorm so soon. Oh, I should just go to the roof! Climbing the several flights of stairs, I emerge onto the rooftop. Luckily, there’s no one here. I head over to one of the tables and sit down, taking out my phone to check if Yozora texted me back.

“Haha, very funny asshole. But seriously, are you free that day? I need to set an example for my club underlings here.”

Seeing that I’ve been wanting to meet her club for a while, I see no reason to reject her.

“Yeah I’m free. What time should I meet up with you on Saturday?”

Pressing the button, I flip my phone back and start to put it on the table when it vibrates again. Huh, Yozora’s pretty fast.

“Would the Starbucks at 12 suit you? I set up the club meeting to be at 1:30. Should be enough time to get there.”

“That’d work. Do I need to bring anything with me?”

“Nothing really, just bring whatever you need to occupy yourself during the bus rides, and money. I have to run some errands now, so I’ll ttyl!”

With that, Yozora abruptly ends our conversation. Well, not like there was much to talk about anyways. But at least I have something to look forward to this weekend. Putting away my phone, I crack out one of the books and start to read.

An undetermined amount of time later, I hear the rooftop door squeak open again. Looking up, it looks like the intruder is...Miki Miura, a girl who wouldn’t be in Yamaku if it wasn’t for the accident that took her left hand. With her tan skin and curvy body, she wouldn’t look out of place in a fashion magazine. She looks around for a bit, before walking over to where I’m sitting.

“Hey Hisao,” Miki greets. “What brings you here on a Sunday afternoon?”

“Ohh y’know, reading. Having no life as usual.” I joke, waving my book. “What about you?”

“Dunno actually. Guess I went up here for some air and alone time. Although you’re ruining the latter right now.”

“Well, if I’m that much of a bother, I can leave.” I offer.

“Naww, you can stay. I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you for a while.” Miki smiles at me.

I wonder what we could possibly talk about? Outside of class, I never see Miki. At least until today that is.

“Ok then. What’s this business you have with me then?” I inquire, putting the book back in my bag.

“Nothing really, just wanted to ask about the rumors flying around Yamaku.” Miki says, looking deceptively innocent. She takes a seat on the table opposite me and rests her head on her right hand.

“Well you know Yamaku, rumor mill’s as busy as ever. Not aware of any of them involving me though.” I know this is a blatant lie, but it’s easier to feign innocence for now. After walking while holding hands with Yozora along with her outburst to Misha and Shizune, the gossipers probably have a lot of material on their hands to twist into their evil lies.

“Oh really now? Miki raises an eyebrow. She’s probably already seen through my lie. “You’re not aware of the new gossip buzzing around?”

“Nope, not really. I don’t care for that kind of thing.” I say, giving her my best attempt at a poker face.”

“Apparently, you’ve got a new girl to replace Hanako. Or something like that anyways.”

“What? Is that what passes for gossip these days?” I reply in an astonished voice. “What do they mean by ‘new girl’ anyways?”

“You’re awfully dense, aren’t you.” Miki eyes me suspiciously. “Misha and Shizune saw you walking out of campus with a girl from a different school. Those two may be a bit loud at times but I doubt they’d make up something like that.”

“Ahh, alright, I’ll admit that much. But she was just a friend! Nothing more.”

No point in lying anymore, or it’ll definitely look like I’m trying to hide something.

Miki’s still giving me that suspicious glare though. What’s she trying to find out?

“It’s not my business to pry, Hisao, but if you really have a thing for Hanako, I’d suggest making it clear that your relationship with that girl is on a friends-only basis.” Miki advises.

“And what makes you think Hanako and I like each other?” I ask, slightly tilting my head for effect.

“Umm, the date a couple of weeks back? Most of the school knows about that thanks to Emi’s loud mouth. That, and I’ve noticed how she looks at you a lot during class. I think I can safely bet that she has some feelings for you at least.”

I break my poker face, looking away from Miki out of guilt.

“Ok...you got me there. But things are never as simple like what you said. And anyways, nothing’s official between me and Hanako.” I clarify.

“But still, I’d say Hanako needs someone like you far more than whoever you were with. From what Misha said, she was drop-dead gorgeous, she could probably find another guy like that.” Miki snaps her fingers.

Well, I can’t deny the gorgeous bit, but if Misha had mentioned the hostile attitude...

Miki moves to get up from the table.

“Well I think I’ve interrupted you long enough, but seriously Hisao, you might want to stop trying to satisfy both parties, those kinds of harem endings only occur in eroge.” With those parting words, Miki walks off towards the stairwell. I watch her leave, before slowly packing up my own things.

For a girl, she gives advice that’s similar to what I’d expect a guy to give me. But I suppose that’s a result of her hanging around mostly guys. But if the rumors are this widespread, I wonder how the other students think about this?

I spend the rest of the day quietly by myself. Seeing Miki basically confirmed what I already feared: In the end, one of the girls is going to get shafted. I just tried to deny it for a while, thinking that Yozora was just looking for a friend-zone friendship. But she also added something new that I never thought of; Yozora could easily find another guy like me, one without a debilitating heart condition. Sure, it’d be insanely hard to get past her shell, but you never know when another guy comes up and pierces it like it’s nothing. Like me, for example.

On Monday morning, I find myself slumped over my desk. I may have had a solid nine hours of sleep last night, but I still feel exhausted for some reason. I suddenly feeling someone digging their finger into my back.

“H-Hisao?”

Oh, must be Hanako. I force myself up and look at Hanako.

“Hey Hanako. Need anything?”

“No, I was just checking to see if you were s-sleeping.”

With those words, Hanako heads towards her desk. Hmm, I was expecting something more from that. Well there’s plenty of time to figure it out. The morning period flashes by, and I quickly find myself sipping tea at the tea room with Hanako and Lilly. Strangely enough, Hanako’s sitting next to Lilly instead of me today. Weird. I choose not to point it out though; I don’t want to feel all nitpicky over something as minor as that.

When class ends, Hanako dashes out of the classroom first. I think about chasing her and asking her what’s wrong, but I decide against it. Maybe she has an urgent appointment or something? Sure she’s acting weird today, but everyone’s entitled to one of those days every now and then.

This weird behavior lasts for the whole week, as if the events of last Saturday never happened. Hanako seems to be more distant than ever; when she was absent on Wednesday, I came up to her room to give her the handouts she missed, only to be given a curt thank you before slamming the door in my face. Maybe I should mention this to Yozora, she might be able to...nah what am I thinking, she barely knows how to interact with people as it is.

On Saturday morning, Hanako is again a no-show to class. I consider offering Mutou to take the sheets up to Hanako again, since it’d be a good excuse to go to her room and ask why she’s acting strange, but then I recall that I have a date...wait no, not a date! I have to meet up with Yozora in the city again. Without me to act as courier, he hands it off to Misha, who laughs and declares that she won’t fail Mutou in this important quest.

On the bus to the city, I start to wonder how this will work out? Am I going to be like a specimen to the Neighbor’s Club? Someone who actually has friends in the midst of this group of social failures? Well it’s not like I’m going to be an ass about it, maybe I can help them out, which would indirectly help Yozora out as well.

Making my way to the Starbucks where Yozora and I first met, I take a moment to preen myself in the reflection of the glass. I’m wearing an argyle sweater-vest with a white polo under it, as well as khakis. Always gotta look presentable, especially in front of girls. A gymsack similar to what Yozora brought with her sits on my back, with a sports drink, one of the books I borrowed from the library, and an extra shirt in case it gets too hot inside. I vainly attempt to flatten my hair, but of course it doesn’t work. I’m too focused on swiping my hand over my hair that I don’t notice someone sneak up on me and poke me on the back.

“Hey, you look stupid doing that.” A voice that could only be Yozora’s comments.

Turning around, I see Yozora, giving me a ‘What are you doing?’ face. Looks like she’s wearing white denim jeans and a slightly low cut V-Neck which shows her bellybutton and her purple bra straps.

“Hey Yozora.” I greet, instinctively grinning at the sight of her. My arms wrap around her and embrace her in a hug out of my own volition.

“W-what are you doing?!” Yozora complains, sounding looking a bit shocked and starting to blush furiously.


“Well, I missed you. It’s been nearly a week.” I explain, looking down at her. She looks really cute when she’s flustered.

“O-oh. Well there’s no need for this public display of affection!” Yozora counters, pushing me away.

I’m kind of disappointed, but still, don’t forget she’s been an anti-socialite for years, so she’s probably not used to that much physical contact. Can’t jump to conclusions here.

Yozora looks guilty after pushing me away, so she slowly offers her hand to me.

“Ehh, sorry Hisao. It’s just...never mind. Let’s go, I’ll lead you to the bus stop.” Yozora says. She changes her mind about saying something, but I figure it’s too early to press questions on her. Taking her hand, she leads me through the crowds and into the bus stop, where a bus is conveniently waiting for us. At t least she’s still all about the hand-holding. We get on it, pay our fares, and take a couple of seats side by side in the back of the bus.

“So, what can I expect from this Neighbor’s Club?” I ask once the bus sets off towards St. Chronicas.

“You should already know,” Yozora says. “You’ve got Meat, the blonde walking porno with an obsession for eroge and galge, Rika the genius scientist girl with an extremely perverted mind, and Yukimara, the extremely effeminate guy.”

“So...that’s an odd bunch, to say the least. Do they know I’m coming?”

“Nope! It’s going to be a surprise!” Yozora smiles at me.

“I see...”

Well this is going to be fun.

The bus ride passes by fairly quickly, with all the small talk Yozora and I have on a variety of topics, from Monster Hunter to the government. Yozora seems to be very critical of the government, while I’m apathetic to it, more or less. Can’t expect the government to do everything perfectly. The bus rounds a turn to reveal a sprawling, modern looking campus with what appears to be a large church set just a bit to the side.

“Wow, this is St. Chronicas?” I marvel at the sight, it makes Yamaku look boring by comparison.

“Yepp. It’s a missionary school, so that’s why we have the chapel. But the fees are pretty small and it’s close to my house, so it’s not a bad place to go.” Yozora responds, not looking the least bit excited. But then again, she does go here.

We disembark from the bus, only for Yozora to run ahead and beckon to me.

“Come on Hisao, we’re burning daylight here!” Yozora yells.

Sighing, I start a light jog to keep up with her. She stops and waits for me to catch up, before proceeding side by side with me. We follow the path, which takes us around the side of the school and into an oddly placed tunnel. It’s a short one, and we emerge into a beautifully landscaped garden, with a large statue of what’s probably a religious figure standing sentinel off to the side. Yozora motions at the small spiraling staircase ahead of us.

“Just through here. Not getting tired, are ya?” Yozora teases.

“Yeah like this could tire me out so easily!” I shoot back. I’ve been power walking on the track this past week, and I’m planning to move on to jogging soon. I don’t plan to be left in the dust any time soon.

I follow Yozora up the caged spiral staircase, and soon the sight of the church I saw from the bus greets me. It looks even more elaborate up close. I’m not much for religion, but I can appreciate well-designed buildings.

“I guess your meetings take place in the church?” I predict.

“Yep.” Yozora takes a glance at her phone. “It’s 1:20, looks like we’re here on time.”

Taking the lead, I follow Yozora to the church, taking in all the picturesque greenery. It even rivals Yamaku’s park in terms of attractiveness. The inside of the church is just as majestic, with an insanely large hall with another large statue of a religious figure inside. This would be a perfect place to go to if I wanted silence with an elegant atmosphere. I follow Yozora through a couple more hallways before arriving at a closed door.

“This is it, Hisao. The official room of the Neighbor’s Club. Are you ready?” Yozora asks.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

Yozora opens the door to reveal a tastefully furnished room; a large wooden table with four matching chairs pushed up against it, a comfortable looking medium-sized sofa sitting against the right wall, and a large TV pushed against a window with a BS3 connected to it. There are a couple of generic paintings of scenery hanging above the sofa, and a potted plant lying in the farthest corner. We must be in one of the wings of the church, as the windows offer us a view of the path leading up to the church. This observation of the room leads up to one important conclusion...

“There’s no one here.” I point out.
I hear Yozora step in after me, closing the door as she walks in.

“Huh, I did say 1:30...where are they?” A tinge of anger seeps into Yozora’s voice. Oh boy.

I lay my gymsack next to the sofa before sitting down and leaning back a bit on it. Yozora moves to take a seat on the table when the door suddenly bursts open.

The sudden disturbance attracts my attention, looking up to see a blonde girl with a teal butterfly hairclip switching between Yozora and I in giving us the ‘WTF’ look.

“Ehhhh? Who’s the new kid?” The girl asks, raising her eyebrow at the both of us.

“I’m-”

“Shut up, Meat.”

I was going to introduce myself, but Yozora interrupts me with an insult. Ah, so this must be the famous Meat Yozora goes on about. Giving her the once-over, I can see how she got the insulting nickname; Her breasts are BIG! Not too big that they’re unattractive, but just the right size at least for her. She’s wearing the same school uniform Yozora wears, except with the topmost blouse button unbuttoned that shows off a bit of her ample cleavage.

“Fuck you Yozora! If he’s a new club member...” Meat suddenly stops to stare at me with her blue eyes. I have a feeling I’m being examined, but since I just did the same to her, I have no right to say anything.

“You’re not a student here.” Meat deduces.

“Well I was going to say that if Yozora hadn’t interrupted.” I shoot Yozora a mock annoyed stare.. “I’m her friend. Hisao Nakai, at your service.”

Yozora takes my gesture in stride, choosing not to react to it.

“Ehhhh?! This dumb witch has a friend? Ahahahahaha!” Meat starts to laugh uncontrollably. “How much did she pay you to be her friend for a day?!”

I can see from the way Yozora’s face twisted in anger that Meat and Yozora aren’t exactly on the best of terms. Well, I’d better clarify the situation than.

“Umm, no I’m actually her friend. Yozora took me here from Yamaku.” I explain over her laughter. Meat suddenly stops laughing, giving me a slightly surprised look.

“Huh, looks like you’re being serious. I don’t see how a bitch like Yozora befriended you...”

Thwack! Yozora smacks Meat in the back of the head with a flyswatter that I have no idea where it came from.

“What was that for, idiot Yozora?!” Meat complains, rubbing the back of her head.

“Stop being a slutty piece of meat for once and introduce yourself. It’s only proper manners when you meet someone new, or did you not learn what manners are back in your mansion?” Yozora says. holding the flyswatter up threateningly.

“Alright alright, stop hitting me with that damn thing already though!” Meat turns her attention back to me. “I’m Sena Kashiwazaki, goddess of this school. As you can see...” Here Meat, now known as Sena, leans forward, giving me a dangerous view of her ‘canyon’. “I’m perfect in every way possible!”

Well someone’s a bit arrogant, although I have to admit body-wise, it’s hard to refute such a claim. Thwack! Yozora hits Sena with the flyswatter again.

“Stop showing off your sagging flesh sacs, Meat. It’s indecent, not that you would know the definition of the word to begin with.”

“Pah, you’re just jealous because your breasts are smaller than mine!” Sena counters, giving Yozora an angry look before taking one of the chairs from the table and placing it in front of the TV.

“Playing more eroge, Meat? Hisao, this is what Meat does on a daily basis in our club meeting: Play perverted eroge all day long.”

“I don’t just play eroge! And it’s your fault for not coming up with more club activities, you lazy bitch!” Sena whines, turning on the BS3.

Yozora picks up one of the books lying on the table and sits down next to me. She’s a bit closer than normal, but I don’t mind. It’s a small indicator of how close we’ve become, and I don’t mean physically. Now if only I could get hints on whether she actually liked liked me.

“So I guess we’re waiting on the rest of the club members?” I ask.

“Yeah, I told Rika to bring those virtual reality headsets again, we have another team-building activity today.” Yozora responds.

“Ehh? Again? It’s not going to be that shitty RPG thing again, right?” Sena says from over near the TV.

“Nope, it’s something new.” Yozora mysteriously replies, not giving any more clarification.

“By the way...Hisao,” Sena takes a second to remember my name. “Which school do you go to? You’re definitely not from this school.”

I’m about to say something back when the door opens again.

“Sorry Rika’s late. These boxes are pretty heavy.” A female voice says from behind the stack of boxes she’s carrying, hiding her face.

The newcomer places the boxes down near the door, having a surprised look on her face when she looks up and notices me and Yozora sitting next to each other.

“OHHH! A guy! And Yozora’s sitting really close to him! Rika wonders if those two are fuck buddies!” The girl exclaims, cupping her hands over her face in excitement.

Even if she hadn’t said her name in the third-person, I think it’s pretty obvious that this girl is Rika, the uber-pervert.

She’s wearing the St. Chronica’s uniform, but she also has a lab coat thrown on top of it. On top of that, her slightly childish face, rounded rimmed glasses, and brown hair twisted into a ponytail, gives her the appearance of a scientist.

“And I’m guessing you’re Rika, right?” I ask, looking for clarification that isn’t really needed.

“Yep! Rika Shiguma, freshman at St. Chronicas! And you must be Yozora’s boy toy! Which one gives it and which one receives it?”

Rika leans on the table and start panting, presumably at the thought of Yozora and I fucking.

“Hisao takes it.” Yozora calmly replies. Wait what?!

“What?! I thought it worked the other way around?!” I respond in disbelief.

“Ahhh, Rika can totally imagine Yozora with a strap-on, getting ready to penetrate...What’s your name by the way?” Rika stops her perverted fantasies to ask me the mundane question.

“Hisao, Hisao Nakai. Nice to meet you too, I guess.”

Rika goes back into horny mode immediately after I introduce myself.

“Hehe, the name’s Hisao? Hisao’s heart nervously pounds in anticipation, as Yozora... readies the mammoth strap-on... and aims it on his ass...EXCALIBUR!!!” Rika yells out that last word before collapsing on the floor in ecstasy.

I take the time while she’s incapacitated to nudge Yozora.

“Hey, why’d you say I’m the uke* here?”

Yozora looks up from her book and gives me an evil smirk.

“Because if I wanted to be a couple with you, that’s how it’d work.” Yozora says.

I shift just a bit away from Yozora upon hearing that.

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Ok ok I am, or am I?” Yozora gives me a funny look.” but I’ve learned to humor Rika sometimes. Or she’ll go on forever. Hey Rika, you brought the game too, right?”

Rika, recovering from what I think is an orgasm, salutes Yozora.

“Yes, Rika bought the game too! Valve finally got around to localizing it into Japanese!”

“Alright, that’s good. Where’s Yukimara? He’s really late today.” Yozora asks.

“Actually, he texted Rika when I was getting the headsets. He has food poisoning from the restaurant he ate out with his family the day before. He told Rika to tell Yozora he couldn’t make it today.” Rika replies.

“Hmm, at least it’s a valid excuse. Anyways...” Yozora puts down her book and walks over to Sena, yanking off the headphones she’s been wearing while playing her eroge on the TV.

“What was that for??” Sena asks, rubbing her head.

“Neighbor’s Club activities start now! Rika, set it up.” Yozora orders.

Rika starts to unpack the boxes. Hmph, I was hoping to meet the full cast, but these three girls are eccentric enough as it is. This should be fun.

* - Uke means the person who receives it when they fuck. Seme is the person who dishes it out.
I found the latter part of the chapter hard to write. It's one thing to read about and watch a character, it's another thing entirely to write the character yourself without making them OOC. I do hope I did Rika some justice. I wonder how a RikaxRika one-shot would be like? Next update should take about the same time it took to write this, gonna work on New Prey for a bit and maybe work on my TF2/Saya no Uta crossover.

To you people who haven't heard of BwTgS, I hope I'm doing a good job of integrating the characters from the light novel/anime into the story. I think the whole crossover bit turns off a bunch of readers just from the title, so thanks fer reading if you've gotten this far!

If I misinterpreted her actions and do something unbecoming, I can kiss my friendship with her goodbye. And there’s no way in hell I’d let that happen, not even for Lilly or Akira or Hanako even.

Welp, guess we know who he's going to choose. The only drama is how long it takes for him to realize it himself.

Very nice.

Sometimes, Hisao is dense, but the levels you take it to become a bit hard to believe. He shouldn't need Miki to point out the obvious to him, and even after that "revelation" his behaviour doesn't change one bit.
No idea why Hanako might be mad? Really?
And if he wants to show Yozora their friendship is purely platonic, a hug is a wonderful way of making that clear from the start.[/sarcasm]o

Noticed Baka and test reference good going there...

Mirage_GSM wrote:Sometimes, Hisao is dense, but the levels you take it to become a bit hard to believe. He shouldn't need Miki to point out the obvious to him, and even after that "revelation" his behaviour doesn't change one bit.
No idea why Hanako might be mad? Really?
And if he wants to show Yozora their friendship is purely platonic, a hug is a wonderful way of making that clear from the start.[/sarcasm]o

Noted. I tried to keep Hisao as stupid as possible, but I may have put him on the level of Akihisa Yoshii when it comes to girls (Basically, he has no idea what's going on even with all the clues in front of him). Might tinker around with this chapter a bit to make him at least more aware of the situation, although he'll still be stupid. Like I said, I always post this as soon as the last sentence is done, so stuff like this flies by me. I guess I should start reviewing future chapters so I don't mess up on the plot irregularities. Ah well.

Oh, and there's a reason for Hanako's behavior, all in due time. The one word I can offer as a hint is kite.

MrDogsniper wrote:Noticed Baka and test reference good going there...

Hah! I thought no one would call me out on my references.

“You didn’t make a friend though...? ”

I wouldn't exactly classify that as 'trolling'.