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✩★ The Headlines ★✩

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Chapter list:

Act 1:

Chapter 1: The first rule of newspaper club (This post)
Chapter 2: Maybe everything will be okay after all
Chapter 3: Lunch is served
Chapter 4: We should make rules
Chapter 5: Maybe Kenji was right?
Chapter 6: Goldfishing is food if you're heartless enough
Chapter 7: Nothing flashy, but it's something new
Chapter 8: A mixture of fear and pain
Chapter 9: How's the heart?


Act 2:

Chapter 10: Natsone and the newspaper girls
Chapter 11: Following a trail of flowers


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Chapter 1: The first rule of newspaper club
POV: Hisao


♫

"If you're not In a club then you should join the student council Hicchan!~" I feared it would come to this. I have to find some way out of this situation, maybe I could just shout "IGOTTAGODOSOMETHING" and run away? No, they'd see through that. Faking a heart attack would get the nurse up here, so that wouldn't work... Oh!

"I... I'm in a club already." As the words leave my mouth, I see Shizune's face curl up into that trademark "I got you" smile. Dammit.

"What club are you in Hicchan?~ We need to know for the registers!" Misha exclaims, now matching Shizune's amused smile. I hadn't thought this far ahead to be honest, I need to think of a club quickly...

"The newspaper club." I don't even know if there is a newspaper club here, I've only been here a week. Perhaps I should have chosen something like "art club" or "science club", I mean there must be a science club.

"Ooh! With Natsume, Naomi and Jun right?~" That was definitely Misha coming though, I hope they believe me.

"Right." I agree, not knowing if that is actually who runs the club. At this point Shizune has walked inside of the student council room that I've been avoiding this whole time, only to return a short time later with a small folder in her hands. She flicks it open and begins scanning through the pages. A single bead of sweat begins to make it's way down from my fringe and across my nose.

"I don't see you name on here Hicchan!~"

"That must be a mistake." I'm sweating bullets here, come on think of something Hisao!

"Well then how about we just add you to the list!~" Shizune procures a pen from the loudest translator in Japan and begins slowly writing my name under the "Newspaper Club" section. I can see that she's waiting for me to break, stopping after each letter and looking to me to see if I've gotten on my kness yet, ready to say that I'm not in the newspaper club so she can force me to join the student council, but I need to be strong. The newspaper club must be better than the student council, right? Once she finishes scribbling my name she looks to me, and meets my eyes with one of pure anger and rage. Glad I got out of that one.

"Thanks ladies!" I wave as I turn and walk away. I can feel the intense signing going on between the two from the changes in air pressure, that was the closest call I've had with the student council so far.


---


BAM BAM BAM.

♫

I almost throw my book out of my hands in shock before checking my chest. Everything seems to sound fine, or at least as close to fine as mine can get. I stand from my bed and move over to the door before opening it. Before me stands a rather large bearded man with a shaved head in a grey jacket and jeans.

"Nakai?"

"Mr.Sasada! what can I do for you?" I attempt to sound as nonchalant as possible despite the fact I could have died just a moment ago. Then I realize that Sasada is my English teacher. "I'm not being roped into extra study sessions am I?" He releases a hearty chuckle, one I could imagine coming from A pirate.

"Nothing like that Nakai, I also run the Newspaper Club!"

Huh? Oh. Oh.

"I'm here to let you know about the time and location we meet." He hands over a small scrap of paper with some notes written in pencil, It's a weekly thing, every Wednesday after school. I can make it, and sacrificing an hour or two from my week seems like a good trade for not having to deal with the deaf cop / loud cop routine every day.

"I also have a couple of questions for you, if you don't mind?"

"Shoot."

"Are you any good with computers?"

"I can put together a basic documents, I sometimes like to type up my homework too."

"Fantastic!" He throws his arms into the air "Jun usually works the computer side of things but she's away for a couple of weeks, luckily we have our own Hisao Nakai to cover for her!"

"Glad I could be of assistance?" I have no clue what I'll be doing in the newspaper club, but I fear that If I mention that I'll "Fail" my next English exam. We say out goodbyes and I return to my room, finding my book splayed out on the floor.

I lost my page as well, dammit.


---


♫

"I guess this is my room." I mutter as a check the note I'd been given once again, room numbers match up. I reach for the handle a push the door open.



This must be a really old classroom, I've never seen these desks before and the computers look older than me. It has a the distinct smell of ink and paper, not too dissimilar to the smell that the library gives off, it's quite relaxing. One of the desks near the back of the room is covered in various printers and stacks of paper, ready to be used at any moment. As my gaze wanders, It finally meets on the three people stood in the center of the room.

"Ah, Mr.Nakai!" Sasada exclaims "I'm glad you could make it!" He pats me on the back quite heavily, for a second I consider telling him to stop for fear of killing me. "This is the rest of the club!" He holds out his arms, presenting two girls before me. They're both from my class, but I never learned their names. One has short blonde hair, while the other has darker hair and mismatching eyes. "Unfortunately I have to take my leave, I'll be back before club ends to see what you've done though!" The teacher exclaims before lifting his bag and waving while he leaves the room.

"Hey, I'm Hisao." I place my bag on the table and walk over to the two girls.

"I'm Naomi." The blonde girl speaks up, offering her hand for a shake. "Nice to meetcha' "

"And I'm Natsume!" The darker haired girl steps forward, also offering her hand, locking in an awkward double shake, i'm lucky Naomi is left handed. "Are you joining the club?" the ask in unison.

"Right. Though I have no clue on how to make a newspaper." I scratch the back of my head ruefully, maybe I should have done some research.

"Mr.Sasada told us you were great with computers right?" Naomi says.

"I wouldn't say great..."

"Great!" She grabs my arm and walks me over to one of the computer before flicking a switch on the wall. "Here's how it works:" She begins explaining the club to me. Turns out Natsume does all the interviews and the like, Naomi edits down what Natsume brings, and Jun (or now me) puts all that onto a template for printing in regular size, large print and braille.

"Seems simple enough." I say, making my way through the templates folder.

"Right!" She exclaims before slapping a notepad on the desk. "This is our frontpage for the week, me and Nat are still working on the innards." She adds with a wink. I take the notepad into my hands and look through it; seems to be a story about a local shop owner who saved a Yamaku student that was having an attack of some sort. I flick through the rest of the pages only to find jotted notes, one reads "Transfer student makes a splash at Yamaku" But it's crossed out, I guess I'm not interesting enough for a whole story. We spend the next half of the club doing our own respective tasks, myself tapping away at a keyboard while Naomi and Natsume work on a story. After a half hour, Natsume stands and claps her hands, startling me slightly.

"Time for food!" She exclaims before placing two boxed meals on the table she's sharing with Naomi.

"What about me?" I ask, swiveling on my seat. She looks sheepish for a second before returning to her bag and throwing a single, slightly melted chocolate bar to me. She gives me a wink and beckons me to join them, so I jump from my seat after saving the document I'd been working on.

"How's the story?" I ask, sitting in the chair opposite Natsume.

"A pain." Naomi says before taking a bite of her sandwich. "Can't seem to get it to read right." She tilts her head at the page, as if reading it slightly askew will give her the answer.

"Mind If I take a read? maybe a new pair of eyes will make a difference?" She nods and slides the paper over to me, and I quickly read it. It's a small story about the various clubs taking place in Yamaku. "Looks pretty good to me."

Naomi sighs and takes another bite, drawing a giggle from Natsume who slides a sandwich over to me. I thank her and take a bite.

"Maybe if we move that..." Naomi mutters to herself, still looking over the page with pencil in hand. The once clean desk is now covered in papers and stationary, as well as food packaging and boxes.

I wonder if this is always how organised the newspaper club is.


---


Next

Looking good so far.
We haven't seen much of N&N so far but the starting scene was ver Shizune

Oh, and:

"I'm Naomi." The blonde girl speaks up, offering her hand for a shake.

I see what you did there…

Well done, Hisao. You went and locked yourself into a club with at least two hot babes [/sarcasm] (wait a minute, that's an ideal situation, why am I being sarcastic?)

Hm, a story centring around the Newspaper Club. We don't see all that many of these for whatever reason. I'm happy we've got another one.
Also, is this going to be Jun Yamazaki from Sisterhood? If so,you might want to ask Guestposter's permission to use her, since she's his OC.
Anyway, looks good so far. I'll be looking forward to seeing how this continues.

One last point:

Mirage_GSM wrote:N&N

For some reason, whenever I see "N&N", I immediately think "Natsume and Noriko" - I have no idea who Noriko is, or why she replaced Naomi, but there we go

If this chapter is a bit too heavy on Hisao's zen monologue then let me know, I'll cut it down

This was a really calming chapter to write, so it ended up pretty dense. If you wanna skip over it then it only includes Hisao thinking about his past.

✩★ The Headlines ★✩

Chapter 2: Maybe everything will be okay after all.
POV: Hisao

♫

It doesn't take me long to get back into my previous mindset, typing up articles isn't the most boring thing in the world. I'd even say it's slightly relaxing, just performing a task that takes almost no mental effort gives you a lot of time to think and get your thoughts straight. Emi said that running helps her clear her head, perhaps this is something similar. Most of my thoughts revolve around my heart. I hadn't really thought about it when I was in the hospital, but what will I be able to do? I know I can't play soccer or really any sport anymore, but what things did I take for granted before that could kill me now? It makes me feel quite helpless, the fact that I could die at any moment, that I'm as fragile as an old man in my teenage years. How easily will I break If I do manage to make it past 20?

Before I know it my thoughts are interrupted by a hand placed on my shoulder. I jump slightly and spin around to see Naomi with her arm extended to my shoulder while Natsume packs up her things in the background.

"Hey there, you okay?" Her voice is soft and low, I think she feels bad for making me jump.

"Yeah, just busy in my head" I chuckle, rubbing the back of my head as I always seem to do.

"Alright. I hope you don't mind, but me and Natsume are gonna go visit Jun." The was she tilts her head draws my gaze to her bright red eyes.

"Sure, I only have a little bit more to finish. Hope she's okay." I'd tell them to say hello for me, but I've never met her.

"She'll be fine!" Her energy returns as she bounces back over to Natsume, chatting for a second before returning. "Hey, can we get your number?" I instantly flush bright red.

"Uh... I..."

"Just in case we need you to change something right before we print." She smiles, obviously seeing my blush. I heave a heavy sigh before pulling my phone from my pocket. We trade numbers and say our goodbyes, and I find myself returning to the computer. I don't really want to go back to my dorm and face Kenji, It was very serene tapping out stories on the old keyboard, Kenji would just ruin that atmosphere. I'll just work on this a bit more, then go down once he's hiding from late night feminist attacks.

♫

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

My thoughts quickly return as I begin typing. I wonder how Iwanako is doing? As much as we drifted apart, I still wonder about her even though I may never see her again. I remember that she started getting bullied, called names like "Heartbreaker" and "Cardiac Girl" and I remember how sick it made me feel, how someone could push their way into her life just to berate her at her lowest. I made it clear many times that I didn't blame her, but she still shouldered as much blame as she could, no matter how angry it made me. My thoughts wander to why we drifted apart. Of course it was me, I was the one that shut her out when I should have let her in, but at the same time she never pushed. She was always shy, perhaps she didn't want to intrude. Maybe it would have been better if she did?

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

I wonder how Mai, Takumi, and Shin are doing. They stopped visiting after most, but before Iwanako, aside from Takumi that is, she often decided to visit when she walked home since she lived quite close to the hospital. She'd always smuggle me a little bag of sweets or some other sugary treats, it wasn't the best diet, but It kept me going just that little bit. I remember when I first met those guys, and it seems like it was an eternity away, and I remember when they first visited me in the hospital, all dressed up in silly costumes to try cheer me up, that seems like it was even further away.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

My phone springs to life and startles me from my thoughts. I quickly pull it from my pocket and see my alarm, the one I set to stop me from reading until the morning. 8pm, I didn't expect to be here that long. I once again glance over the front page, I'm not happy with it, but I can work some more on it next week I suppose. I begin my slow walk toward the dorms and decide to fish out my headphone from my bag, I've been carrying them for god knows how long, but after my stay in the hospital I didn't want to listen to music. Today feels different thought, maybe it's because I'm so calm. I quickly thumb through the menus and find a playlist that's been in my phone since Shin convinced me to get some music on the thing.

♫

My walk over the campus is rather slow, I spend my time taking in the sights and smells of the outdoors, a hobby I've missed every day in the hospital. There are no hostile smells or barren walls, no beeping monitors and no doctors prodding and poking you. Just peace and quiet. Thought I technically had "Peace and Quiet" In the hospital, It's nothing like this. The feeling of real sun on my skin is oddly refreshing, I've experienced that every day of the week so far, but today just feels better somehow. The feeling of grass beneath my hands as I seat myself feels strange, I haven't really put my thought into what grass feels like since I got out, but now I have the chance I don't know why I waited. I lay myself down on the grass, enjoying the setting sun, quiet and relaxing atmosphere. I'd usually feel like reading, but right now I just want to breath in the air, air so clean that it doesn't burn your lungs like it did in the city, but flows freely. I sit myself up again and look at the sights before me.



Maybe everything will be okay after all.


---


Next

Alpacalypse wrote:Also, is this going to be Jun Yamazaki from Sisterhood? If so,you might want to ask Guestposter's permission to use her, since she's his OC.

Crap, I thought she was cannon!

I'll think of something and do some edits.

Just like Al, I'm looking forward to seeing the dynamic of this particular duo. Haven't read much about them to be honest so colour me intrigued

Sharp-O wrote:Just like Al, I'm looking forward to seeing the dynamic of this particular duo. Haven't read much about them to be honest so colour me intrigued

All that most people know is that they are the only canon members of the Newspaper Club and they normally end up getting yuri-shipped.
They've featured in a fair number of other fics, most notably Developments and Sisterhood, but there are only a few that actually centre on the pair or one of them - a couple of failed routes IIRC and Munchenhausen's currently unfinished fic that ships the two (I'm fairly sure they're his OTP, so it's not hugely surprising that it was him that wrote it )

I'm happy that we get another story that explicitly focusses on them.

swampie2 wrote:

Alpacalypse wrote:Also, is this going to be Jun Yamazaki from Sisterhood? If so,you might want to ask Guestposter's permission to use her, since she's his OC.

Crap, I thought she was cannon!

I'll think of something and do some edits.

I don't think you need to. GP has greenlighted the use of his OCs for other fics in the past, so I doubt he will object to this one.
Just drop him a PM, and I'm sure he'll allow you to use her.

And by the way, Jun has never been and will never be cannon.

Thanks to Guest Poster for allowing me to use Jun from sisterhood, it's an awesome fic. I can imagine most of you have already read it, but if not then you should!

✩★ The Headlines ★✩

Chapter 3: Lunch is served.
POV: Naomi

♫

God I hate math, If I could just skip that and focus on the more pressing subjects I wouldn't complain. Luckily the lesson ends soon enough and I meet up with Nat and Hisao, who has taken to eating lunch with us, and I can't say it's a bad thing. He usually just listens while Nat and i go over stories, he did only just transfer in I guess. He always has this look on his face, the most accurate word I could use would be "Contemplative" to be honest It's kinda cute, he furrows his brow just a little bit. I've been thinking if I should let him know about my epilepsy, If things go pear shaped and Natsume isn't around then he might be able to stop be breaking something, but for some reason I just can't find the right way to put it. I'll let him know when I think of something.

I meet with Natsume outside her classroom and start making our way to the cafeteria, Hisao normally meets up there anyway.

"So what do you think of Hisao?"

"Hmm?" That came out of nowhere. "What do you mean?"

"He's pretty cute right?"

"I... haven't thought about it." I hope she buys that, but if anyone can see through me it's Nat.

"Pshh, I've seen how you look at him when he does his thinking thing." Crap.

"You're one to talk!" I exclaim, remembering the time she freaked out the first time he responded to her texts.

"Shush Naomi! We're in a crowded hallway."

"You're the one who asked me if I thought the new guy was cute." I say slightly louder. She simply pouts and continues walking.

"He's probably already dating a supermodel anyway." She mutters under her breath, most likely thinking aloud. I decided not to say anything and just pretend I didn't hear anything.

"I was thinking about telling him about my epilepsy."

"Sure, why not?"

"Well... I'm just a little bit scared that..."

"Go on..."

"I think he'll want to tell me about his condition, but what if he doesn't want to?"

"How thoughtful of you." She seems to be thinking about it as well. "Maybe he'll have it too and you can be buddies." She winks, I still have no clue how this girl can make me blush so often. I guess I'll tell him then.


---


Before long we arrive at the cafeteria and I turn to Natsume. "Can you grab my lunch today?" I offer her some yen in open palm. She looks to it, then me, then the table where Hisao is sitting.

"If you steal him before I have a chance I'll be super mad!" She jokes, but I think there is some seriousness there.

"Don't worry..." "I don't think I could steal a man from you even if I tried" comes to mind, but I instead opt for "I'm gonna let him know." She nods and takes the money from my hand, and I begin my walk over to our table. I hadn't thought about how to word it, so I guess I'll just improvise.

"Hey Hisao." I make my presence known, and he peeks up from his book.

"Oh, hey Naomi." He closes his book at takes a sip of his coffee, and I seat myself opposite him. "Not getting lunch today?" He asks, I simply point to Natsume. Come on Naomi get it together.

"Since you're spending so much time with us... I wanted to let you know about why I'm here." Going well so far.

"In the cafeteria? I can guess that one." Damn it Hisao you idiot.

"No... I mean why I'm attending Yamaku." Realization drops and his face goes blank for all of a second before his regular tiny smile returns.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He offers, but I want to let him know instead of him finding out from someone else, or first hand.

"No, It's safer that way. I have Epilepsy" He looks onward at the car crash of a conversation unfolding before him, at least that's what it feels like to me. I continue anyway.

"So if you see me rolling about on the floor then just... make sure I don't break anything, 'kay?"

"I can do that." He adds very nonchalantly before taking a bite of his sandwich. I'm glad that's over, I'm sure he would have found out eventually but it feels nice to let someone know instead of having them find out when I'm rolling about on the floor foaming at the mouth.

"Arrhythmia."

"Sorry?" If I was drinking a drink, this is where I'd spit It out dramatically.

"I have arrhythmia. Problem with my heart." He taps on his chest a couple times to illustrate the point. "So if you see me rolling about on the floor, get a nurse." He adds with a slightly awkward chuckle.

"I-I can do that." I attempt to mirror his earlier words, but stutter them into oblivion. Before too long Natsume arrives with two trays of food, and I realize that I forgot to even tell her what I wanted. I can see her wincing slightly, most likely her wrist, I'll apologize later.

"Lunch is served." She adds a flourish while placing our meals on the table. "Hey Hisao!" She adds before seating herself next to him, uncomfortably close to him. Why am I feeling jealous? I've known him all of 1 week. After I wrangle Nat from the cute boy, we get to work on an article while Hisao does his usual passive listening.


---


♫

"Oh no." He mutters under his breath. I immediately check to see if he's clutching at his chest, but see that he's just staring at the other side of the cafeteria, I follow his gaze and see the student council.

Oh no indeed.

"Hey girls and Hisao!~" Misha explodes into our little bubble, shortly followed by Shizune.

"Hey Misha, Shizune." Hisao says, a small hint of something negative in his voice.

"Do you girls mind if we borrow Hisao for a while?~" She speaks to us, but keeps her eyes on Hisao. He looks to me, almost pleading for an out, and I think I have one. Sorry for this Natsume.

"Sorry, we've got plans." I say as confidently as possible while placing my hand over Hisao's. All parties look on shocked as the revelation hits. Both members of the council sign to each other for a moment before speaking again.

"You better not be skipping class!" I can assume that was Shizune, not Misha.

"Wouldn't dream of it prez." I retort, hoping they'll leave, and they do after a second or two of awkwardness.

"...thanks Naomi." Hisao says. A second of silence reigns before he moves his hand slightly, and I realize that I still have mine over his. I remove it quickly and feel my cheeks growing hotter by the second. I don't dare to look at Natsume after that stunt, so I simply stare into my lap in an attempt to regain my usual face color.


---


Next

Got a chance to read this now and so far, so good.

Is this gonna be a Developments-type deal, where Naomi and Natsume are gonna try to win over Hisao's heart?

Pretty cute! I do like the banter between the characters although, for my personal taste, it's dove straight into a romance plot without really establishing Natsume and Naomi as Yamaku's roving reporters. I'm also really digging the Switching POV, giving us all sides of the story, as it were.

Keep it up, Swampie!

Yes, that was a very cure scene at the end. Really like the story so far.
Two grammar issues:

He usually just listens while me and Nat go over stories

"Nat and I"

the table where Hisao is sat.

"is sitting"

Sharp-O wrote:Pretty cute! I do like the banter between the characters although, for my personal taste, it's dove straight into a romance plot without really establishing Natsume and Naomi as Yamaku's roving reporters. I'm also really digging the Switching POV, giving us all sides of the story, as it were.

Keep it up, Swampie!

Noted, I was worried I was skipping over that, so I'll keep it in mind for the rest of the story ;P

I originally wrote this from Hisao's perspective, but much more was going on in Naomi had a lot more going on in her head. Plus Hisao was super confused at the end.

Mirage_GSM wrote:Yes, that was a very cure scene at the end. Really like the story so far.
Two grammar issues:

He usually just listens while me and Nat go over stories

"Nat and I"

the table where Hisao is sat.

"is sitting"

As always; thanks for the help man, it really helps!

Glad you guys are enjoying it

Let me know if I was too jumpy with the POVs this chapter, I wanted to get both sides of the message across

✩★ The Headlines ★✩

Chapter 4: We should make rules
POV: Natsume

♫

[Naomi] [You free?]

I snap my phone shut and take a deep breath, I have other things to worry about right now.

"My deepest apologies Mr.Tanuma, please continue." I pick up my pen and continue transcribing the story being told by our history teacher; Apparently the track club are planning on challenging a nearby school to a race track meet thingy. I would have asked the track team captain but he was busy, witnesses will do.

"So then I asked her to explain what she was so distracted about, and she said she couldn't because the track team captain told her not to tell anyone."

"This is Emi Ibrazaki, correct?"

"Correct."

"Great. Unless you have anything to add, I think we're done." I finalize my notes and place my pen behind my ear as I often do, It gives me that "sexy accountant" kind of look I think.

"Hmm." He considers for a second. "If I find out anything then I'll let you know?"

"That sounds fantastic Mr.Tanuma, thank you for the chance to ask these questions." I offer my hand for a shake, even if this is my teacher I always put on my "interview persona". I pack away my things and say my goodbyes, but not without being badgered to finish my homework. I'll get it done... eventually.

Now to deal with the second thing on my to do list.

[Natsume] [I am now, the tree?]

[Naomi] [Sounds good to me, be out in 5]

I wander from the school building and sit under the tree that me and Naomi have often sat under while working on stories, It's now become known as "The tree". Before long Naomi joins me.

"Whatcha' got?" She asks as she bounces over, wearing her usual flowing blue dress, she looks beautiful in it, as always.

"Notes about the track meet rumor." I hold out the pad for her to inspect. She carefully takes it and flicks her eyes over the notes.

"So It's happening?"

I sigh. "I honestly have no clue." She also sighs and seats herself down next to me.

"We should make rules." She says out of nowhere.

"I thought we did? No boobs and no feet right?" I giggle.

"Nat!" She exclaims, blushing. Our first year was very strange to say the least. "I mean... in fact, never mind." I decide for a change of topic rather than the now lingering in silence.

"Well, I got one last lead, wanna come with?"

"Can't, got a stack of homework to catch up on, I just needed a break" She responds while dusting herself off.

"Then I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure, drop by my room once you got the scoop."

"It's a date."


---


POV: Naomi

"We should make rules." ...about the newest (and cutest) member of the newspaper club.

"I thought we did? No boobs and no feet right?" Oh god Natsume, it's been a long while since we went there.

"Nat!" I shout, heat rising to my cheeks "I mean... " I don't want to make you mad by asking Hisao to the festival, I don't want to lose my best buddy over a boy, I don't want you to be a third wheel if things do turn out that way by some enormous miracle, there is so much I want to say, but...

"...in fact, never mind." I can't bring myself to say it. Crap.

"Well, I got one last lead..." She breaks the silence, for this I am glad "...wanna come with?" My mind returns to my homework that I've been working on all afternoon, I need to have it done pretty quick.

"Can't, got a stack of homework to catch up on, I just needed a break" I lever myself from the ground with the help of the tree.

"Then I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure, drop by my room once you got the scoop."

"It's a date." of course it is Nat.


---


POV: Hisao

♫

Don't they say your ears tingle when someone is talking about you? I sure hope I'm not having a slow attack or something equally deadly.

[Natsume] [You going to the festival?]

That'll be my problem then.

I hadn't thought about the festival to be honest, I've been working on my homework and reading almost solidly for the last few days, and now it's the day after tomorrow. I suppose going with the only people I can call friends so far is the best course of action. I shrug the thoughts and return to my book, only to be interrupted by Yuuko in a matter of seconds.

"E-excuse me."

"Yes Yuuko?"

"Do you... know where the chess books are?"

"I thought you were the librarian?" She begins to shake slightly, maybe I was mean? "Ehh, I think they're next to the history books in the non-fiction section."

"Thank youuuu." Her voice trails off as she goes in search for her books, what a strange person. I return to reading only to be distracted for the third time.

"Fancy seeing you here." Natsume says as she plops herself down next to me. Very close to me. Is she trying to get under my skin or something?

"Were you looking for me, or did you just happen to be in the area?" I joke, closing my book after marking my page, I think this is the worlds way of telling me that I should stop reading for today.

"We were meant to be meeting a contact here but they bugged." She purrs, why is she acting so strangely?

"Ah, so I'm the backup plan then?" I joke.

"I would never!" She exclaims, placing both her hands over her chest in an over-the-top attempt at acting. It's pretty cute to say the least.

"Well I was just about to get some food, wanna tag along?"

"I don't see why not." She agrees in short time, and we begin our walk out of the library.

"Where were you gonna go?"

"I was just going to go to a vending machine, but I suppose we should find somewhere higher end since there are two of us."

"You were going to eat vending machine food for dinner?" Her face is contorted with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Sure, why wouldn't I?" I respond to her shagrin; she clicks her tongue and thinks for a second.

"Shanghai?"

"What's the shanghai?" I feel completely lost. Before I know it she's grabbed my arm and has started marching me out of the building, this brings back memories of my student council days.


---


"A pot of tea and some sandwiches please."

"I'll take a coffee, thanks." I've been lead to a little tea shop just down the hill from Yamaku, it's a pleasant atmosphere, mostly because we are the only two people in the place besides the server. It'd be nice to read here, I'll have to remember how we got here. Luckily Natsume has decided to sit opposite me instead of on my lap this time.

"This is a nice place." I comment.

"Mhmm, me and Naomi like it here because it's quiet enough that we can work." Natsume explains. "And now we can work!" She borderline shouts before slapping her trusty notebook onto the table.

"You've been at Yamaku for a while now, any leads?"

"Leads?"

"Stories?"

"Huh?"

"Have you heard any rumors that might make a good story?" She sighs, rubbing her temples.

"Can't say I've heard anything that I'd be happy to put in the newspaper." I've heard a couple things, but I know that those people would rather their rumors stay under control. For a second I feel omnipotent, able to fabricate gossip at will as a new member at the rumor mill headquarters. "I read a fair bit about some recent scientific discoveries?"

"God no." she mutters. "Unless it's cybernetic joints I'm not interested." We both chuckle before returning to the matter and hand. "What have you got?"

"A short piece about someone from the art club that's making a mural... some stuff from the Yamaku Band... this track meet story, maybe..." I thumb through the notebook, scanning over the various notes while the server returns with our stuff. I sip my coffee and find it's too hot, I'll have to let that cool for a second.

"You know, these would all be alright, at least to me."

"We've already got a huge piece on the festival though, more would just feel... I don't know." She sighs before pouring the tea into the teacup we've been provided with. Before long conversation dies in exchange for eating. The coffee is good, but the food... not so much. Either way, it fulfills my appetite.

"You gonna come to the festival then?" She breaks the silence.

"With you two? Ugh." I joke while rubbing the bridge on my nose between two fingers.

"We're not that bad!" She retorts.

I feel like teasing her, so I continue. "I don't know..."

"Come onnnn, going to a festival with two cute girls is every guys dream!"

"I'm already going with two cute girls, actually." It's becoming quite a task to keep a straight face. Hers on the other hand is truly shocked. "What? surprised I can get two dates?" Realization hits her and she bursts into laughter, as do I.

"I'd be happy to go with you two."


---


Next

Well, the story is just being more and more fun and addicting after each chapter, but I have to say that things between the three of them are happening AWAY faster than I thought!
It's not a bad thing, just faster than I imagined (And since I'm kind of slow in terms of relationship, a lot of stuff looks faster for me than it should )