Furayu stepped through the front door, his body riddled with exhaustion. The house greeted him with the usual silence he was used to. Dimly lit and warm. The sun had long since set, a slow hazy dark blue hue spread across the windows. The faint sounds of the floorboards creaking beneath his movements.
The reminder of his strength used up to collapse onto the sofa with a groan, letting the day's problems melt off of his shoulders.
Dealing with Inoue's unpredictable behaviour, locked in a closet, and Hina's constant questioning had left him drained.
Then, soft footsteps could be heard.
He looked up to see a blur running down the stairs.
"Furayu!" Ren's voice echoed.
"Why'd you take so long to come home!?" She asked, her head tilting up to meet his gaze. Her lips forming a pout, eyes narrowed just enough to show her growing irritation. But allowing her feverish body to cling to him
"I-I was busy," He meekly said. "Trying to find my group…"
She didn't respond. Her face went back into his chest, enjoying the blissful warmth once again.
"Wait…" Her body stopped cold.
"What?" Furayu blinked confused.
She froze. She sniffed Furayu again to make sure her hunch was correct.
She straightened herself. The air grew cold as she stared at him coldly.
"...Who's perfume is this?" Her voice filled with suspicion. The smile on her face contorted Pouncing on Furayu.
"UGH!" He grunted, all the air leaving his body as she landed on top of him, her arms wrapping around him in an instant. Her head burying into his chest like a kitten seeking warmth.
"Mmm…" A hum of satisfaction escaped from Ren's lips, she began to grip onto the fabric of his shirt. Clinging onto him without a care in the world.
into a twisted snarl.
Furayu's heart stopped.
"It's from meeting with my group, I swear!" He blurted, waving his hands erratically. "They're all girls, you even know that!"
Ren started for a second. Then, with a quiet sigh of disappointment, she rested her head on his chest once again.
"Mmp. Fine. I'll believe you." Her voice was muffled by Furayu's chest. "...For now." She added.
He sighed in relief.
"Aren't you supposed to be laying in bed because you're ill?" Furayu questioned.
She gave a light huff in response and continued to nestle herself in Furayu's arms.
He sighed in defeat knowing he caused this to happen.
Furayu lay in bed later that night, eyes shut, Ren softly snoring away on the floor beside him wrapped up in the spare duvet.
His mind wouldn't stay quiet.
Inoue. The heat. No personal space.
It was a dream for every high school boy, being pressed up against a girl like Inoue, a model and an unfathomable allure, but Furayu's mind was in chaos. Saki or Inoue? His mind couldn't decide.
Yet he lay on his bed, arm outstretched above his head, holding up the ring.
This ring.
Meant everything.
The one that belonged to her, his childhood bride.
Wasn't she meant to be dead?
But… she might actually still be alive.
Natsumi.
Who really are you?
He groaned, his face buried deep into his pillow. Inoue's scent still clung to his skin faintly. A stubborn reminder of what happened at school.
What the hell is even going on in my life?
The next morning came way too quickly, pulling him out of his sleep and into another gloomy, damp and humid day.
He trudged through the school gates, every step felt heavy. His body screaming for peace, just for one uneventful, quiet day.
Naturally, Fate thought otherwise.
"Heyyy. Lover boy." Hina's voice sliced through the daze in his head.
She practically twirled up to him, skirt fluttering in the breeze, wearing her usual infuriating smug smile.
Furayu twitched, annoyed.
"What do you want?" He muttered, a glare shot her way.
"Don't be so cold now." She pouted, enjoying his irritation. " I need a partner for debate club today…" She said cutely. "And since your so ni-"
"No."
Cutting her off without hesitation.
"PLEAAASSEEE! Or I'll tell Natsumi that you did something indecent with Inoue in the closet!" Her voice laced with desperation.
Furayu's eye's shot open with horror
"YOU WOULDN'T-!"
She held her finger to his lips, shushing him.
"Try. me."
"Fine…" He growled, backing away from her.
"YAY!" She chimed in happiness, spinning on her heel with a hop in her step.
"English corridor, 3:45. Don't be late!"
And like that, she went off in the wind, humming to herself.
Furayu sighed in defeat.
One uneventful day. Just one. Is it too much to ask for?
Later on in class, the room fell into a hum of pens scribbling on paper and quiet murmurs spread across like a wildfire.
Furayu sat alone in the corner of the classroom, his gaze glossed over with a distant feeling. With Ren still at home recovering from a lingering fever, the seat beside him remained lifeless. He sat quietly, immersed in his own thoughts.
Why does Hina want me to go with her?
What's she getting out of me going to the debate club, especially when she's seen me going straight home when there's clubs going on?
The question lingered on him, curiosity slowly crept deeper into his initial irritation.
But what felt most off about today wasn't Ren not being in school or even Hina's cheeriness.
It was Inoue.
She had avoided him the entire day.
Every time their eyes happened to meet, she would immediately turn away, her eyes dropped to her desk or would start a conversation with her friend.
Is she still embarrassed about yesterday?
It's not even my fault…
His thoughts spiralled, complicating things between Inoue's sudden decision not to even bat an eye towards him and Hina's strangely persistent friendliness. Inoue, who used to glare into him from across the room, was now acting like he didn't exist? And Hina, who usually stayed in the background just to get a reaction out of him, suddenly wanted him to help her with club activities?
Life seriously couldn't get any more confusing.