[fic] Mitsukaru High - Ch 3
Title: Mitsukaru High
Author/Artist: mido_ban04 and tennis_dudez
Link: Winglicans Thread
Warnings/Rating:T (Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes)
Series/Pairing(s): TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki
Notes: Our second forum roleplay revolving around the two couples that we did over at Winglicans.
An alternative universe type of fanfiction, my partner and I take you to how the two couples began during their days in Senior High, with Takigawa and Kimeru in their 2nd year, and Shirota and Aiba in their 1st. This fanfiction will run from that setting until Shirota and Aiba’s graduation from Senior High two years later. Most of the information here are either altered, made-up or real altogether. For clarifications on such information, feel free to contact me through Y!M (snoopeRJ_04).
Hints of other pairings shall also be introduced, therefore expect to be seeing other members of the TeniMyu cast to show up in this Mitsukaru Senior High setting. This is meant to serve as a prequel to our fanfiction ’Anything for You’.
As my partner seems to be having problems with posting, I shall also be posting the chapters of this prequel. This is an edited version of our roleplay over at the forum (or rather, a cleaner and grammatically correct version), open to reviews. I have also opened this to be viewable by the general public.
Here is the 3rd chapter entitled Takigawa & Kimeru’s Sweet Nothings. This chapter revolves around how Takigawa and Kimeru’s feelings break the surface and voice it out to one another while dealing with trivial things that continuously involve the school band members.
**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.
(cross-posted to tenimyu_slash)
The next day, Daisuke was waiting for Takigawa by the school gates. According to his sources, today was another study session for Takigawa and Kimeru.
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Aiba was early that day; he had to get the pictures printed for submission that day and the only access he had to a printer was in school. The editor-in-chief had given him the key to the office so that he could finish it there. He was waiting for a few pages to print when he looked outside the window. "Isn't that one of Kimeru-senpai's band-mates?" he wondered to himself.
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Takigawa yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he headed to school early that day. 'Of all the days for Moriyama-senpai to come back to school... he wakes me up so early...' he thought to himself, shaking his head as he recalled how he had gotten up minutes before.
Takigawa was woken up earlier than usual by his ringing phone. Groaning, he felt around for the device on his bedside table and answered it. "Hello?"
“Ah, Takigawa-kun! Glad you picked up.”
"Moriyama-senpai...?" Takigawa identified, stifling a yawn.
“Aa. Listen, I just came back from the seminar, and I was hoping if I could have a chat with you about what's happened so far while I was away. Could you come over to the school?” Moriyama instructed.
Takigawa checked the time. It was only 6 in the morning. "Alright... Just give me a while to get ready. I'll be there in about 15 minutes," he replied before hanging up. He looked over to the sleeping form of Shirota and got to his feet, moving to his desk and wrote a note for the boy and got ready for school.
And here he was, walking to school. He slowed down when he saw Daisuke by the school gates. 'Won't this be trouble...' he thought to himself, inwardly sighing as he put on a smile as he approached the boy. "Ohayou, Watanabe-kun. You're here pretty early," Takigawa stated conversationally.
Daisuke glared at Takigawa as soon as he saw him. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from Kimeru? He has better things to do than that stupid program!" he said as he grabbed Takigawa by the collar. "I don't care if you're Student Council or not, you’re going to learn--"
"Daisuke!" a voice called out, causing Daisuke to release Takigawa.
"Furukawa, what the hell are you doing here?!" Daisuke asked furiously.
Furukawa Yuuta, another member of the band club, glared at Daisuke who glared back at him before turning around and walking towards the building. Furukawa sighed. "Sorry about that, Takigawa...that guy has issues," he said, "See you in class!" he added before running after Daisuke.
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Aiba lowered his camera and smirked. "That jerk better appreciate the effort..." he said as he added another picture to the lineup of the ones he was printing.
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Takigawa nodded over to Furukawa as he watched them run off as he fixed the crease on his shirt and continued inside. "Seriously... Like this is a big deal and all..." he muttered to himself as he headed for the West Building to meet up with the Student Council President.
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Kimeru woke up at around 7 o’clock; he had enough time to get to school at a leisurely pace. Once he got to school he went straight to his classroom. "What's this?" he said as he saw a brown envelope on his desk. He picked it up and took out what was inside. His felt his anger flare up once he saw the photos inside.
"Ohayou Kimeru~ hey what's--"
Kimeru cut Daisuke off by punching him in the gut.
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Aiba was reading a book as he waited for the other students to come in.
Shirota had gotten up at around quarter to 7, which gave him enough time to read the note Takigawa had left him, get ready for school and lock the house with his key and headed to school. He arrived at the 1-1 classroom and heaved a sigh of relief as he proceeded to his desk and slumped into it. "Why'd he have to leave so early..? I wasn't able to have breakfast..." Shirota muttered darkly to himself.
Aiba flipped a page of his book when he saw Shirota arrive. "You seem under the weather today..." he said as he looked up from what he was reading.
Shirota set his head down on the desk and looked over to Aiba. "Takigawa-senpai... I slept over last night but he left early today... So when I woke up, I had to rush here without any breakfast..." he explained. "Mou, I was looking forward to his French toast..." he complained, burying his face in his hands.
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Takigawa left the Council room and slowly headed to his classroom. His little meeting with Moriyama-senpai was unexpected. He had assumed the older boy would scold him for even risking his Council duties on Kimeru's grades, but Takigawa was surprised when Moriyama had laughed out loud, stating that he hadn't met anybody as bold as Takigawa to speak up to the principal as he had.
"I have the utmost confidence in you, Takigawa-kun. Prove the principal wrong!" Moriyama told him as Takigawa sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.
'Honestly...' he thought to himself.
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"What do you mean you're quitting the band?!" Nagayan exclaimed as he stared at Kimeru.
"I'll just be gone for the quarter to pull my grades up...the recent incident didn't exactly put me in the principal's good book," Kimeru said as he glared at Daisuke who didn't look at him.
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When break time arrived, Takigawa wanted some time to think to himself, and decided that the rooftop was the best place for that. He pushed the door open a notch and paused when he heard some voices on the other side.
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"As long as Takigawa doesn't know about this, I don't care. He already risked a lot in even accepting me as a partner in this program," Kimeru added.
"Kind of hard to not notice with that cut on your cheek and bandage on your hand," Sota pointed out.
"I'll think of an excuse," Kimeru said before sighing heavily.
"Why does he even bother anyway?" Daisuke muttered.
"I'm afraid I don't know that myself."
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Takigawa paused, recognizing who they were before he slowly stepped out into the rooftop to see the members of the school band there. He frowned when he noticed that Kimeru was injured. "What happened to you?" he inquired before he could stop himself.
Kimeru looked up and saw Takigawa. He groaned inwardly at his timing. "I...fell down the stairs," he said.
"Got into a fist fight with Daisuke," Nagayan said at the same time.
Kimeru stared at Nagayan as well as the rest of the band members. "Nagayan!" Kimeru hissed.
"He's going to find out eventually Kimeru," Nagayan said firmly.
Takigawa apprehensively approached Kimeru. "Was it because of me..?" he asked quietly, taking hold of the boy's bandaged hand. "You even went too far to injure your hand..." he added, sighing.
"It--" Kimeru began.
"If you won't tell him the truth, I will," Nagayan warned.
Kimeru frowned. "Fine...yes, I got into a fight and no it's not because of you," he said. "I started it so I'm the one to blame...no one badmouths or threatens any of my friends...even if that person has been with me for the longest time, he's not exempted," he said bitterly. His eyes widened when he realized what he said.
Nagayan grinned. "Glad to hear you finally say it, Kime," he said as he stretched. "I think we should leave you two to talk for a while," he said brightly as he dragged the rest of the group to the door. "Let's go to the cafeteria! I'm starving!" he said, as he closed the door behind him.
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"FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD!!" Shirota cheered, heading to the cafeteria, dragging Zukki and Aiba with him.
"You really didn't have breakfast this morning?" Zukki inquired with a chuckle.
Shirota nodded. "It's all Takigawa-senpai's fault..." he said darkly as they arrived and got in line.
Aiba sighed. "You kept spacing out in class..." he said as he looked around. “That's strange...the cafeteria is usually filled with the laughter of the Kimeru-senpai's group..." he said.
Shirota failed to notice this and chose his food from today's menu, filling his tray up eagerly.
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"Those freaking idiots..." Kimeru muttered, glaring at the door. He pulled his hand away and turned his back on Takigawa. "Look, I'm fine alright," he said. "So don't go getting yourself worked up for nothing."
Takigawa watched Nagayan lead the rest of them through the door, leaving him alone with Kimeru. Takigawa averted his gaze and walked to the railings. "If this was about earlier with Watanabe-kun..." he began, gripping onto the railings. He smiled to himself. “Furukawa-kun stopped him before he could do anything...” His grip tightened around the bar. "So... if that was why you got into a fight with him... I appreciate it..." he looked over to Kimeru, his smile still plastered on his face. "For considering me as your friend..."
Kimeru turned around to face Takigawa, returning the gesture with a smile of his own. "You know...I've still been wondering about something…" he said suddenly, his smile turning into a pout. “You never told me why you never looked for a girlfriend…"
Takigawa's cheeks flushed before he turned his back to Kimeru as he scratched the back of his head distractedly. "I told you that I wasn't uncomfortable when you mentioned that you weren't into women, didn't I?" he began. "Fact of the matter is, you and I are in the same boat..." he explained, finding himself able to look back over to Kimeru. “Would it... sound awkward to you if I told you... that I liked you?” he asked apprehensively.
Kimeru grinned when he heard Takigawa's answer. ‘W-W-What? Did he just say what I thought he did?!' Kimeru thought as he felt his face heat up. He felt at a loss of what to say for a few seconds before finding his voice again. "I-I don't mind..." he said.
Takigawa paused, considering Kimeru's choice of words before chuckling, shaking his head as he headed to the door. "Honestly, who answers it that way?" he teased. His hand wavered over the handle before he said, "We can about this later... More properly, at least..." He looked over his shoulder and smiled over to Kimeru. "Ja, see you later." With that, Takigawa left.
"Aa..." Kimeru said as he stared at the door for a while; letting what just happened sink in. He shrugged. "I'll think about it later," he told himself before heading back to his room.
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After class, Aiba went straight to the office of the school paper. "Aiba-kun...." Yagami Ren, the Editor-in-chief of the club, smiled at him.
Aiba felt a shiver go down his spine. "Y-Yes senpai?" he asked.
"Next time, please make sure that you take pictures of other members as well…" Yagami said.
"But he--"
"No matter how bad the lighting is… they invented flash for that reason, okay?"
Aiba nodded and looked away.
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"Oi, Kime how did it go?" Nagayan asked as they put the instruments away after a brief meeting.
"How did what go?" Kimeru asked him.
"You know..."
"No..."
Nagayan stared at him and sighed. "You’re hopeless," he said.
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After classes, Shirota and Takigawa attended to their Student Council duties in the Council Room. After Takigawa promptly introduced Moriyama-senpai to Shirota, Shirota went off to file a few things, happy that they both had a day off from varsity practice today.
"Oi, Takigawa," Moriyama called.
"Hai, Moriyama-senpai?" the second year inquired, walking up to the president with a folder in hand.
Moriyama brought his hands behind his head and leaned back on his chair as he looked over to the youngest boy filing in his desk. "So Shirota-kun's a childhood friend of yours, na?"
Takigawa nodded, following the older boy's gaze. "He works hard. I'm sure he won't give you much trouble," he explained.
"I thought I made it clear that I wouldn't look for another Vice President besides you, Takigawa... I have faith in Kimeru-kun that you shouldn't worry about resigning your position," Moriyama repeated, cleaning his ear out with his pinky.
Takigawa smirked. "I'm confident in Kimeru-kun as well..." he admitted. “I suppose putting my position on the Council would give him that incentive that he needs..."
"Incentive?" Moriyama repeated, furrowing his eyebrows.
Takigawa nodded. "I suppose that if I didn't put something on the line, he would just dismiss this entire program... And I wouldn't want to let that happen..."
"You've been waiting for a chance like that, haven't you?" Shirota chimed in, coming over to Moriyama's desk with a pile of papers.
Takigawa looked over to Shirota, a faint blush on his cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about..."
Shirota chuckled. "Hai, the documents for the class lists are in order, kaicho," he reported.
Moriyama grinned. "Sankyu, Shirota-kun."
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Aiba was passing by the hall, ready to leave the school, when Kimeru saw him. "Oi, Aiba," he called out.
"Yes senpai?" Aiba asked, stopping before turning around to face Kimeru who came out of a room he passed.
"You're the one who put the pictures on my desk, aren't you?" Kimeru asked him as he approached.
Aiba took a step back. "I...don't know what you mean, senpai..." he said carefully.
Kimeru grinned as he patted Aiba on the shoulder. "No need to be apprehensive. I just need to thank you, that's all..." Aiba looked at him suspiciously. "...and tell you to get me more of those thingies you brought from the grocery last week."
'I knew it....' Aiba thought. "Hai...I'll go get some before going back to the dorms. I'll be going now,” he said before turning around and walking away.
Kimeru checked the time. "Just a few more minutes before I have to meet Takigawa..." he muttered to himself.
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When Council work was all done, Shirota and Takigawa went ahead of Moriyama and made their leave from the school.
"Ne, you owe me for breakfast this morning!" Shirota declared as they headed off to the gates.
"I do, don't I? Well, tomorrow for sure, then. Kimeru-kun's coming over to study tonight, remember?" Takigawa reminded the boy.
Shirota nodded. "I know, I know..."
"Now get on home. Maria-san is taking a break off work starting today, isn't she?" Takigawa stated, pushing Shirota forward.
"Ahh! I almost forgot!" Shirota said in a panic. “Thanks for reminding me. See you tomorrow, Eiji-kun!" he called before running ahead.
Takigawa chuckled, watching Shirota before stopping just outside the gates, checking the time.
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Aiba was looking around the grocery for the specific brand of pocky he bought a few days ago. ‘Please don't be out of stock....you're the only thing that would save me from sleeping late tonight...’ he thought desperately.
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Kimeru was caught up talking to Nagayan about his new crush when he noticed the time. "I was supposed to meet Takigawa five minutes ago!!" he exclaimed as he bolted out of the room, leaving the rest to stare after him. He reached the school gates, slightly out of breath. He saw Takigawa and approached him. "Sorry about that..." he said.
Takigawa waved a hand. "Don't mind it. I made you wait for me the other day when I ran late on practice. It's fine," he reassured him as he started heading off towards his house. "Oh yes, I wanted to ask you if you wanted anything special for dinner tonight," he began, looking over to Kimeru, flashing him a small smile.
"Like I said, I'll eat anything edible," Kimeru replied with a grin.
"In short, anything I make will appeal to your appetite," Takigawa concluded, chuckling.
"I think you got that right," Kimeru answered with a laugh. "Hey Takigawa, I just remembered something," Kimeru said randomly. "Daisuke told me that he was sorry for hitting you the day before...you didn't tell me that he hit you."
"You don't notice the obvious, do you?" Takigawa stated, pointing to his swollen cheek which was still showing faint signs of a bruise. "And I didn't think it was necessary to tell you about it at the time. After all, he told me to back off," he recalled. "Then Nagayan came and said not to give up on you," he added fondly, chuckling.
"Nagayan did what?!" Kimeru exclaimed, suddenly stopping. "That guy...he really likes to move on his own sometimes." He dragged Takigawa to the side of the street. "Let me take a look at that for a while," he said as he pulled Takigawa down a bit to look at his cheek. "...I'm surprised you didn't say anything," he said before letting the taller boy go.
Takigawa fixed his hold on his bag before they continued their walk. "What was there to say? Watanabe-kun had already left before I could retort, anyway. Not that I would've wanted to since I knew it would just end up in another fist to the face," Takigawa mused. "But he's got a powerful punch, I'll admit," he stated seriously. "I practically sank to the floor as soon as he left."
Kimeru frowned. "Then I don't regret hitting him this morning..." he muttered. “That guy…he really can't tell right from wrong sometimes. That's why Furukawa's with him."
"I already thanked Furukawa for that," Takigawa said before they had arrived at his place. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the front door; the usual procedures of stepping inside were repeated before he headed straight into the kitchen. "I think I'll just make some curry tonight," he concluded, moving about the room, pulling out ingredients, utensils and kitchenware as he went.
Kimeru thought for a minute as he placed his bag on the couch. "Can I bring out Q from the cage?" he asked hesitantly.
Takigawa peeked out from the kitchen. "Sure. I'm sure he appreciates the gesture!" he replied before returning to preparing tonight's dish.
Kimeru grinned as he went straight the cage and took Q out. "Hey there big guy," he said as he started playing with the fat bunny.
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Aiba sighed as he closed the door behind him. He placed the plastic bag on Kimeru's side of the room and slumped down on the bed.
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Shirota was sitting down to his sister's cooking. He, along with his older sister Maria and his older brother Jun were the only ones at home. Their father was working overtime again, therefore called to say that he'd miss dinner.
"So how's school so far, Yuu-kun?" Maria asked conversationally.
"It's fine. Got into the soccer varsity..." Shirota replied.
"Not to mention he became Student Council Secretary," Jun teased.
"Really?! That's great, Yuu!" Maria said excitedly.
"You didn't have to tell her that, Jun-ani..." Shirota pouted.
"Cheer up, it's news to Maria-nesan, isn't it?" Jun fired back.
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Takigawa finished preparing the dish much quicker than the other day and had everything set up for dinner in half an hour. He called Kimeru to eat before sitting himself down at the table.
Kimeru joined him after a while and when they were done he offered to do the dishes.
Takigawa went to feed Pearl and Q while Kimeru was doing the dishes. 'Hmm... How should I put it...' he thought to himself, formulating what to say as he set down a bowl of food in Q’s cage for the rabbit.
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Aiba sighed as he read the messages on his laptop. It was from his mother and sister. The message was something about his father being promoted and them begging him to come back home. He ignored this and just closed his laptop.
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Shirota hustled to his room and closed the door behind him, panting as he sank down the door, wiping the sweat off his brow. He had just avoided a tickle attack from his brother. 'This is why I prefer staying with Eiji-kun...' he thought to himself, shuddering before he went to do his homework.
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After washing the dishes, Kimeru joined Takigawa. "Done," he said with a smile.
Takigawa nodded. "A-no... About earlier..." he started, distractedly moving to reach for his book bag. "Is it alright if we set things straight now? Before we get to studying, that is..."
Kimeru blinked as Takigawa said this. "Uh...sure, I guess," he said before sitting down on the couch.
Takigawa apprehensively took a seat on the couch as well. "So..." he began, scratching his cheek. “Now that I've told you how I feel... A-no..." He felt his cheeks heat up before he shook his head. “Gomen, I can't really... complete... sentences..." he mumbled.
"Relax, Takigawa," Kimeru said as he patted him on the shoulder. "I won't bite you," he teased.
Takigawa took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before starting again. "I want to know if you're feeling the same way..." he blurted out clearly, pausing before turning to Kimeru timidly. “It's alright if you aren't..." he added quietly.
Kimeru thought for a moment. "...and Nagayan told me it was dead obvious..." he muttered. “Takigawa...if I wasn't feeling the same way I wouldn't even bother to annoy you ever since we started Senior High...not to mention that I'm here at your place right now," he said.
Takigawa nodded slowly. "I just had to confirm it..." he said before getting to his feet. “I heard from Shirotan what Aiba-kun told him about what happened that night after we finished studying..." he explained before taking his book bag and headed for the stairs. "According to Aiba-kun, you couldn't stop talking about me," he said, chuckling.
Kimeru's eyes widened. "Aiba did what?!" he exclaimed before frowning. "That kid..." he muttered darkly. He followed Takigawa upstairs and was already at the topmost step when he remembered something. "That boy you mentioned...is he on the soccer team by any chance?" he asked.
Takigawa opened the door to his room and nodded. "Shirotan? Aa, he is. Why do you ask?" he inquired, bringing out the floor pillows from his closet.
Kimeru took out Aiba's camera, which he had managed to grab earlier without the other noticing, and showed a picture to Takigawa. "This one?" he asked.
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Aiba rummaged in his bag. "My camera's missing!!" he exclaimed.
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Takigawa took the camera and examined the picture before nodding. "Aa... Was this at yesterday's practice?" he inquired, raising a curious eyebrow.
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"GIVE IT BACK!" Shirota demanded; reaching for his calculator that Jun had held out of his reach while keeping Shirota back with his other hand. "I need to finish my Math assignment!" he reasoned.
"You owe me an explanation as to why your allowance money's already amounted to 3000 yen when it's just the middle of the week," Jun said.
"I went out for dinner with a friend and offered to pay, is that a crime?" Shirota defended, clawing for his calculator. "Mou, give it back already!"
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Kimeru nodded. "Browse through the photos and tell me what you observe about them," he said as he sat on the bed instead of on the floor.
Takigawa located the right button and began browsing through the pictures, taking in their contents. When he had arrived back at the first picture, he lowered the camera. "Whose camera is this?" he breathed before turning to Kimeru. "Most of these pictures are of Shirotan..."
Kimeru grinned. "The owner of that camera is Aiba Hiroki, my roommate and that boy's --Shirota is it?-classmate," he said. "When I asked him about it, he told me that Shirota was just at the right places during the right time. Lighting and stuff that I couldn't understand," he explained.
Takigawa handed the camera back. "Aiba-kun, huh... I met him during the first day of school..." he said as he took his book bag and brought it with him as he sat down on the floor. "I wonder if it was just the lighting he was worried about... Or something else..." he thought out loud, shaking his head before opening his bag. "Saa, we don't have time for this type of talk. What do you want to discuss tonight?"
Kimeru chuckled before standing up to get his books before sitting down on the floor beside Takigawa. "Well...the Math teacher did say that we have a quiz on Friday and there's this part I don't quite understand..." he started.
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It was already around 10 in the evening when Kimeru got back to the dorms; he had expected that Aiba was already asleep so he quietly opened the door and went inside...only to be bombarded by pillows.
"Ow! Wait-- Hey!!" he said as he attempted to shield himself with his arms. A stray pillow hit his injured hand causing him to yelp in pain.
When Aiba heard this he stopped. "Where's my camera?" he asked threateningly.
"What makes you think I have it?!" Kimeru asked.
"You're the only one who’s shown interest in it! Now give it back!!" Aiba said.
"All right, sheesh! Here," Kimeru said as he handed the camera to Aiba. "Can I go to bed now?" the older of the two asked.
Aiba nodded wordlessly, examining the camera for any damage.
We look forward to your reviews and possible suggestions. :)
Author/Artist: mido_ban04 and tennis_dudez
Link: Winglicans Thread
Warnings/Rating:T (Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes)
Series/Pairing(s): TeniMyu; Mainly Takigawa Eiji x Kimeru & Shirota Yuu x Aiba Hiroki
Notes: Our second forum roleplay revolving around the two couples that we did over at Winglicans.
An alternative universe type of fanfiction, my partner and I take you to how the two couples began during their days in Senior High, with Takigawa and Kimeru in their 2nd year, and Shirota and Aiba in their 1st. This fanfiction will run from that setting until Shirota and Aiba’s graduation from Senior High two years later. Most of the information here are either altered, made-up or real altogether. For clarifications on such information, feel free to contact me through Y!M (snoopeRJ_04).
Hints of other pairings shall also be introduced, therefore expect to be seeing other members of the TeniMyu cast to show up in this Mitsukaru Senior High setting. This is meant to serve as a prequel to our fanfiction ’Anything for You’.
As my partner seems to be having problems with posting, I shall also be posting the chapters of this prequel. This is an edited version of our roleplay over at the forum (or rather, a cleaner and grammatically correct version), open to reviews. I have also opened this to be viewable by the general public.
Here is the 3rd chapter entitled Takigawa & Kimeru’s Sweet Nothings. This chapter revolves around how Takigawa and Kimeru’s feelings break the surface and voice it out to one another while dealing with trivial things that continuously involve the school band members.
**ALSO! None of the authors of this roleplay/fanfic own TeniMyu or the actors, but are mere fangirls of the musical series and corresponding actors we write about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of our witty imaginations.
(cross-posted to tenimyu_slash)
The next day, Daisuke was waiting for Takigawa by the school gates. According to his sources, today was another study session for Takigawa and Kimeru.
----------
Aiba was early that day; he had to get the pictures printed for submission that day and the only access he had to a printer was in school. The editor-in-chief had given him the key to the office so that he could finish it there. He was waiting for a few pages to print when he looked outside the window. "Isn't that one of Kimeru-senpai's band-mates?" he wondered to himself.
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Takigawa yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he headed to school early that day. 'Of all the days for Moriyama-senpai to come back to school... he wakes me up so early...' he thought to himself, shaking his head as he recalled how he had gotten up minutes before.
Takigawa was woken up earlier than usual by his ringing phone. Groaning, he felt around for the device on his bedside table and answered it. "Hello?"
“Ah, Takigawa-kun! Glad you picked up.”
"Moriyama-senpai...?" Takigawa identified, stifling a yawn.
“Aa. Listen, I just came back from the seminar, and I was hoping if I could have a chat with you about what's happened so far while I was away. Could you come over to the school?” Moriyama instructed.
Takigawa checked the time. It was only 6 in the morning. "Alright... Just give me a while to get ready. I'll be there in about 15 minutes," he replied before hanging up. He looked over to the sleeping form of Shirota and got to his feet, moving to his desk and wrote a note for the boy and got ready for school.
And here he was, walking to school. He slowed down when he saw Daisuke by the school gates. 'Won't this be trouble...' he thought to himself, inwardly sighing as he put on a smile as he approached the boy. "Ohayou, Watanabe-kun. You're here pretty early," Takigawa stated conversationally.
Daisuke glared at Takigawa as soon as he saw him. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from Kimeru? He has better things to do than that stupid program!" he said as he grabbed Takigawa by the collar. "I don't care if you're Student Council or not, you’re going to learn--"
"Daisuke!" a voice called out, causing Daisuke to release Takigawa.
"Furukawa, what the hell are you doing here?!" Daisuke asked furiously.
Furukawa Yuuta, another member of the band club, glared at Daisuke who glared back at him before turning around and walking towards the building. Furukawa sighed. "Sorry about that, Takigawa...that guy has issues," he said, "See you in class!" he added before running after Daisuke.
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Aiba lowered his camera and smirked. "That jerk better appreciate the effort..." he said as he added another picture to the lineup of the ones he was printing.
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Takigawa nodded over to Furukawa as he watched them run off as he fixed the crease on his shirt and continued inside. "Seriously... Like this is a big deal and all..." he muttered to himself as he headed for the West Building to meet up with the Student Council President.
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Kimeru woke up at around 7 o’clock; he had enough time to get to school at a leisurely pace. Once he got to school he went straight to his classroom. "What's this?" he said as he saw a brown envelope on his desk. He picked it up and took out what was inside. His felt his anger flare up once he saw the photos inside.
"Ohayou Kimeru~ hey what's--"
Kimeru cut Daisuke off by punching him in the gut.
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Aiba was reading a book as he waited for the other students to come in.
Shirota had gotten up at around quarter to 7, which gave him enough time to read the note Takigawa had left him, get ready for school and lock the house with his key and headed to school. He arrived at the 1-1 classroom and heaved a sigh of relief as he proceeded to his desk and slumped into it. "Why'd he have to leave so early..? I wasn't able to have breakfast..." Shirota muttered darkly to himself.
Aiba flipped a page of his book when he saw Shirota arrive. "You seem under the weather today..." he said as he looked up from what he was reading.
Shirota set his head down on the desk and looked over to Aiba. "Takigawa-senpai... I slept over last night but he left early today... So when I woke up, I had to rush here without any breakfast..." he explained. "Mou, I was looking forward to his French toast..." he complained, burying his face in his hands.
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Takigawa left the Council room and slowly headed to his classroom. His little meeting with Moriyama-senpai was unexpected. He had assumed the older boy would scold him for even risking his Council duties on Kimeru's grades, but Takigawa was surprised when Moriyama had laughed out loud, stating that he hadn't met anybody as bold as Takigawa to speak up to the principal as he had.
"I have the utmost confidence in you, Takigawa-kun. Prove the principal wrong!" Moriyama told him as Takigawa sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.
'Honestly...' he thought to himself.
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"What do you mean you're quitting the band?!" Nagayan exclaimed as he stared at Kimeru.
"I'll just be gone for the quarter to pull my grades up...the recent incident didn't exactly put me in the principal's good book," Kimeru said as he glared at Daisuke who didn't look at him.
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When break time arrived, Takigawa wanted some time to think to himself, and decided that the rooftop was the best place for that. He pushed the door open a notch and paused when he heard some voices on the other side.
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"As long as Takigawa doesn't know about this, I don't care. He already risked a lot in even accepting me as a partner in this program," Kimeru added.
"Kind of hard to not notice with that cut on your cheek and bandage on your hand," Sota pointed out.
"I'll think of an excuse," Kimeru said before sighing heavily.
"Why does he even bother anyway?" Daisuke muttered.
"I'm afraid I don't know that myself."
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Takigawa paused, recognizing who they were before he slowly stepped out into the rooftop to see the members of the school band there. He frowned when he noticed that Kimeru was injured. "What happened to you?" he inquired before he could stop himself.
Kimeru looked up and saw Takigawa. He groaned inwardly at his timing. "I...fell down the stairs," he said.
"Got into a fist fight with Daisuke," Nagayan said at the same time.
Kimeru stared at Nagayan as well as the rest of the band members. "Nagayan!" Kimeru hissed.
"He's going to find out eventually Kimeru," Nagayan said firmly.
Takigawa apprehensively approached Kimeru. "Was it because of me..?" he asked quietly, taking hold of the boy's bandaged hand. "You even went too far to injure your hand..." he added, sighing.
"It--" Kimeru began.
"If you won't tell him the truth, I will," Nagayan warned.
Kimeru frowned. "Fine...yes, I got into a fight and no it's not because of you," he said. "I started it so I'm the one to blame...no one badmouths or threatens any of my friends...even if that person has been with me for the longest time, he's not exempted," he said bitterly. His eyes widened when he realized what he said.
Nagayan grinned. "Glad to hear you finally say it, Kime," he said as he stretched. "I think we should leave you two to talk for a while," he said brightly as he dragged the rest of the group to the door. "Let's go to the cafeteria! I'm starving!" he said, as he closed the door behind him.
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"FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD!!" Shirota cheered, heading to the cafeteria, dragging Zukki and Aiba with him.
"You really didn't have breakfast this morning?" Zukki inquired with a chuckle.
Shirota nodded. "It's all Takigawa-senpai's fault..." he said darkly as they arrived and got in line.
Aiba sighed. "You kept spacing out in class..." he said as he looked around. “That's strange...the cafeteria is usually filled with the laughter of the Kimeru-senpai's group..." he said.
Shirota failed to notice this and chose his food from today's menu, filling his tray up eagerly.
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"Those freaking idiots..." Kimeru muttered, glaring at the door. He pulled his hand away and turned his back on Takigawa. "Look, I'm fine alright," he said. "So don't go getting yourself worked up for nothing."
Takigawa watched Nagayan lead the rest of them through the door, leaving him alone with Kimeru. Takigawa averted his gaze and walked to the railings. "If this was about earlier with Watanabe-kun..." he began, gripping onto the railings. He smiled to himself. “Furukawa-kun stopped him before he could do anything...” His grip tightened around the bar. "So... if that was why you got into a fight with him... I appreciate it..." he looked over to Kimeru, his smile still plastered on his face. "For considering me as your friend..."
Kimeru turned around to face Takigawa, returning the gesture with a smile of his own. "You know...I've still been wondering about something…" he said suddenly, his smile turning into a pout. “You never told me why you never looked for a girlfriend…"
Takigawa's cheeks flushed before he turned his back to Kimeru as he scratched the back of his head distractedly. "I told you that I wasn't uncomfortable when you mentioned that you weren't into women, didn't I?" he began. "Fact of the matter is, you and I are in the same boat..." he explained, finding himself able to look back over to Kimeru. “Would it... sound awkward to you if I told you... that I liked you?” he asked apprehensively.
Kimeru grinned when he heard Takigawa's answer. ‘W-W-What? Did he just say what I thought he did?!' Kimeru thought as he felt his face heat up. He felt at a loss of what to say for a few seconds before finding his voice again. "I-I don't mind..." he said.
Takigawa paused, considering Kimeru's choice of words before chuckling, shaking his head as he headed to the door. "Honestly, who answers it that way?" he teased. His hand wavered over the handle before he said, "We can about this later... More properly, at least..." He looked over his shoulder and smiled over to Kimeru. "Ja, see you later." With that, Takigawa left.
"Aa..." Kimeru said as he stared at the door for a while; letting what just happened sink in. He shrugged. "I'll think about it later," he told himself before heading back to his room.
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After class, Aiba went straight to the office of the school paper. "Aiba-kun...." Yagami Ren, the Editor-in-chief of the club, smiled at him.
Aiba felt a shiver go down his spine. "Y-Yes senpai?" he asked.
"Next time, please make sure that you take pictures of other members as well…" Yagami said.
"But he--"
"No matter how bad the lighting is… they invented flash for that reason, okay?"
Aiba nodded and looked away.
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"Oi, Kime how did it go?" Nagayan asked as they put the instruments away after a brief meeting.
"How did what go?" Kimeru asked him.
"You know..."
"No..."
Nagayan stared at him and sighed. "You’re hopeless," he said.
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After classes, Shirota and Takigawa attended to their Student Council duties in the Council Room. After Takigawa promptly introduced Moriyama-senpai to Shirota, Shirota went off to file a few things, happy that they both had a day off from varsity practice today.
"Oi, Takigawa," Moriyama called.
"Hai, Moriyama-senpai?" the second year inquired, walking up to the president with a folder in hand.
Moriyama brought his hands behind his head and leaned back on his chair as he looked over to the youngest boy filing in his desk. "So Shirota-kun's a childhood friend of yours, na?"
Takigawa nodded, following the older boy's gaze. "He works hard. I'm sure he won't give you much trouble," he explained.
"I thought I made it clear that I wouldn't look for another Vice President besides you, Takigawa... I have faith in Kimeru-kun that you shouldn't worry about resigning your position," Moriyama repeated, cleaning his ear out with his pinky.
Takigawa smirked. "I'm confident in Kimeru-kun as well..." he admitted. “I suppose putting my position on the Council would give him that incentive that he needs..."
"Incentive?" Moriyama repeated, furrowing his eyebrows.
Takigawa nodded. "I suppose that if I didn't put something on the line, he would just dismiss this entire program... And I wouldn't want to let that happen..."
"You've been waiting for a chance like that, haven't you?" Shirota chimed in, coming over to Moriyama's desk with a pile of papers.
Takigawa looked over to Shirota, a faint blush on his cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about..."
Shirota chuckled. "Hai, the documents for the class lists are in order, kaicho," he reported.
Moriyama grinned. "Sankyu, Shirota-kun."
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Aiba was passing by the hall, ready to leave the school, when Kimeru saw him. "Oi, Aiba," he called out.
"Yes senpai?" Aiba asked, stopping before turning around to face Kimeru who came out of a room he passed.
"You're the one who put the pictures on my desk, aren't you?" Kimeru asked him as he approached.
Aiba took a step back. "I...don't know what you mean, senpai..." he said carefully.
Kimeru grinned as he patted Aiba on the shoulder. "No need to be apprehensive. I just need to thank you, that's all..." Aiba looked at him suspiciously. "...and tell you to get me more of those thingies you brought from the grocery last week."
'I knew it....' Aiba thought. "Hai...I'll go get some before going back to the dorms. I'll be going now,” he said before turning around and walking away.
Kimeru checked the time. "Just a few more minutes before I have to meet Takigawa..." he muttered to himself.
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When Council work was all done, Shirota and Takigawa went ahead of Moriyama and made their leave from the school.
"Ne, you owe me for breakfast this morning!" Shirota declared as they headed off to the gates.
"I do, don't I? Well, tomorrow for sure, then. Kimeru-kun's coming over to study tonight, remember?" Takigawa reminded the boy.
Shirota nodded. "I know, I know..."
"Now get on home. Maria-san is taking a break off work starting today, isn't she?" Takigawa stated, pushing Shirota forward.
"Ahh! I almost forgot!" Shirota said in a panic. “Thanks for reminding me. See you tomorrow, Eiji-kun!" he called before running ahead.
Takigawa chuckled, watching Shirota before stopping just outside the gates, checking the time.
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Aiba was looking around the grocery for the specific brand of pocky he bought a few days ago. ‘Please don't be out of stock....you're the only thing that would save me from sleeping late tonight...’ he thought desperately.
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Kimeru was caught up talking to Nagayan about his new crush when he noticed the time. "I was supposed to meet Takigawa five minutes ago!!" he exclaimed as he bolted out of the room, leaving the rest to stare after him. He reached the school gates, slightly out of breath. He saw Takigawa and approached him. "Sorry about that..." he said.
Takigawa waved a hand. "Don't mind it. I made you wait for me the other day when I ran late on practice. It's fine," he reassured him as he started heading off towards his house. "Oh yes, I wanted to ask you if you wanted anything special for dinner tonight," he began, looking over to Kimeru, flashing him a small smile.
"Like I said, I'll eat anything edible," Kimeru replied with a grin.
"In short, anything I make will appeal to your appetite," Takigawa concluded, chuckling.
"I think you got that right," Kimeru answered with a laugh. "Hey Takigawa, I just remembered something," Kimeru said randomly. "Daisuke told me that he was sorry for hitting you the day before...you didn't tell me that he hit you."
"You don't notice the obvious, do you?" Takigawa stated, pointing to his swollen cheek which was still showing faint signs of a bruise. "And I didn't think it was necessary to tell you about it at the time. After all, he told me to back off," he recalled. "Then Nagayan came and said not to give up on you," he added fondly, chuckling.
"Nagayan did what?!" Kimeru exclaimed, suddenly stopping. "That guy...he really likes to move on his own sometimes." He dragged Takigawa to the side of the street. "Let me take a look at that for a while," he said as he pulled Takigawa down a bit to look at his cheek. "...I'm surprised you didn't say anything," he said before letting the taller boy go.
Takigawa fixed his hold on his bag before they continued their walk. "What was there to say? Watanabe-kun had already left before I could retort, anyway. Not that I would've wanted to since I knew it would just end up in another fist to the face," Takigawa mused. "But he's got a powerful punch, I'll admit," he stated seriously. "I practically sank to the floor as soon as he left."
Kimeru frowned. "Then I don't regret hitting him this morning..." he muttered. “That guy…he really can't tell right from wrong sometimes. That's why Furukawa's with him."
"I already thanked Furukawa for that," Takigawa said before they had arrived at his place. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the front door; the usual procedures of stepping inside were repeated before he headed straight into the kitchen. "I think I'll just make some curry tonight," he concluded, moving about the room, pulling out ingredients, utensils and kitchenware as he went.
Kimeru thought for a minute as he placed his bag on the couch. "Can I bring out Q from the cage?" he asked hesitantly.
Takigawa peeked out from the kitchen. "Sure. I'm sure he appreciates the gesture!" he replied before returning to preparing tonight's dish.
Kimeru grinned as he went straight the cage and took Q out. "Hey there big guy," he said as he started playing with the fat bunny.
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Aiba sighed as he closed the door behind him. He placed the plastic bag on Kimeru's side of the room and slumped down on the bed.
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Shirota was sitting down to his sister's cooking. He, along with his older sister Maria and his older brother Jun were the only ones at home. Their father was working overtime again, therefore called to say that he'd miss dinner.
"So how's school so far, Yuu-kun?" Maria asked conversationally.
"It's fine. Got into the soccer varsity..." Shirota replied.
"Not to mention he became Student Council Secretary," Jun teased.
"Really?! That's great, Yuu!" Maria said excitedly.
"You didn't have to tell her that, Jun-ani..." Shirota pouted.
"Cheer up, it's news to Maria-nesan, isn't it?" Jun fired back.
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Takigawa finished preparing the dish much quicker than the other day and had everything set up for dinner in half an hour. He called Kimeru to eat before sitting himself down at the table.
Kimeru joined him after a while and when they were done he offered to do the dishes.
Takigawa went to feed Pearl and Q while Kimeru was doing the dishes. 'Hmm... How should I put it...' he thought to himself, formulating what to say as he set down a bowl of food in Q’s cage for the rabbit.
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Aiba sighed as he read the messages on his laptop. It was from his mother and sister. The message was something about his father being promoted and them begging him to come back home. He ignored this and just closed his laptop.
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Shirota hustled to his room and closed the door behind him, panting as he sank down the door, wiping the sweat off his brow. He had just avoided a tickle attack from his brother. 'This is why I prefer staying with Eiji-kun...' he thought to himself, shuddering before he went to do his homework.
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After washing the dishes, Kimeru joined Takigawa. "Done," he said with a smile.
Takigawa nodded. "A-no... About earlier..." he started, distractedly moving to reach for his book bag. "Is it alright if we set things straight now? Before we get to studying, that is..."
Kimeru blinked as Takigawa said this. "Uh...sure, I guess," he said before sitting down on the couch.
Takigawa apprehensively took a seat on the couch as well. "So..." he began, scratching his cheek. “Now that I've told you how I feel... A-no..." He felt his cheeks heat up before he shook his head. “Gomen, I can't really... complete... sentences..." he mumbled.
"Relax, Takigawa," Kimeru said as he patted him on the shoulder. "I won't bite you," he teased.
Takigawa took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before starting again. "I want to know if you're feeling the same way..." he blurted out clearly, pausing before turning to Kimeru timidly. “It's alright if you aren't..." he added quietly.
Kimeru thought for a moment. "...and Nagayan told me it was dead obvious..." he muttered. “Takigawa...if I wasn't feeling the same way I wouldn't even bother to annoy you ever since we started Senior High...not to mention that I'm here at your place right now," he said.
Takigawa nodded slowly. "I just had to confirm it..." he said before getting to his feet. “I heard from Shirotan what Aiba-kun told him about what happened that night after we finished studying..." he explained before taking his book bag and headed for the stairs. "According to Aiba-kun, you couldn't stop talking about me," he said, chuckling.
Kimeru's eyes widened. "Aiba did what?!" he exclaimed before frowning. "That kid..." he muttered darkly. He followed Takigawa upstairs and was already at the topmost step when he remembered something. "That boy you mentioned...is he on the soccer team by any chance?" he asked.
Takigawa opened the door to his room and nodded. "Shirotan? Aa, he is. Why do you ask?" he inquired, bringing out the floor pillows from his closet.
Kimeru took out Aiba's camera, which he had managed to grab earlier without the other noticing, and showed a picture to Takigawa. "This one?" he asked.
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Aiba rummaged in his bag. "My camera's missing!!" he exclaimed.
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Takigawa took the camera and examined the picture before nodding. "Aa... Was this at yesterday's practice?" he inquired, raising a curious eyebrow.
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"GIVE IT BACK!" Shirota demanded; reaching for his calculator that Jun had held out of his reach while keeping Shirota back with his other hand. "I need to finish my Math assignment!" he reasoned.
"You owe me an explanation as to why your allowance money's already amounted to 3000 yen when it's just the middle of the week," Jun said.
"I went out for dinner with a friend and offered to pay, is that a crime?" Shirota defended, clawing for his calculator. "Mou, give it back already!"
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Kimeru nodded. "Browse through the photos and tell me what you observe about them," he said as he sat on the bed instead of on the floor.
Takigawa located the right button and began browsing through the pictures, taking in their contents. When he had arrived back at the first picture, he lowered the camera. "Whose camera is this?" he breathed before turning to Kimeru. "Most of these pictures are of Shirotan..."
Kimeru grinned. "The owner of that camera is Aiba Hiroki, my roommate and that boy's --Shirota is it?-classmate," he said. "When I asked him about it, he told me that Shirota was just at the right places during the right time. Lighting and stuff that I couldn't understand," he explained.
Takigawa handed the camera back. "Aiba-kun, huh... I met him during the first day of school..." he said as he took his book bag and brought it with him as he sat down on the floor. "I wonder if it was just the lighting he was worried about... Or something else..." he thought out loud, shaking his head before opening his bag. "Saa, we don't have time for this type of talk. What do you want to discuss tonight?"
Kimeru chuckled before standing up to get his books before sitting down on the floor beside Takigawa. "Well...the Math teacher did say that we have a quiz on Friday and there's this part I don't quite understand..." he started.
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It was already around 10 in the evening when Kimeru got back to the dorms; he had expected that Aiba was already asleep so he quietly opened the door and went inside...only to be bombarded by pillows.
"Ow! Wait-- Hey!!" he said as he attempted to shield himself with his arms. A stray pillow hit his injured hand causing him to yelp in pain.
When Aiba heard this he stopped. "Where's my camera?" he asked threateningly.
"What makes you think I have it?!" Kimeru asked.
"You're the only one who’s shown interest in it! Now give it back!!" Aiba said.
"All right, sheesh! Here," Kimeru said as he handed the camera to Aiba. "Can I go to bed now?" the older of the two asked.
Aiba nodded wordlessly, examining the camera for any damage.
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