The Assignment: Chapter Three
When Valentine's Attacks
“Why is this week so busy?”
“I don’t know...”
“I mean, for starters its valentine’s day tomorrow. And then we have our bunkasai just two days after that...than Friday we have so much work to submit...”
“Valentine’s is not work, Toma...”
“Easy for you to say you’re a girl. You don’t have to run around buying gifts or flowers, or something...”
“Who says!?”
Rei teased gently sweeping books of her desk into her bag. She looked up at Yamada who was staring blankly at the question sheet on his desk.
“Hey, Ryo did you know that only some of us are doing on Osmosis?”
Yamada looked up dazed... “Doing wha?”....
Toma and Rei both chuckled. “You sleepy head! Wake up!”
Yamada smiled lazily and pushed himself against the wall. “So you’re doing a different topic?”
“Yeah... Sensei gave us more than one topic. Just cause he caught some egg heads trading answers, he gave like three other topics I think to other groups...” Toma said stretching in his seat as Rei nodded next to him.
“Either way, it’s still work....” Yamada replied.
He stared at the students around him rushing out to recess. Deciding he might as well do his work in a quiet place he stood up, and moved up to his so called secret hiding place, which was basically the “forbidden roof”. But he had to get there before Yuto saw him, otherwise he would suffer Yuto’s prefect chant all over again. So as swiftly as he could, he quickly entered the staircase and jogged up towards the roof.
*********************************
“Where were you during recess yesterday?” Yuto smiled brightly as he waved towards a girl from the A class who had just presented him with a bouquet of lily’s and tulips.
“Nowhere special. Just working on that bio thing...”
Valentine’s day was probably one of the most enjoyable days for them during school. The amount of chocolates and gifts, home-made bentos and even secret admirer letters was something everyone looked forward too. Well unless one hates the world completely, none of their gifts would make them happy. Or one is that unlucky person that doesn’t get anything at all the whole day. Yamada simply shoved all these things under his chair, and would rather just grunt instead of giving extremely happy and bubbly responses like most other people did. However, he did have an amusing moment when he saw Kenta reluctantly accepting what looked like a packet of home-made chocolate from a pretty girl earlier. He would have continued watching, if Kenta hadn’t caught his eye in between. So once again when during recess he ran to the roof to quietly do his work, but as he opened the door and made to his favourite spot, he frowned. For there was already someone sitting there.
“Oii...this is my place...” Yamada started but stopped abruptly at the sight of her face.
Yuki was sitting with a pile of homework around her, and he noticed some very lengthy essay like answers to that bio assignment amongst it. Her bag was open and her books were everywhere. It would've looked like she was just studying, that is if she didn't have such a depressing look on her face. She simply stayed immobile at the sight of him. Than drooped her head once again.
“Ur..what...why... wait. Your valentine got rejected eh Yuki?” Yamada smirked raising an eyebrow.
She stayed still, still looking down at the tissues in her lap.
“Which smart kid saw right through your demonic hide?” he asked again grinning wider.
Yuki simply wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
Yamada stared.
“She so deserves this....no one asked you to be so mean....and arrogant....and you flung my dog........you and your creepy cat...so deserve this...”
He continued to stare as Yuki wiped her glasses clean. He purposely forced a mocking laugh at her, before seating himself a little further to her right, and pulling out his bento cheerily. She was still there, he could sense movement. But he paid no attention. Just continued to happily gobble down his breakfast and stare at the sky. Life looked so beautiful from here. He drowned his thoughts into how good the world was, and how people should be nice to others, and their pets...
“Bad people have bad things coming...” he thought, nodding. Several joyous seconds passed as he gobbled and enjoyed and his endless flow of thoughts, before someone's voice popped in.
“Ano...”
He flinched. She had just distracted him as he was publishing a theory to himself on how to punish people who hurt dogs. Furious, Yamada looked up at her with his mouth full. Yuki was standing there next to him holding what looked suspiciously like a heart shaped box. She bent down and placed the small box of chocolates in front of him.
“I was buying some water this morning, and I ....well...saw this box....its...strawberry flavored ..so I thought it might cheer you up...and well...motivate you ....to do that work well....”
Yamada stared at the box, a hot feeling rising in his face. Yet he remained speechless. And even if he wanted to blurt out some random words, his mouth was full with that big bite of Onigiri he had taken so he couldn't react much. He simply nodded, not daring to look at her.
“Urm...Kenta and I fought...this morning...that’s why I was....well...upset and all....anyway...erm...I’ll go now...see you...and well...... Happy Vale...well you get it...”
He nodded more furiously as she left, feeling extremely hot in his face, eyes still on the box.
Accepting things from random people was easy. But from someone he was going to have to sit with every bio lesson...he tried his best but it was as if his food was refusing to go in, and he spent most of the recess trying to swallow that big bite.