Volume 4, Chapter 5.5: "Secretly" Dating

*****

"..."

...

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Yuu and the others couldn't keep their reactions the moment they heard that Hoshizawa and I started going out just now...

"I can't believe it...Hoshizawa san likes Shun?"

"Shunicchi you womanizer!"

"This is pretty shocking, but I was already expecting it'll happen someday, I didn't think it would be today though..."

"Mi's got some guts"

"Miucchi! Congratulations!"

"Miu! We're happy for you!"

"I can't believe it...that place actually makes people into couples?"

"Its just a confession spot, Maria. Not some magical place"

I looked at Hoshizawa, who was next to me, her face was red the whole time

"T-Thank you..."

Oh? Where's the Hoshizawa that's so assertive to me earlier?

...Is she only like that when nobody's around?

...

It looked like to me that Hoshizawa came back to being her usual self. Although it was kind of relieving to see that side again...

...

...I also like the other side of her...

"See? I was right about telling it to them, huh?"

"Stop rubbing it on me, Ryu"

"You're so ungrateful, Shun!"

"By the way, what do you guys mean by 'secretly' ?"

Fay asked the question first before I was about to explain our situation

"Let me guess Shun, its because of the rumors, huh?"

"That's right, Yuu. Its because of those rumors that we can't go out publicly"

"Eh? Those rumors? The one where the students in our school thinks you guys are dating?"

"Is there anything wrong with that? It is the truth as of now though..."

"No, there's more to it than that, Maki san"

"What do you mean?"

"Shun here doesn't want to make it known to the public because of those rumors"

"I don't follow..."

"Our school is a prestigious one, that means a lot of rich people like us come to that school, right?"

"Yeah...?"

"On the other hand, commoners like Shun, Ryuuto, and Masato here were able to enter our school through a scholarship"

"Oh! I know that part! Amagasacchi and the others had to take the entrance exam, right?"

"Now that I remember...I think we saw their names on the first day of school..."

"We did, Fay. Amagasa kun and Ito kun here were ranked pretty low at that time though, Fujioka kun on the other hand, came first place with a 96% score"

"I disagree! I know Shun's holding back! I know he's smarter than me! I don't know about browny though..."

"Hey! That's mean! Like Shun, I studied hard for it too you know!"

"You looked like the type who's only good at copying answers from others"

"Why would I even do that?! Besides, they wouldn't even let you do that at the entrance exam!"

Ryu's actually right, at that time, there were four people surrounding us at each of the room's corner while a teacher oversees everyone in the center of the room...

"But still, I don't see any problem about Amagasa kun and Miu going out publicly"

"They can't"

"Huh?"

"Shun's a commoner and Hoshizawa san here is the daughter of the famous ChokoChoko Company, surely you know what I'm talking about now, right?"

"Huh..."

...

...A few minutes after, they eventually got it...

"Ah! I get it, Yuuchin! People might think differently about them if they were to go out publicly!"

"That's mostly the surface, but yeah"

"If that's only the surface, then what's the real reason?"

"It could ruin Mi's company's relationship to its partners, Fay"

"Eh? Aren't you guys thinking about this too much?"

"Rumors can be good or bad, but whatever form it may be, it'll be bad for Shun and Hoshizawa san, since some of the students at our school are too fixated about social hierarchy"

"In short, Musclehead's point is, people at our school might get worried at Hoshizawa san"

"Now you're making me even more confused..."

"For example, people will think that Shun's only in it for the money, because he's just a commoner. Hence will make everyone feel sorry for Hoshizawa san, for getting duped by Shun"

"But that means...Amagasa kun would be the bad guy and Miu would be the victim!"

...I didn't even thought of that scenario...

...what Masa just said probably could also happen as well...

"Not to mention, there might be some other girls at our school who's jealous of Mi..."

"If they got a word of Amagasacchi and Miucchi going out, they could even use it against them!"

"You're getting too deep about this, but yeah, they can't go out publicly, for now that is..."

"I don't mind about me being the bad guy, but I don't want them to think that Hoshizawa san was an easy target who let her guard down to someone as lowly as me-"

"No! They're wrong! Completely wrong!"

"Hoshizawa san...?"

"You're not that kind of guy! They're completely wrong!"

"I-I h-heard you the first time, H-Hoshizawa san, so please, calm down!"

"I won't be going to forgive those people who thinks badly of you!"

"I-I'm happy that you feel that way, Hoshizawa san, but right now..."

"Huh...?"

Hoshizawa quickly realized that she just ranted out in front of her friends

"Eh- Ah- Um!- S-S-SORRY!"

They were taken aback, but laughed afterwards

"E-Eh?"

"So this is what Hoshizawa san looks like when she's in love"

"Mi's going all out"

"Good for you, Amagasacchi"

"Good for you, Shunicchi!"

"Ah, to be young"

"You sounded like an old man just now, browny"

"I'm not!"

"Its like I'm seeing a new Miu infront of me"

"Uuu..."

A pouting Hoshizawa?! So cute! I've never seen her do that kind of face before!

"Uwa- Shun's staring at her too much"

"Oh, I didn't know you were there, Maria"

"Did you really just forgot about me?!"

I looked back at Yuu and the others to get their answers

"So...about us secretly dating..."

"I get it, I won't gonna say a thing to others"

"Don't worry, Shunicchi! Your secret's safe with me!"

"I'll keep an eye out for browny here, we don't want him to cause any more trouble after all"

"I agree"

"Me too!"

"Why are you guys so wary of me?!"

"We'll help you in keeping it a secret, Amagasa kun!"

"You can count on us, Miucchi!"

"You are our friend after all"

"Everyone...Thank you!"

Hoshizawa smiled warmly at them to which they also responded back to her with a smile on their faces

I looked at Maria, who kept silent up until now...

"W-what?"

"I trust that you can keep it a secret, right?"

"Of course! What do you take me for?!"

I had my doubts to Maria, but I'm sure she's not that lip loosed like Ryu...

I looked back at Hoshizawa. She noticed that I was looking st her, so she looked back at me too, smiling...

"It feels good to have friends you can rely on"

"Yes...I'm grateful that they were my friends"

"Me too..."

Hoshizawa then grabbed my hand and rested her head on my shoulders

"Oh! They're already at it!"

"Miucchi you're so aggressive!"

"?!"

She quickly jumped out and stood properly next to me

"Miu's getting shy! So cute!"

"Y-You guys tease me too much!"

It was then that Ryu started to invite me to play volleyball

"Shun! Lets play volleyball!"

"Oh! I like the sound of that! Fight us, Ito kun!"

"You really love volleyball huh, Risa?"

"Hehe! Volleyball's my life!"

"I still can't believe we lost..."

The one who said that line just now came from Yuu, who apparently lost to Risa and Fay

"What did you expect, Yuuchin? Risacchin's the Queen of the Field after all"

"I know that!"

"But that might change you know! Ryuuichi and Shunicchi are gonna fight them for us!"

"Ryuuto and Shun...*Shivers*...now that's a pair you don't want to see..."

"Hey! I haven't even agreed yet! And you guys give me too much credit!"

"Now I reaaaally have to see if Amagasacchi's that good!"

"Oh boy, here we go again"

"For the record, I'm out okay?"

"We can take them out, Makicchi!"

"I told you I haven't even agreed to it yet!"

I looked at Hoshizawa, who also looked at me back

"...?"

"Um...Hoshizawa san-"

"You're not going to play?"

"-Eh?"

"I-I...want to see you play as well...Amagasa kun..."

"But you were against it earlier!"

"T-This and that are different!"

"What?!"

"Shun, your girlfriend wants to see you play, aren't you up for it? Its been a while since we played volleyball too you know, aren't you gonna impress her? Show her your cool side a little bit?"

I know that Ryu's persuading me here, but I still played along with it...

...besides...

...my girlfriend will be watching...

"Alright I'll play! But only one set!"

"Now that's what I like to hear!"

"I know you want to look cool in front of Miucchi, Amagasacchi, but I'm not planning to hold back!"

"Looks like someone's gonna eat their words soon"

"This'll be worth to watch, Yuuchin!"

"Blondy's right, I'll be looking forward to this"

"No you're not, Fuji! You're gonna help me clear that game!"

"Do it yourself, pinky. This is once in a lifetime opportunity for me!"

"You're really gungho when its Shun playing, huh?"

"I'll be rooting for you, Amagasa kun!"

"Thanks, Hoshizawa san"

Hoshizawa then sat down next to Maki san, leaving me and Ryu behind...

...

Ryu and I prepared afterwards. Taking stretches here and there as we about to face Fay san and Risa san on a volleyball match...

*****

...

"...I knew it..."

"...That's why I knew it would be a disadvantage..."

"Amagasa kun..."

...

We're in the middle of the game. The score was in a staggering 10 - 24...

...

...with Ryu and I in the lead...

...We didn't underestimate our opponents of course, maybe that's why we're able to have such a lead...

"*Huff*...*puff*...What's with these guys?! They aren't even in any clubs!"

"*Huff*...yeah...*puff*...just how are they so good at this..?"

"That's why we told you that you won't going to beat them earlier!"

"Ryuuichi and Shunicchi just built different, Risacchin!"

"Built different?! Its like I'm fighting against two prodigies!"

"Says the prodigy herself"

"It's like I'm seeing three prodigies in action here though"

"Sorry for being too classic!"

"Hm? I didn't said anything about that, classy"

"YOU SAID IT JUST NOW!"

...

...Meanwhile, Hoshizawa was staring intensely at the game the whole time.

"Mi...?"

"Amagasa kun's so cool!"

"I knew you would say that"

Although we couldn't hear it from a distance, I was sure of what she wanted to say just from the look on her face...

...her face was beaming the whole time, definitely gave me the boost that I need...

...having a girlfriend who cheers you on really is something...huh...

...it almost as if I'm receiving a direct buff from Hoshizawa...

"Would you look at that, Shun, your girlfriend's falling even harder for you"

"Y-yeah..."

I definitely wasn't trying to show off to her, but seeing her like that, makes me happy that I played...

"Since we're already at match point, how about we settle this with a bang?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hehe! You know what I mean!"

Ryu gave me the ball, which told me that he wants to switch places to do "that" move

"Dude, we haven't done that in ages"

"I know we can still pull it off! I trust you, and you trust me, right?"

He looked at me with beaming eyes, almost the same as what Hoshizawa has been giving to me...

...

...I'm not certain if we can do it...

...

...but she's also watching me right now...

...

"*Sigh* as much as I hate to admit it, you're right"

"Hehe! Its settled then!"

Ryu then came forward while I took a step back, which made the other side surprised

"Oho?"

"Amagasa kun and Ito kun switching places?"

"Hey musclehead, do you feel like something's about to go down here?"

"Definitely looks like it, this is also the first time I'll be seeing Shun as the setter"

"And Ryuuichi as the spiker?! This should be interesting!"

"Fuji kun! I can't clear this particular stage!"

"Shut up, pinky! I'm at the climax!"

"Good luck to whoever wins"

"..."

...Meanwhile, Hoshizawa just looked at me with the eyes that said "you can do it!"

Seriously...that side of her is so cute...

...but I need to focus!

...

...I took a deep breath and looked at my surroundings...

"Uwa- Amagasacchi's scaring me with his look!"

"Bless on your souls"

"Stop it! The game isn't even over yet, you two!"

Ryu quickly gave the serve to the other side as I kept track of it...

...

...how far is the net...

...how fast Ryu can run...

...how high can he jump...

...how much force should I put to the ball...

...

...everything was calculated inside my head...

...as I precisely tossed to Ryu the ball at him...

...Ryu then jumped...

...the same time I tossed the ball to the exact location...

...

...hitting the ball at the right time...

...making the other side completely unable to react...

...

...

...

"...what...?"

"...Since when...did Ito kun jumped...and spiked the ball...?"

...

...Leaving the two completely clueless as to what just happened, Yuu and the others had different reactions

"W-WHAT?! MUSCLEHEAD DID YOU SAW THAT?!"

"Stop shoving me! It was too fast even for me!"

"D-d-did Ryuuichi and Shunicchi just do that?! That's impressive!"

"Risa! tell me what happened just now?!"

"I don't know! but what I do know is that I saw the real thing..."

"Real thing...?"

"Minus Tempo! It is where the setter tosses the ball while the spiker is already at spiking motion!"

"Minus Tempo?!"

Risa was indeed right, it was Minus Tempo...

...Before Ryu and I quit volunteering for the volleyball team in middle school, we did practiced on that tempo, it was inspired from the anime that we watched before...

...at first, it looked like it was impossible to pull off...

...but because we're so stubborn, we eventually learned how to sync our movements...leading to that tempo...

"It was the first time for me to see that in action! You two must be the real deal! How could you even have that so much trust to each other?!"

"You know about it, Risa san?"

"Know about it? I've been wanting to do it! But the setters that we have in our team can't do it perfectly like you! Amagasacchi!"

"Really? I think it's just a matter of practice. Right, Ryu?"

"Don't even remind me of those hellish days!"

"Shun! Ryuuto! Thanks for avenging us!"

"We are in debt to you!"

"You guys sounded like we avenged you in some other way that's not volleyball"

"Having a 15 point lead against the queen of the field is a feat you know! Not many teams can stand to Risa san herself"

"I envy browny for having a flexible body. He was able to receive most of the balls that was hard and impossible to catch"

"Why are you suddenly complimenting me?! it's scaring me!"

"Amagasacchi, you're one heck of a setter! Why don't you join us? We could rise together to the top! I, as the Queen of the Field, and you, as the King of the Field!"

"E-Eh?!"

Looks like my girlfriend, Hoshizawa, was about to react, when suddenly, Yuu butted in

"Hey! We asked Shun to join our basketball club first! Plus, your team can only accept girls!"

"I'll do whatever it takes to get Amagasacchi in our team! So how about it, Amagasacchi?!"

"Why am I the only one who's getting scouted?! Shouldn't you ask Ryu too?!"

"We already asked Ryu a bunch of times, but he said that he would only join in a club where you'll be"

"What Yuu says"

"You're really dumping the decision on me don't you?"

"Tee hee!"

"DON'T TEE HEE ME!"

"So, what will it be?!"

Risa san leaned closer and closer to get an answer from me...

...when suddenly, Hoshizawa stepped in between us

"H...Hoshizawa san...?"

"...You were so cool back there, Amagasa kun..."

"T-thanks-"

"...but I don't want Amagasa kun to join in your team, Risa"

"H-how about Amagasacchi teaches one of our setters to-?!"

"...?"

...

Suddenly, Risa san stopped talking. I don't know what happened, but it seems that she saw something at Hoshizawa's reaction that made her stop...

...I was behind Hoshizawa, so I didn't know what her reaction was...

"Y-yeah, Amagasacchi, you're not allowed on our team"

"I wasn't even trying to join in the first place!"

"Hehe! Hear that, Takeshi? We can still recruit Shun to our-"

"Don't you force Amagasa kun into joining your team as well. Let Amagasa kun decide for himself"

"Y-Yes, Maam!"

Yuu and Takeshi suddenly straightened their backs as they saluted Hoshizawa...

...I feel like I shouldn't get Hoshizawa on her bad side as I see it...

...

...After that, Hoshizawa looked at me again

"Um...did what I just do helped you...?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, thanks Hoshizawa san, but you really don't have to"

"I have to...after all...I'm supposed to look after my boyfriend...right?"

"T-thats...!"

"...?"

...While getting embarrassed, Yuu and the others hit us off with their usual side comments

"*Woo* Get a room you two!"

"Someone, burn my eyes"

"Living in blindness is hard, Maki"

"You know what? I think I could relate to Miucchi to some extent"

"What do you mean, Risa san?"

"Let's say you were in our team Amagasacchi. If you play like how you played just now, many people including girls will start to admire you, you know"

"And? Isn't it normal for people to have someone they look up to?"

"You don't get it, do you? What I meant by that was, girls could start falling head over heels for you!"

"R-Risa!"

"Oh! I hit the mark, didn't I?"

"Uuu"

"I-Is that true, Hoshizawa san?"

"...part of it is true..."

"..."

...I somehow couldn't help but smile at the fact that Hoshizawa thinks of those kinds of things too. I always thought that she was the kind of girl who never thinks of something like that...

...but then again, if that was the case, she wouldn't be like this...

"Hoshizawa san, I'm not popular with girls you know"

"Uh sorry to but in Shun, but Risa san's statement holds some water to it"

"Yuuchin's right! If you were in our club for example, no doubt the girls will start to notice you!"

"Musclehead and Blondy's right for once, Shun"

"Really? I don't think they would-"

I looked back at Hoshizawa...

...only to see her shivering about something

"-H-Hoshizawa san?!"

"Y-you mustn't join a club!"

"I wasn't planning on joining in any clubs to begin with! Calm down!"

I said as I tried to reassure her...

"Man! Hoshizawa san acting like this is still big news to me though"

"Not to us, Mi's like this when its only us girls"

"No wonder you guys aren't surprised too much"

"We're still surprised at them going out!"

"Yeah! cause Miucchi told us that she wanted to take it slow!"

"Hm? Take it slow?"

"Eh?!- Ah- Um-"

"Miucchi wanted to know more about you, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, everything. That's why she wanted to take it slow"

"..."

"Hoshizawa san..."

...

...I don't know what to say...Hoshizawa san was this serious to me...?

"Hoshizawa san, thank you, I'm happy that you're doing those kinds of things for me, but instead of learning more about me, how about we learn more about each other? I want to know more about you as well"

"! Y-yes! I want to!"

"Really? I'm glad!"

We smiled at each other as we ignored everyone around us

"Someone, burn my eyes for real this time"

"You're gonna regret it, Maki"

"They look so cute together!"

"I agree, Risacchin!"

"Agh! I want a girlfriend too!"

"It'll be impossible for you, Musclehead"

"Says the one who only plays video games at the classroom"

"Shut up, pinky!"

"Hmph! no one would like somebody like you!"

"What's with you all of a sudden?"

"..."

"...So nobody's gonna talk about my spike?"

...

...Ignoring Ryu's last statement, the volleyball match with Risa san and Fujiwara san came to an end with a score of 10-25 with us winning...

...Its been years since we played volleyball, but the synergy that Ryu and I have were still intact, which we were able to perform decently

...

...After that, there were a few more games that the girls had in mind which we all played in order to make most of our time at the beach...

*****

...

Fast forward to everything that's happened, we're back inside Hoshizawa's car to go home after having fun at the beach...

...Nothing special has happened after our volleyball match, most of the time, I was watching my friends play while Hoshizawa and I were sticking close to each other. She said she wanted to sit next to me. I wasn't in the mood to play after what I just did, so I obliged and sat down with her...

...After that, the others have decided to grill some food while the rest of us were in charge of the preparation. Having roles solely for us, the barbeque party went smoothly...

"Barbecue is the best!"

"More than chocolates, Ryuuichi?"

"I didn't say that! Chocolates are still god tier!"

"Too bad we didn't had any, Ryuuto"

"I still had barbecue so I'll let it slide!"

"Losers should stay quiet you know"

"Says the one who got worn out quickly after 10 rounds in volleyball"

"Oh yeah, Musclehead?! Says the one who couldn't even follow instructions to find the watermelon!"

"Ack!"

"He got you with that one, Yuuchin"

"My legs...I can't feel my legs"

"You didn't even moved an inch in our spot!"

"You know Makicchi, she has a little to no energy"

"*Sigh*...I'll carry you back home"

"I'm so glad I'm friends with you"

"Sounds like you're only using me"

"...not really"

"What's with the pause?!"

...

...With each of us having our own social bubbles, time flew by until it was time for us to leave...

*****

...

In the car, Ryu, Yuu, Take, and Masa sat down on the left side while Maki san, Fujiwara san, Risa san, Hoshizawa, and I sat down on the other side...

"Did you have fun, Hoshizawa san?"

"Yes! This was the first time I've ever gone to a beach!"

"Yeah, you told that to me earlier after we got here"

"...also..."

"...?"

Hoshizawa then rested her head to me as she said her next words

"This day...is the most memorable day for me...because...I finally got you"

"...!"

...

...She's too cute! My girlfriend's too cute! She also smells nice too! 

...

...I calmed down once again and restrained myself to not lose composure...

"...W-we can't date in public though..."

"I'm fine with it...since we both love each other...as long as I know you're mine...and I'm yours, that's enough for me..."

"..."

...

AGHHH! CALM DOWN SHUN! RECALL EVERY DIGITS OF PI! 

"Well aren't you both lovey-dovey?"

"Whenever I see these two, I always thought of what I've been doing with my whole life"

"Wasting, you're wasting your life, Musclehead"

"I don't wanna hear that from someone who spends his time in video games"

"I'd rather spend my time playing video games than being in a relationship. Its troublesome and costs money, in my opinion that is"

"I think you want a girlfriend, Fuji kun!"

"Uwa- Pinky?! You were there?!"

"I was here the whole time! What do you mean by that?!"

...

"I can't feel my legs...and now I can't see"

"Seriously, what's happening to you?!"

"So even Makicchi hates seeing couples"

"I don't hate couples, its just that my eyes can't stand it"

"That's basically hating a couple!"

"Shunicchi, since you and Hoshizawa san will be dating in secret, does that mean you can't be with each other in school?"

"If we stopped interacting with each other, people might get the wrong idea"

"What do you mean?"

"Supposedly the rumor that's spreading right now is about us going out. If we stopped interacting with each other suddenly..."

"-Oh! The other people would think you broke up!"

"Exactly. Although we can say that the result will end in me getting a bad reputation, the same can also be said to Hoshizawa san"

"You really thought this through, haven't you?"

"Not really, I just overthink a lot..."

"That's why Amagasa kun's the best! I love you!"

"I-I love you too..."

...

...Why's it easy for Hoshizawa san to say that when its hard for me?! 

"But remember Hoshizawa san, we can't be like this in school"

"I know, so can you let me hug you tight while we're still here?"

"Um...I don't mind but, our friends can see us right now"

"They already know, so its fine!"

"O-okay..."

"Ho! They're at it again!"

"*Sigh* I wish my waifu was real!"

"Even if she was, she won't gonna be with you"

"I'm officially, and legally blind as of today"

"Maki?!"

...

...It's impossible for me to say no when my girlfriend's asking me for it!

...Plus...I'll be missing this kind of interaction with her, so why not indulge?

...

With everything settled in, Ryu and the others kept talking with each other while Hoshizawa and I stayed silent in the corner as she was hugging me...

...

...This kept going on and on until she eventually slept...

...The others also eventually slept one by one as time passes, leaving me, and Ryu awake...

"Your girlfriend sure is something else when she's in love mode"

"Yeah...but I don't hate that side of her"

"As promised, I'm expecting three boxes of chocolates!"

"Tell that to Hoshizawa san, not me!"

"You're her boyfriend aren't you? Surely you'll get ten boxes or so"

"What makes you think that I even want the chocolates?"

"*Sigh* I guess that'll have to be postponed for now, I can wait"

"Dude..."

I just glared at Ryu as he laughed it off and said congratulations to me once again. We talked about general things to pass time as we too, eventually slept...

*****

End of Chapter 5.5