The bell rang, signaling the end of the first period. Students stood up and stretched, chairs were then scraped loudly as they were dragged across the floor by students to form their usual cliques. Soon the classroom was quickly filled with the usual break-time chatter.
Adrian after some stretching turned toward Yukiko, keeping his voice casual. "So about my meeting with Nagisa… when do you think that could happen?"
Yukiko tilted her head, thinking for a second. "Ah, I'll text you about it later. I have to inform them first. I don't want them to get surprised if I suddenly just drag you along."
Adrian nodded with an easy smile. "No problem. I'll head somewhere first then."
"Alright," Yukiko replied, returning the smile. "See you later, hopefully."
They split up with a small wave. Adrian grabbed his bag and left the classroom.
He made his way up to the rooftop, the familiar quiet spot where Kurumi usually waited for him.
As expected, she was already there, leaning against the chain-link fence with her short twintails swaying lightly in the breeze.
Kurumi turned when she heard his footsteps. Her cheeks flushed faintly the moment she saw him.
Adrian gave her a small, warm smile. "Hey, Kurumi. You doing okay up here?"
She nodded shyly, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. "Y-yeah… I'm fine. It's peaceful up here."
Adrian stepped closer, his tone still gentle. "Good. You look a little tired though. Everything alright?"
Kurumi fidgeted with the hem of her skirt for a second, then nodded again. "Mm… just… thinking about stuff."
They talked a bit more about casual things, about how her day had been and how the rooftop breeze felt nice today.
After a few moments, Adrian reached out and lightly brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Btw, any progress on Natsuha's boyfriend?"
Kurumi nodded quickly, her voice soft but clear. "It's actually going really well. He doesn't even try to make a move on her, he just respects her boundaries and all that. But… he's clearly struggling a lot because of her and my constant egging. I don't think they'll last much longer."
Adrian's lips curved into a faint smile. "Good girl."
He reached out and gently patted her head. Kurumi's face flushed bright red, but she didn't pull away. She had grown used to this, every time she completed a task, he would praise her and give her that soft pat on the head.
Her shoulders relaxed under his touch, a shy but pleased little smile forming on her lips.
After a brief moment, Kurumi fidgeted, holding two of her fingers together nervously. "Um… about my reward…"
Adrian chuckled softly. "Don't worry, I'll give it to you, at a later date though. I have something to do right now."
Kurumi pouted for a second, clearly wanting more attention right now.
He smiled faintly and leaned a little closer, murmuring a few teasing words as his hand brushed lightly against her waist.
"Be patient," he added softly. "Once they break up, you won't have to deal with Yuuta anymore. His only purpose was to hurt Natsuha's heart anyway. After that… we'll have plenty of time for ourselves. To be together."
Kurumi's pout slowly faded, replaced by a shy blush as she nodded.
They talked for a while longer before Adrian finally left the rooftop.
He headed toward the quieter side of the school, to the small fountain that had become his and Natusha's usual meeting spot.
Natsuha was already there, sitting on the edge of the fountain with her lunch box open on her lap. She ate in silence, chopsticks moving slowly as she stared down at her food, completely focused and unaware of his approach.
Adrian stepped closer and spoke up. "What's on your mind?"
Natsuha was startled, nearly dropping her chopsticks as her eyes widened and a thin layer of tears instantly welled up before she forced them back.
Adrian noticed it immediately. He reached out and gently wiped the corner of her eye with his thumb as he spoke softly. "What's wrong? Is anyone bullying you? Tell me and I'll deal with them right now."
She shook her head quickly. "It's not that… it's just… things with Yuuta aren't going well."
Adrian sat down beside her, offering a comforting presence. "Tell me about it."
While Natsuha continued venting about how distant Yuuta had become, how he barely replied to her messages, how she felt like she was the only one trying. Adrian listened with a calm exterior. However inside, he was utterly livid.
'Ugh, when will this fake-ass boring shit stop? He doesn't like you anymore. You don't like him anymore. You like me, and I'm actively pursuing you… If it weren't for me trying to train myself not to rely on my skills all the time, I would've already turned you into my personal cum-dump onahole with how much shit you're putting me into…' Adrian's eyes twitch as she thanks him for always being with her.
'Calm down, Adrian. Calm down. You'll ruin everything you've worked for if you rush now.'
When Natsuha kept going, Adrian finally cut in, his voice was gentle but firm. "I'm sorry, but actually, I can't walk you home today. I have some personal stuff to take care of."
Natsuha's eyes widened in surprise. She quickly tried to come up with an excuse. "Wait, but… it's fine, really. I can wait a bit or—"
Adrian shook his head, staying polite but unmoving. "I really can't today. Sorry."
Mentally, he was both annoyed and satisfied. 'Hah! Now she's finally the one trying to get me to pay attention to her.'
After a while of gentle coaxing and her reluctant rejections, Natsuha finally gave in with a small, defeated sigh. "Fine…" She grabbed her things and walked away, shoulders slightly slumped.
Once she was gone, Adrian let out a long sigh of relief. "What a drag." He muttered to himself.
Soon after his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw a message from Yukiko.
Yukiko: The meeting is greenlit! You can meet Nagisa later. Oh and Chiaki and I will come along too, we the girls decided that we still wanted our hangout to continue.
Adrian's frown instantly turned into a satisfied smile. He quickly typed back.
Adrian: Nice, I'll be there. Don't worry, it's fine. Let's meet up at the front gate after class. Or I could just come with you to meet them.
As he continued exchanging messages with Yukiko, he didn't notice Natsuha watching him from a distance. Her expression slowly turned bitter as she saw the smile on his face while looking at his phone.
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AN: A bit of filler to slow and set some things up.