117 Chapter Six: When Rumors Become Truth

Waking up on Monday morning, Haruna got out of bed with a groan. The short break between school years was officially over, meaning it was time for routine to return. Getting up, Haruna grabbed her uniform off the hanger and began putting it on. Sliding on the white sleeves and making sure the back portion was attached correctly, it all felt rather normal.

That is, except for the ribbon Haruna was tying. Once finished, she stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes landing on the lavender-colored fabric now hanging at her chest. "The third year…" she muttered. "This really is the last one." With the start literally only about an hour away, the beginning of the end of her high school career was setting in for Haruna.

A part of her wanted to take a moment and think about all of the possibilities for herself once school was done, but she decided against it. Aside from not wanting to jinx herself, there was also the fact that outside of wanting to be with Kanako, there wasn't really anything in particular that Haruna wanted to do. With her third year now having arrived, that was most likely going to need to change. "Finding something I want to do…" she thought.

When they had filled out career path forms, Haruna's answers had been fairly lackluster. There just hadn't been anything she felt a desire to pursue. Fast forward several months, and that was still true. Was there anything at all? Snowboarding was out due to her injury, although she had never planned to pursue the sport seriously. Trying to think of other talents, Haruna found herself drawing a blank.

She already didn't care much about school, so going to college wasn't going to happen. "Wait," she thought. "What if Kanako goes to college?" Haruna considered the idea for a moment. If Kanako went to college and Haruna didn't, that would most likely mean that they'd be separated. That was something Haruna definitely didn't want. So, she thought that she might try to go to the same school, but she quickly threw that idea out too. "Even if we got to go to the same school, it's not like that would miraculously give me something I want to do for a career," she thought.

Continuing to think about this during breakfast, Haruna munched on a piece of toast as her mother spoke to her. "Are you excited?" she asked. "Not really," Haruna said back, not paying much attention. "Haruna dear, you could at least pretend," her mother sighed. "Personally, I think it's very exciting. You'll graduate high school and then finally join the world of adults." "That's supposed to be exciting?" Haruna asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

She was tempted to ask her mother if she thought Haruna should go to college, but Haruna decided against it. It was only the first day of the new school year. That wasn't a conversation she had to have right away. "Let's just try to make it through the assembly speeches without falling asleep," Haruna thought.

*****

While one girl just hoped to stay awake, another was full of energy. "Third year!" Chiyo declared as she flew out of her room and through the hallway. "Chi, slow down! You're gonna run into somethin'!" Chitose yelled after her. "I'm just like, so totally excited!" Chiyo said back. "Why?" Chitose asked, honestly not understanding. "Because!" Chiyo said. "Being third-years means you only have to attend a certain amount of days. Having more days free means more free time, and having more free time means more time I can spend with Mi-chan!" "So that's why…" Chitose sighed. "You do realize she hasn't talked to you since she came over here right?"

That comment seemed to damper Chiyo's mood a little. "Yeah, I know," she said quieter. "But sometimes that's just how Mi-chan is. Plus, she probably just has things to do, y'know? It's not like doesn't have any hobbies or anything."

Watching her little sister almost desperately trying to come up with reasons why Michi had been ignoring her hurt Chitose's heart. "Oh Chi…" she said softly. A part of her wanted to tell Chiyo what Michi had said, but she also knew it wouldn't do any good. Whether Chiyo knew or not, Michi was going to do what she was going to do, and there was nothing Chitose could do about it. All she could do was hope that somehow it worked out.

"Just don't freak her out at the gate, alright?" Chitose offered. "All that excitement ya got goin' is gonna be too much for a normal person to handle, let alone that girl." "Ah, yeah, you're right," Chiyo agreed. "Mi-chan would really run from me if I came at her that energetically." "Just don't let her run too far..." Chitose mumbled.

"Ah! Oh no!" Chiyo suddenly exclaimed. "What?" Chitose said. "My hair is totally frazzled!" Chiyo cried. "It was fine a minute ago! What happened?" Watching her sister panic, Chitose laughed. "Maybe it has something to do with you runnin' around. C'mere, let your big sis fix it for ya." "'Kaaay!" Chiyo said, moving over to the couch. Grabbing some hair products, Chitose returned and sat down behind Chiyo. "Alright, now sit still." "I'm not a little kid," Chiyo pouted. "Right, right," Chitose said, waving her off.

Five minutes later, Chiyo's hair was finished, complete with plenty of pop and fluff in the gold and auburn strands. "There. Now go get your things. Ya don't wanna be late like last year," Chitose said. "Last year was that guy's fault!" Chiyo said. "If he would've stopped insisting on one more-" "Chi. Grab stuff. Go," Chitose said sternly, not wanting to hear the rest of that sentence. Recently, thanks to Chiyo's newfound feelings for Michi, she had apparently decided it was no longer necessary to keep her past sex life "secret" from Chitose. To combat hearing those details, Chitose often cut her off. "I do NOT need to her the details of my lil' sis's nightlife," she thought.

"'Kay, I'm off!" Chiyo shouted as she headed for the door. "Have fun," Chitose said a bit sarcastically. Hearing the door close, she leaned back into the couch. "Huh," she said. "That's the last time I'll have to send Chi off to start a school year…" Realizing that, Chitose started to feel a little nostalgic. "She's really grown up, huh…"

*****

"Let's see… textbooks, pencils, eraser… I think that's everything," Kanako mumbled to herself as she ran through her checklist. Once she was done, she picked up her bag and put it over her shoulder. "I'm going now," she said, though no one was there. Her parents had already left for work, though they had been sure to give their daughter their well-wishes before they went.

Opening the door, she was about to step through it when she abruptly stopped. "Kya!" she shrieked suddenly. Standing in front of the exit was Haruna, arm raised midway as she had been about to knock. "Ah!" she let out in reaction to Kanako's scream. "God, you nearly gave me a heart attack…" "T-That's my line!" Kanako cried. "Why are you here anyways? I thought we were just going to meet down on the sidewalk." "Considering your usual tendencies, I thought it'd be a good idea to come check on you," Haruna explained. "I've never been late for the first day of school!" Kanako exclaimed, not appreciating the assumption of her being tardy. "Well, a-also…" Haruna muttered.

Averting her eyes, she continued quietly. "I just… couldn't wait to see you…" Hearing that, Kanako stared. "...Adorable," she let slip. "Hah?!" Haruna yelled. "T-This is just normal, isn't it?! There's nothing adorable about it!" "But doesn't it make you happy to know that your cute girlfriend thinks you're adorable?" Kanako said smugly. "I-I mean… sure, but…" Haruna said, suddenly going quiet again. "I-It's just embarrassing…"

A part of Kanako wanted to keep teasing Haruna, but she decided not to. They had a schedule to keep, and if Kanako was going to continue to be right about her first day of school attendance rate, they couldn't be late. "Should we go?" she said as she easily slid her hand into Haruna's. "Yeah."

Beginning their walk to school, they went at a pace not fast nor slow. Not too slow as to make sure they'd be on time, but not too fast, as if they were both trying to stretch out their break for just a bit longer. It didn't hurt either that the day was beautiful, with no clouds overhead and a brilliantly blue sky shining all around. With returning birds chirping and a steady increase of spotting students along the way, it truly felt like the start of a new school year.

To complete the picture for Haruna and Kanako though, one element remained missing. For a moment, both of them wondered where she could be, but only a second later, they had their answer. "Haru-chiiii! Kana-chaaaan!" Chiyo called as she ran up to the both of them. Launching from several feet away, she flew through the air, looking both majestic and alluring in the process. Being used to this greeting by now, both Haruna and Kanako braced for impact as the gal landed between them.

"Mornin'!" she said happily. "G-Good morning Chiyo," Kanako said. "Why can't you just greet us like a normal person?" Haruna scolded her. "Psh, normal's borin'," Chiyo said, blowing off even the idea of changing her ways. "Besides, this way, if either of ya are still sleepy, I can wake ya right up!" "If anything, attacking a sleepy person sounds more dangerous," Haruna pointed out, but Chiyo just laughed.

"You seem like you're in a good mood Chiyo," Kanako said, changing the topic. "Mhm!" Chiyo nodded. "I've got big plans for this year, and I'm gonna do 'em all!" "Hopefully the doing doesn't involve people," Haruna commented. "I'm reformed! You're looking at like, the totally purest gyaru in all of Hokkaido!" Chiyo declared. "Pure?" Haruna repeated with a lot of doubt. "There's nothing about you that's pure." "What about my maidenly love?" Chiyo asked. "It may be maidenly, but that doesn't make you a maiden," Haruna pointed out. "Your woundin' my heart Haru-chi," Chiyo said, pretending to cry.

"So what goals do you have Chiyo?" Kanako asked, seamlessly ignoring the nonsense between the two others and progressing the conversation. "Are they the romantic kind?" "Ah… ahaha…" Chiyo laughed nervously. "Uh, well, like… I'm just kinda… playin' it by ear?" "Why are you asking?" Haruna asked. "Look, Mi-chan and I, were like… were in a good place right now, I think… maybe… So like, I just wanna enjoy it, that's all." "Chiyo, is something going on between you and Mi-chan?" Kanako asked, noticing her awkward pauses. "Oh would you look at that! There's the school!" Chiyo said loudly as she dashed off. "Chiyo, wait-" Kanako tried calling, but it was too late.

"She completely avoided the topic…" she sighed. "That's just how Chiyo is sometimes. When she's ready to talk about it, she will," Haruna said. But, as they continued walking up to the front gate, they saw something odd. Chiyo had stopped as soon as she had noticed Michi, and the two were talking. That much was obvious and fairly normal. What was weird however, was the fact that Michi seemed to be very adamant about Chiyo not getting too close to her.

Kanako and Haruna both watched from a distance. "I wonder why Mi-chan keeps pushing Chiyo away?" Kanako said. "It's not like Fukuhara-san ever really liked Chiyo's lack of space," Haruna said. "I-I know, but this seems different," Kanako said. "It's like she's really trying to keep Chiyo away…" "Maybe it's her new school year resolution," Haruna suggested. "That's a mean resolution," Kanako said, sounding a little bitter. Whether or not her bitterness was directed at the resolution or Michi herself, Haruna couldn't tell.

Knowing they had to go in, they resumed their approach to the gate, during which they started catching parts of Michi and Chiyo's conversation.

"...c'mon, one… hurt…"

"Don't! Enough… enough!"

As Kanako and Haruna got closer, it became clearer.

"I told you, I want you to learn some self-control! Grabbing me all the time is annoying, not to mention it'll be super hot during the summer!"

"Mi-chan, it's like, barely even spring. This weather is just right for snugglin'."

"Don't call it snuggling!"

"That… doesn't sound good…" Kanako thought. She wanted to intervene, but even if she did, she had no idea what to say. All she could do was watch as the pair continued to argue. "We're friends Mi-chan! Skinship is normal!" Chiyo insisted. "It's way too much from you!" Michi countered. "None of my other friends are even like that!" "How can you say 'none of your other friends' when you barely even have any to begin with," Chiyo said darkly, clearly beginning to lose her temper.

That comment though turned out to be the last word. When those words hit Michi's ears, she stiffened. Her face took on a look of genuine shock, like she couldn't believe that Chiyo would ever say something so hurtful to her. As soon as Chiyo saw that expression, she knew she messed up.

"Ah, no, I didn't-" she fumbled to say, but it was too late. Michi turned away from her immediately and briskly walked away, not taking even a second to look back. "...Damn it…" Chiyo muttered under her breath. Approaching slowly, Kanako reached out her hand to Chiyo, placing it on her arm. "Chiyo, are you okay?" she asked. The gal looked at her, confusion dominating her face. "I didn't mean to say that… I was just getting frustrated. She kept saying that she didn't even want me to touch her anymore… First she's been ignoring me, and now this…"

The way Chiyo spoke, it was more like she was talking to no one rather than the girl next to her. "I don't understand…" she said weakly. "What the hell happened…?" Kanako wanted to take the time to comfort her properly, but they were running out of time before the first bell. "Come on Chiyo," Kanako said gently. "Let's just head inside for now."

Heading toward the building, they got closer to the faded white walls of Iwanai Municipal High School. Shaped mostly rectangular, it was a surprisingly large school for such a small area. Along with its sizable building, there was a track in the back, along with a few other outdoor facilities to be used by the sports clubs. As for the indoor clubs, they were scattered across the floors of the school, although most of them at least remained on one side of the building.

Walking in, the trio was met with the white tile floors, off-white/beige-ish coloring of the walls, and rows of silver shoe lockers. Beyond that were the halls, looking much the same as the lobby area as students reunited from their break and spoke excitedly about moving up a year or officially becoming high schoolers.

The inside was abuzz with excitement, and it would all have to be contained in the gymnasium where the annual assembly would be held. About a minute after entering, Kanako, Haruna and Chiyo heard the announcement. "All students, please head to the gymnasium. We will be beginning opening ceremonies shortly."

The announcement repeated twice more, giving a chance for all the students to hear it. As one mass, they began to shuffle in the way they were told to, with most of the older students inadvertently leading the new ones. As for the trio who had nearly been late, they stood still. "You know, the opening ceremonies aren't that important. It's not like we've never seen them before," Haruna said. "W-We don't have to go," Kanako said, more to Chiyo than the group. The gal was silent before finally opening her mouth. "No, let's go. One of my goals this year was to prove that I'm actually a good student. If I start out by skipping this year's opening ceremonies, that'll never happen." "Actually, now that you mention it, were you even at the other two?" Haruna asked. Chiyo gave a dry laugh. "Not really. I was out havin' a much better time."

*****

"Students and faculty, it is my great joy to welcome you all back," the principal said as he began his speech. Being a man well into his sixties, his age showed with his balding head and slightly hunched-over posture. Regardless of his appearance though, he could be a stern man when necessary. And yet, he had also maintained a good reputation among the students he was in charge of.

"As you all settle into your new positions in Iwanai Municipal High School, be it third-years, second-years or newcomers, I do hope that you come here with minds ready to learn and open arms to all of those who need assistance. In this time, I believe…"

As the speech went on, more and more students lost focus, a common sight for when adults give boring speeches. Even some of the teachers were looking less than entertained. Meanwhile, within the audience, a row of girls sat paying various degrees of attention. Mayu was trying to listen while at the same time trying to wake up a sleeping Jasmine. Itsuki was keeping one eye on the stage and another on Mayu. Michi was staring straight ahead, although she appeared to not be listening. Kanako was paying attention, but she also kept stealing glances at Haruna, who was doing much the same to Kanako. Lastly, there was Chiyo, who clearly had other things on her mind.

When it came to the seating arrangements, it had turned out a bit awkwardly. The first to arrive had been the trio of Jasmine, Mayu and Itsuki, who had waved over Haruna, Kanako and Chiyo when they saw them. Oddly, despite being inside the building sooner, Michi was the last to show up, showing great reluctance at sitting with the group when Itsuki called her over. To show her displeasure, she had sat down with an audible "hmph!" and was sure to sit at the opposite end from Chiyo.

Seeing that, Jasmine had looked back and forth with an eyebrow raised. "Are they fighting?" she had wondered. Michi was obviously irritated, but even Chiyo seemed down, which was unusual. After collecting the evidence, Jasmine sighed to herself. "Great. They're totally fighting aren't they? Here we go again."

Michi's reaction had also caught the attention of Mayu and Itsuki, but they didn't really know what to make of it, so they couldn't really say anything. So in the end, the row (in order) was Michi, Itsuki, Mayu, Jasmine, Kanako, Haruna, Chiyo.

While Haruna wanted to be concerned about her best friend, she also found another worry increasing by the second. "Is it just me…" she thought. "… or are a lot of people staring at us?" Haruna wasn't holding Kanako's hand at the moment, but they still seemed to be drawing attention. A glance here. A quick turn of the head there. It seemed like every time Haruna felt like they were being watched, she was right. The moment she would look in the direction the eyes were coming from, they would avert, trying to pretend that they hadn't been staring at all.

"This… might be bad," Haruna thought as her worry kept rising. It certainly wasn't unusual for Kanako and Haruna to attract a gaze or two throughout the day, but this much attention seemed very out of the ordinary. "Don't tell me someone started a new rumor right at the beginning of the year?" Haruna groaned. While rumors about them were common, the severity of them varied. Some were as simple as just saying that Haruna and Kanako were dating (which was now true), but others went as far as saying they were having sex in the bathrooms at school, or other crazy nonsense.

In the past, deflecting these rumors had been easy enough partly because of the fact that they weren't true, but also because not many people actually asked for conformation. It was usually only once every couple of weeks or so that either Haruna or Kanako got asked, so it had never been much of a big deal. However, if a bunch of people started talking and asking all at once, it could definitely spell trouble.

The biggest question in Haruna's mind was what was the cause? Rumors were one thing, but a bunch of people staring was cause for concern. She tried thinking back, but nothing came to mind thanks to the recent break they had just finished. "I haven't been around any of these people for at least a week," she thought. "So what's the deal?"

As Haruna wondered, the speeches went on. Once the principal finished, it was time for the class representative for the third-years, a girl who was first in the class. Not being as quiet as she meant to be, Michi could be heard mumbling "she's not even that smart." Being a top ten student herself on a regular basis, she had a small rivalry with the other individuals ahead of her.

After the third-year representative's speech was the second-year, which was then followed by the first-year. Lastly were some closing remarks by the principal before finally, the student body was dismissed. With the assembly complete, the next thing to do was to look at the new class rosters. Of course, that meant every student of the school was clambering in front of a board to find out which class they were in, and, more importantly, how many of their friends they were with.

"I'm with you again this year!"

"Yay, we're all together this time!"

"Ugh, why am I alone?"

With each check came cries of joy or deflated commentary. Standing in the back were Haruna, Kanako and the others as they waited for the crowds to thin out a little. "O-Oh, Kana-chan!" a voice suddenly called out. Hearing her name, Kanako turned to the source of it. "Hi Hinami-chan," she said kindly. "Do you know what class you're in yet?" "N-No," Hinami said with a shake of her head. "I-I would like to, b-but that crowd is kinda s-scary…" "I-I know what you mean," Kanako agreed.

"U-Um, by the way," Hinami said nervously. "What is it?" Kanako asked. "Uh, w-well… There's something y-you and E-Endo-san should probably know…" "Huh? Something we should-" But before Kanako could finish her sentence, Chiyo spoke up. "Looks like the crowd's finally leavin'. Let's check out our classes!" Excitedly, she dashed over to the boards, the group following behind her. Staring up at the papers posted, they kept looking until they all found their names.

"Oh, I'm in class 3-1… wait…"

"Me too, but…"

"N-No way…"

"I-Is this right?"

"How did this happen?"

"I didn't think something like this was possible…"

"You've got to be kidding me…"

"This is gonna be so much fun! I can't believe we're like, all in the same class!"

Yes, by some bizarre twist of fate, Haruna, Jasmine, Hinami, Kanako, Mayu, Itsuki, Michi and Chiyo had all ended up in Class 3-1 for their final year of high school. "C'mon everybody, let's go to our classroom!" Chiyo said, clearly enjoying this. With a combination of looks ranging from happy to annoyed, the group made their way up the stairs and to their room.

Walking in, they immediately checked the seating chart. "Aw, look Jas-chin! We're both in the front row! Booo!" Chiyo whined. "Guess they wanna keep an eye on us," Jasmine half-joked. "Oh, I'm behind you Jasmine-chan," Mayu noticed. "It's nice that they let pets be so close to their owners," Jasmine teased. "I'm not a pet!" Mayu cried, puffing out her cheeks. "I'm in the back," Itsuki said, sounding a little bothered. "That's too bad," Mayu said. "I was hoping the three of us would be seated together."

"I-I'm somewhere in the middle, i-it looks like…" Hinami said. "Wait, aren't I right next to you Yamane-san?" Haruna asked. "O-Oh, y-you are!" Hinami panicked. "T-Then I'll be in y-your care!" she said, quickly bowing. "Uh, right, same here," Haruna said, returning the bow. "I just hope you aren't this nervous all year." "I-I'll do my best as your fan!" Hinami declared with an odd amount of confidence. "Sure…" Haruna said, becoming wary.

"It looks like I'm in the back," Kanako said, sounding sad. "That sucks," Haruna commented. Going up on her tiptoes, Kanako whispered in Haruna's ear. "I-I was hoping we could secretly hold hands during class." "I-I don't think we'd get away with that…" Haruna whispered back, feeling shy about the suggestion.

"Hey, look Mi-chan, we're next to each other," Chiyo said, trying to be gentle as she pointed it out. "Tch. Whatever. Just don't invade my space. I don't need you infecting it with your gaudyness," Michi spat back sharply. "Someone sounds like they need some coffee this morning," Jasmine said. "Or maybe not for you Mi-chan, because like, you're already pretty short. Wouldn't wanna make it worse y'know?" "This is just great!" Michi shouted. "As if dealing with one of you flashy bimbos on a daily basis wasn't bad enough!"

Not long after, all of the students arrived in the classroom, gradually taking their seats. A few minutes later, a man walked in, appearing to be in his mid-30s and scruffy. "Alright, alright, settle down," he said. "I'm your homeroom teacher this year, so don't make life too diffi...cult… on me…" Trailing off, his eyes drifted down to the two gals in the front. "Right…" he sighed. "I forgot I got stuck with both the gyarus of the school…" "Heya teach," Chiyo waved. "Let's have a good year, yeah?" Jasmine added smoothly. "Haaah…" the teacher sighed. "Just don't cause any problems, alright?" "I'm reformed!" Chiyo declared. "I have my support pet, so I'm all set," Jasmine said, before letting out an "Ow!" as Mayu lightly hit her in the back. Not knowing what to make of either of those statements, the teacher moved on.

"Okay, when I call you're name, stand up, say your name and… I don't know, whatever else you want I guess," he said before looking at Jasmine and Chiyo and adding, "...within reason." "I feel discriminated against," Chiyo said, pretending to pout. "Down with gal hate!" Jasmine joked. "Oh God, I can feel the ulcer coming already…" the teacher groaned. "Whatever. We'll start with… the end of the alphabet. So, Yamane-san."

"Y-Yes!" Hinami said in a high-pitched voice as she stood up. "I-I'm H-Hinami Y-Yamane a-and… um… I-I like puppies!" Sitting back down, her face was red as a tomato. "Puppies huh?" Haruna whispered to her. "M-My mind went totally blank… uuu, I-I really don't like class introductions…" Hinami whimpered.

As for the rest of the class, the intros went relatively smoothly, aside from Chiyo and Jasmine. "I'm Chiyo Wakabayashi! Call me Chiyo! And let's see… oh! This one time, me and this guy bought these oranges, and then we went back to his place and-" "Okay, moving on!" the teacher said, cutting her off. "Aw, but it's a good story," Chiyo said.

When it was Jasmine's turn, she had already fallen asleep. "Hiraoka-san," the teacher called. "Hiraoka-san!" With heavy eyes, she looked up at him. "Yeah teach?" she said, her voice sounding unintentionally sultry. Combining that with her sleepy look was a killer move. "Y-Y'know what? Never mind," the teacher said, deciding to just go to the next student.

Once introductions were done, the teacher went over the standard ground rules, along with the specific guidelines for the year. "Now I know that since all of you are third-years, you've got it in your heads that you don't need to show up. Honestly, that helps me out a lot, because it's less work I have to do, but you still have to actually show up a certain amount. I think it's around 50-60% attendance. Hit that mark and you're good to go."

That mark elicited a few complaints. "60%?! That's more than half of the year!" one student said. "Hey, I don't make the rules," the teacher shrugged. "It used to be 75% I think, so be happy it's lower now." That seemed to be enough to quiet the louder grumblings, though there were still some mumbles. "Anyways, that's about it for me, so I guess you can go home or whatever," the teacher said. With that said, most of the class flew out of the room, eager to restart their break as much as they could. A few others made their way to their club rooms to prepare for recruiting new members, and a few more just went to find their other friends that weren't in their class.

"Should we head home too?" Haruna asked, walking over to Kanako's desk. "Sure, let me just-" But as she was about to agree, an announcement was made through the speakers.

"Will Haruna Endo and Kanako Nakatomi of Class 3-1 please report to the principal's office. I repeat, will Haruna Endo and Kanako Nakatomi of Class 3-1 report to the principal's office."

For a moment, the collective group of Chiyo, Jasmine, Michi, Mayu, Itsuki and Hinami stared at them. "Wonder what that's about?" Chiyo finally said. "I have a bad feeling about about this…" Haruna said. "L-Let's not jump to any conclusions okay?" Kanako said, trying to hope for the best. "Maybe it's good news?" "When is getting called to the principal's office ever good news?" Haruna asked, to which Kanako had no response. Considering only talking about the issue would answer no questions, they decided to make their way to the office.

*****

"Thank you for coming," the principal said after Haruna and Kanako had entered the room. Inside the office, which was kept simple by design with minimal decoration, they sat down at the two chairs placed in front of the desk ahead of them. Behind it was the principal of course, but with him were also several members of the staff, one of which was Haruna's home room teacher last year.

The tension in the air was palpable. Everyone who had been waiting had stern looks on their faces, confirming that the issue at hand was something serious. "Now, I don't want to take up too much of anyone's time here, so I'll just get straight to the point," the principal said. "The other day, a student took a picture of you two girls. She then proceeded to show it to her parents, who in turn decided to show it to us out of concern for the school's public image and morals. This was that picture."

Sliding a photograph across the desk, Haruna and Kanako leaned in to get a closer look.

"W-What...?"

"Ah…"

In the picture was a perfect still of Kanako's face looking very close to Haruna's. While the truth was it had simply been a kiss on the cheek, the angle made it look more like it could be a kiss on the lips. "Can you explain this?" the principal asked, but before Haruna or Kanako could reply, one of the teachers present jumped in.

"Ain't it pretty obvious what's happening here?" the male teacher asked, a man appearing to be in his 40s and known to be strict. "We've got two girls making out in broad daylight! It's incredibly indecent! What were you two even thinking?! What if more people saw you? Can you imagine all of the problems you'd cause for both your families and the school?!"

Raising a hand, the principal silenced the man. "We're not here to yell at them," he said calmly. "However, now that the floor has been opened, perhaps a bit of conversation is in order. Although, I would like to start with Endo-san and Nakatomi-san." Turning his gaze to the two girls, they both shifted nervously. Neither of them knew what to say. Could they really just admit that they were going out? And if they did, what would happen? Would the school tell their parents before they even got the chance?

Taking a deep breath, Kanako let it out slowly. She knew the only thing to do was to tell the truth. "If I have to choose between lying about my relationship with Haruna or just telling them what's going on, I'll definitely choose the second option," she thought. Then, steadying herself as best she could, she spoke.

"The truth is… Haruna and I are dating."

This statement brought various reactions from the room. The male teacher who had spoken earlier audibly scoffed. One of the two female teachers in the room looked shocked, and the other was scowling. As for the principal himself, he only nodded. "I see," he said calmly. "So this photo is of…?" "O-Our date last Saturday," Kanako said. "During which a more, shall we say 'intimate' moment between you two was captured," the principal concluded, confirmed with a nod from Kanako.

As they spoke, Haruna sat silently in her chair. She was too panicked to speak. "So this is why people were staring at as so much today. Word must've gotten out about this," she thought. "What are we going to do? This is bad. This is so bad! If my parents find out like this, I'll be in so much trouble!" While Haruna's parents weren't necessarily harsh, they could certainly be stern. That approach had been how Haruna had become someone who arrived early to school, and while she didn't really care much about classes, she still did what she was supposed to because managing to pass was better than getting lectured for not trying at all.

But, just as Haruna's panic was about to worsen, the female teacher who had been scowling spoke up. Her black hair was on the shorter side, and she was in her late 30s, being a member of the staff for about five years. "I'm sorry, but I just have to say this. Are you two thinking about your futures at all?" "Huh?" Kanako and Haruna both let out. "I mean, think about it. You're both girls claiming to be dating. If you want to pretend, that's fine, but are you seriously going to stake your futures on this? You can't get married, you can't have kids, and more likely than not, most people will either disassociate themselves from you or go as far as to hate you. Do you two really think you can handle that, or do you just really not understand the gravity of your situation?"

Haruna, who had only managed a 'huh?' went dead silent again. She couldn't say anything. After all, everything the teacher said was true. Perhaps they could get married in another country, but as for Japan itself, marriage between the same gender was still up in the air. Having kids was biologically impossible, although there were other options if they really wanted to go down that route. As for the reactions they would get… Haruna had to admit that it would sting to be hated just for loving someone. "I wonder... if Kanako has ever thought about stuff like that?" she thought.

Looking to her left, she stared at Kanako's profile. To her surprise, she looked determined. "I do understand how serious our situation is," she said. "If I didn't, I would've never even considered pursuing a relationship with Haruna." "Then why-" "Because I love her," Kanako said with confidence. "Marriage? Who knows what Japan's or the world's point of view will be by the time we get to that point? Kids? We're still kids ourselves, so I don't think we really need to even be considering that right now. And as for the hate… Honestly, I'd rather be hated and be with the one I love than be loved by everyone else and miserable without her."

Haruna was amazed. "How can you say that…?" she wondered. "You say stuff like that so easily… Where does that confidence come from?" Quietly, she wished she could do the same. It wasn't as if Haruna's feelings were weaker than Kanako's. It was just that she didn't get tunnel-vision as bad as her counterpart when it came to love. She constantly thought about and worried about other things, while Kanako just kept charging straight ahead. It was enviable.

"I guess I just don't get it," the last teacher said, one on the younger side and known to be a bit of ditz. "Like, how do two girls even date? When I think about it, it seems no different than two girls being really close." "W-Well…" Kanako sputtered. Having to explain the how would require detailing embarrassing actions and feelings, something that she wasn't eager to do. But, before she could, the male teacher spoke up.

"Who cares?" he said loudly. "It doesn't make any sense because that's not how it's supposed to be! Really, the whole thing makes me sick. Two girl playing at being lovers. What's wrong with you two?! Have you no shame? No dignity?! Think about your families! The people around you! Have you even stopped to consider how they would feel?! Y'know, I remember the day those rumors started going around about you two, but considering you seemed to hate each other, they seemed pretty unbelievable at the time. Now though, I'm wondering if it was all an act. Were you just pretending to not like each other and 'dating' the whole time? I kinda getting the feeling you two would be good at lying, so I'm sure you could fool everybody! You certainly fooled me! I thought 'nah, there's no way that's true. They're like cats and dogs.' Then I saw you holding hands, and while I thought it was weird, I just figured it was some sort of punishment from some teacher because they got tired of your fighting. When the fighting stopped, we were all pretty relieved, but if I had known it was because of something as nonsensical as this, I would've prayed for the fights to start again! It would've made a whole lot of more sense than you two saying you love each other!"

Having yelled himself into a beet-red state, the man finally stopped to catch his breath. "I believe that's enough," the principal said sternly to him. "Clearly this was a mistake. I would like you all to leave the room. Naturally, you are to keep this issue to yourselves, understand?" Looking a little surprised by his decision, the group of teachers eventually all nodded in understanding and exited out the door.

Once they were gone, the principal let out a loud sigh. "What a disaster…" he said as he put a hand to his head. "U-Um, sir?" Kanako said. Looking up, he gave a weak smile. "My apologies Endo-san, Nakatomi-san. I had called a few of the teachers here in hopes of having multiple perspectives on the matter. However, if I had known the conversation would degrade in the way it had, I would've proceeded with this meeting alone." For a moment, Kanako was silent. "...I understand where they're coming from though. After all, it's not like seeing two girls dating here is very common." "No, I suppose it isn't," the principal agreed.

"Now, if you don't mind, may I share my thoughts on the matter?" he asked. Haruna and Kanako both tentatively nodded. "I must admit, the idea of two girls in a relationship does perplex me. However, I'd like to think that I'm not some old geezer being left behind by the times. I understand that there are many different ways to not only love someone, but different people to love in general."

"That being said, my concern stems more from a principal's point of view. Along with the points made previously about your future, as students of this establishment, you are expected to conduct yourselves according to the guidelines set by this school. Even if one of you were a boy, something like kissing in public would not be looked upon happily."

"I-It's not as bad as it looks," Kanako said. "It was just a k-kiss on the cheek." "Even so, this picture can make someone else believe otherwise, as you witnessed mere moments ago," the principal said. "E-Excuse me, sir?" Haruna said, finally breaking her silence. "I was wondering… are there going to be consequences for us being in a relationship?"

It was a simple question, but both the principal and Kanako looked surprised. "W-Will there be?" Kanako asked, now a little nervous. The principal took on a hard expression. "Truthfully, I'd like for this to not be public knowledge. As an administrator, I have to think about all of the students, along with their families and our reputation. However, as an individual, I see an opportunity here." "Opportunity?" Haruna repeated. The principal nodded. "Yes. You are standing at the foot of a mountain of opposition. Not only will making this climb strengthen yourselves, but it will strengthen your bond with each other. But, if you are to take this climb, it must begin with you being open and honest. You cannot hope to gain strength if you hide and lie."

"So here is my proposition. Firstly, to ease your minds, I cannot take any action against you, as that would be discrimination and against the law. Secondly, as the representative of this institution, I cannot openly support you, as it would also mean I would be taking sides in a matter. So with that being said, I suggest the following: tell your friends and family about your relationship, then live with the future in mind."

"I-I'm not sure I understand the second part," Kanako said. "It was already said that you have no future, right?" the principal said. "Then make one. Create a future for yourselves that you can be proud of, both of you." "So we're just supposed to ignore everyone and do our own thing?" Haruna said, guessing at an interpretation, but the principal shook his head. "Not ignore. Accept. Accept everything people throw your way and hope to find common ground. Better to have tried to make friends than to ignorantly make enemies."

"Accept what people throw at us…" Haruna muttered. The thought worried her. Acceptance wasn't easy for anybody. If someone rejected her, could she really take it in stride? Haruna had her doubts, but a moment later she felt a hand on her own. "Don't look so worried," Kanako said. "We can do this, as long as we have each other." "Yeah," Haruna said, taking comfort in those words.

The principal smiled. "Even if I don't completely understand, it's clear how much you two care for each other." Haruna and Kanako both smiled back. "We do!" Kanako said happily. "That's good to hear," the principal said. "Now, we'll do our best to make sure those rumors don't get any more out of hand than they already are, but as students, you know exactly how ferocious the rumor mill can be in a school, so I do ask that you act with a bit of haste." "W-We'll do our best," Kanako said, with Haruna nodding next to her.

With the business with the school seemingly sorted out, Kanako and Haruna were finally allowed to leave. Nearly everyone other than veteran club members had left the building, so the halls were relatively empty. "T-That was… something," Kanako said as they began heading for the front doors. "Yeah…" Haruna said quietly. "A-Are you okay?" Kanako asked. "You've seemed a little anxious ever since we got called to the office."

Haruna stopped. "I'm… not as confident as you are, Kanako." "Huh? C-Confident? Me?" Kanako said, surprised by the description. "Whenever a problem comes up that has to do with us, you give such strong answers. It's like you have no doubt that things will work out. Meanwhile, all I can do is worry…"

Suddenly, Kanako reached out her hand. "Take it," she said. Haruna did as she was told. "Do you feel that?" Focusing on the feeling, Haruna noticed something. "Your hand is shaking." "Y-Yeah," Kanako said. "I'm nervous too. Telling my parents… telling Mi-chan… it scares me. But, I'd like to believe that our love is stronger. M-Maybe that sounds kind of cheesy, but it's true. I want to believe that no matter what happens or what anyone says, we can make it through it all. D-Don't you?"

"I…" Haruna began hesitantly. "...want to. I'm just really scared that it won't go well. What if those rumors get so bad that we have to switch schools? Or what if our parents force us to break up? What if… we can't even talk to each other anymore…" Haruna let Kanako's hand slip from her grip. "I don't wanna lose you again…" she said weakly.

Kanako thought for a moment before finally responding. Her response wasn't with words, but with actions. She gently wrapped her arms around Haruna's waist, not like she usually did when she was teasing Haruna, but a warm, kind embrace. "We can do this," she whispered. "Besides, we wanted everybody to know didn't we? So we'd have to tell them eventually." "Right…" Haruna whispered back, returning the embrace. But while for that brief moment her worries were alleviated, they did not vanish completely.

End of Chapter Six.