Secret Hideout

8

Kaidou...

Likes Kuboyasu?!

No. It can't be.

It can't be true.

Gossip was always so interesting when it wasn't about you.

Yumehara felt like her heart had stopped. She wasn't ready for this. Not only did Kaidou not like her, but he would never like her.

After all, he was...

She felt tears streak down her face. She tried to cry quietly, but she couldn't help letting out a chocked sob.

"Hey, who is that?"

"Is someone eavesdropping?"

Yumehara gasped and covered her mouth as she ran in the other direction. She felt like she was going to throw up. Her head was spinning.

'They're just rumors! They have to be! Kaidou loves me! He loves me!'

'I can make him love me!'

She ran to the nurses office, where she spent the remainder of the day.

'Kokomi would've told me, right? Or Mera? Somebody?'

She laid down on the cot with a towel on her forehead. Even if she had walked in with a stroke or a hatchet wound, she would've received the same treatment.

She walked home with Teruhashi and Mera. They talked as normal and didn't notice Yumehara's dejected look.

...

...

...

"Why didn't you tell me!?" Yumehara yelled out.

The sudden remark made her friends jump.

Teruhashi looked at her with a puzzled look on her face.

"W-What? Tell you about what?"

If looks could kill...

"About Kaidou and Kuboyasu! You knew, didn't you? You knew and you didn't tell me?!"

Teruhashi seemed a bit mad herself.

"We did tell you. Last week, when they made it official, they announced it to the group, but you covered your ears. We tried telling you again later, but you would interrupt us. Right, Mera-chan?

Mera nodded.

No, they hadn't. She wouldn't avoid hearing it, right? She wasn't in denial, right?

"No, that can't be right." She laughed weakly. "You're lying. I'm sure of it. You kept it from me."

Teruhashi was fed up at this point.

"If you don't believe us, you can walk home by yourself! Come on, Chisato!"

Mera followed Teruhashi when she pulled out some of her leftovers from her lunch.

Yumehara was alone.

Her friends left.

Kaidou would never love her.

But...

Maybe...

He could...

She just had to break the-

'What am I thinking! I can't do that! I'm not that horrible, am I?'

...

But...

If it seemed natural...

***************************************************************

"Kuboyasu! Hello!"

Yumehara smiled sickeningly sweetly at Kuboyasu.

"How are you?"

Kuboyasu didn't usually speak to Yumehara, so he was a bit startled at her greeting.

"Uh, I'm good."

She grinned even wider.

"Have you congratulated Kaidou yet?"

...

"What? What do you mean?"

"On his girlfriend! Him and Yuni-chan and dating!"

What? His girlfriend?

"Yuni Miyazono? From class four? Dating Kaidou?"

This was going smoothly.

"Yeah! They were keeping it kind of private, but since you guys are best friends, I'm sire he must have told you!"

'Yes! This ought to stir things up!'

...

Kuboyasu burst out into laughter. He thought it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

"Yeah, sure they're dating!"

He walked off to meet the rest of his friends.

She grimaced and sighed.

Time for phase two.

"Kaidou! Hello! You'll never believe what I just saw!"

She ran up to him yelling, holding back a smile.

"Hello, Yumehara. What is it?"

"I saw Kuboyasu kissing Yuni-chan in the storage closet!"

Poor Yuni-chan.

"What? No way! Who even is that? I'm pretty sure it was someone else. He... Well, he definitely wouldn't kiss her... You should know!"

He chuckled and left.

No! Why didn't they believe her?

Phase three.

"Mikoto!"

"Chiyo-pipi? What is it?"

"I need your help!"

Yumehara grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

"I need you to tell Kaidou that him and Kuboyasu aren't compatible!"

Aiura looked at her with a look of surprise.

"Why would I do that? They are, I checked. Kuboyasu actually came to me for help about that. Are you..."

Aiura giggled.

"Jealous?!"

Yumehara felt her face warming.

"N-No, of c-course not! I just..."

"I'm not helping you break them up. They are like, PK Academy's hottest new couple!"

Yumehara sighed and walked away, dissatisfied with her progress.

***************************************************************

"So in the Ten Dark Commandments, it states-"

Kuboyasu interrupted Kaidou's rambling.

"Who's Yuni Miyazono?"

Kaidou blinked in surprise.

"Who?"

Kuboyasu smiled.

"No-one, just checking. You were saying?"