Date Her Instead Vol. 6

Chapter Seven: Betrayal Of The Heart

If one were to try to find one word to sum up the person that was Chiyo Wakabayashi, the task would probably prove to be difficult. Would she be called energetic thanks to her bubbly personality? How about rebel, for seeming to always do things how she wanted? She could even be called reliable, at least from those that really knew her. Of course, the list could go on. Sexy, understanding, loud, kind, comedic, happy. These were all words that could describe Chiyo.

Yet, most notably absent from the list was anything truly negative. Sadness, anger or being rude in general were traits that some believed Chiyo didn't even possess. After all, they had never seen it. When could they think of a time that Chiyo had been fuming? Had they ever seen her cry? What about just being blatantly mean for no reason?

Naturally, the answer to all of those questions was no, and that was by the design of the gal herself. Why be sad when you can try to see the good and hope in things? Why be angry when whatever the issue is will be fleeting? Why be mean at all? To Chiyo, it made more sense to look in the opposite direction than to pursue such negativity.

Having such a mentality described, one might find it admirable. They may think "here's a girl who really knows how to live well." To a degree, perhaps they would be right. However, they would also be wrong. Chiyo strove to live her life that way, yes, but she was far from perfect. Despite her efforts, and being the emotional person that she was, it was impossible to quell her own building negativity entirely.

She had no real desire to keep those emotions hidden, but as time had gone on, she had found it harder and harder to really show them. People expected the fun and bouncy gyaru, not a girl who let out emotional outbursts full of anger. But, even if she wanted to meet people's expectations, there were simply times when she could not.

Just like anyone else, Chiyo had her own set of morals and rules. Always eat the cream on top of any dessert. Don't sleep with a guy who's friends with another guy you just slept with (wait at least two weeks). If you're going to put off doing homework, make sure your big sister doesn't know the deadline so she can't yell at you for not doing it sooner.

More seriously, Chiyo held the people close to her dear. Listen to Chitose, because she's probably right. Always make plans with Jasmine, because it's better that she's out of the house than in. Help out your friends, even if you have to cast aside the things you want. These were the things that Chiyo kept inside, using them as a guiding compass through her life.

But, the funny thing about guidance and direction in general is that it can easily be derailed. One wrong turn and one can find themselves in the bad part of town instead of the good part. A gust of wind can set a sailboat adrift, and walking to a destination with nothing but intuition often leads to mistakes.

Just as derailment was possible in reality, it also held true in a person's heart. For as much as Chiyo tried to live her life how she believed she should, a wrecking ball had come into her life to smash it all to pieces. She had tried to push back. Ignore it. Call it something else. But, no matter what she tried or told herself, it was impossible to deny.

At first, she had simply found Michi to be entertaining. Here was this girl, straight-laced beyond a doubt and more stubborn than a pack mule, and she clearly wanted nothing to do with Chiyo. For some reason, something had sparked within the gal. She just had to change Michi's mind. Why that was, even she wasn't sure. Was it because she wanted Michi to see that she wasn't a bad person? Was it because Chiyo just wanted to make a new friend? Or... had her heart already known something she hadn't?

Regardless of the reason, a relationship developed. Chiyo had gained a great friend, even if Michi wouldn't call her one. And yet... she wasn't satisfied. The more time she spent with Michi, the more she desired. There was something she wanted, but what was it? More time wasn't it, nor was it having fun. So what was it? It had to be some-