Harem of Side Characters [Rewrite]

Kayano Onodera - A Simple Hug

I knock on the door to Onodera's room. I haven't really had the chance to talk with her since the episode in the pool storage room. Ever since that day, she seems very uneasy around me. I haven't visited the pool ever since that day as well.

"Who is it?" I hear her voice call out.

"It's me. Sorry, I wanted to check on you, can we talk for a bit?"

"Ayanokouji?... Are you sure you wanna?" I can feel her presence from right behind the door. She probably wasn't expecting me to show up and talk to her at all after that.

"Of course, why wouldn't I want to talk to you?"

"Cause I yelled at you and stuff..."

"You're not going to yell at me when you open the door, are you?"

"Huh? Of course not. You haven't done anything wrong."

"Then there's no problem. I can talk through the door if it makes you comfortable."

"...No, its fine. As long as you're okay with being near me." I can hear the door unlock, and I take a step back as it slowly swings open. I take the invitation and step inside her dorm room. Onodera stands a bit off to the side, looking extremely nervous.

"...Hey, how have you been."

"What do you mean 'How have you been?...' You just gonna pretend I didn't freak out on you the last time you came to the pool?"

"Perhaps. I won't pry for information if that's what you're worried about, but I'll listen if you want to talk about it."

"...It's not like I don't want to talk about it... I just don't really know how. It's a lot of bad stuff I don't like bringing up, so I just try to lock it away and never bring it up again, you know?" She lightly bites her lip, and I can see her fists clenching.

"I understand. I won't ask you to tell me anything you don't want to talk about. If you just want to pretend it never happened, I'm fine with it as well."

"...You really don't hate me?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't hate you over something like that."

"Hahaha... That's a relief... I was pretty sure I screwed everything up just when we were starting to get close. I've never really been friends with someone as mature as you, so I didn't know if you were gonna think I was too childish for being afraid of loud noises or something." She gives me a small smile.

"I do think you are pretty childish though." Her expression turns to confusion.

"...Huh? What's this, some kind of setup!? Are you just here to make fun of me!?"

"Of course not, I wasn't finished. I like that childish side of you."

"...So you ARE here to make fun of me!" She doesn't seem to understand my point.

"Again, I'm not. There's nothing wrong with being childish. You're hyper-active and overly friendly. You're enthusiastic about everything you do, which in turn makes everyone around you enthusiastic as well. You're very excitable and spontaneous, yet somehow you're not annoying. That's something I like about you."

"Ayanokouji..." Her expression softens.

"What happened at the pool wasn't childish, though. Obviously I don't know what would have caused that, but I know it's not something you could have controlled. So it's okay, you don't need to worry about it." A trauma of loud noises can be caused by many things. It's quite difficult to pinpoint the exact cause, however it certainly isn't something to laugh about.

"...How the heck are you able to say all this embarrassing stuff with a straight face? Especially when you barely even know me." The room is quite dark, but I can see a tiny blush on her face. Did I say something embarrassing? I can't tell.

"Well, now you know that there's stuff about me that isn't really easy to talk about. Hehe, sorry but its gonna take some effort to get to know me. You'd probably have an easier time getting close to other girls."

"That doesn't bother me." I can get close to both you, and other girls after all.

"I just don't wanna make things complicated for you. You've probably got a lot of problems of your own, and I don't want to add on to that pile. Especially when I'm not even sure if I'll be able to talk about mine."

"Like I said, I'm more than happy to pretend those problems don't exist. Whenever you want to talk to me, you can. I won't rush you."

"...Can...can I give you a hug?" She suddenly asks.

"Sure." I don't really understand why, but its not like I'm opposed to it.

Onodera wraps her arms around me, and squeezes as hard as she can. She's stronger than your average highschool girl, so the force surprised me a bit. She buries her head in my chest comfortably. It reminds me that despite how strong she may be physically, she's still very delicate.

"...Is this a weird time to ask you to join the swimming club?"

"...A bit, yes."

"Darn. I thought I might be able to convince you if I've gotcha in a bear hug."

"Maybe one day I'll agree. You just have to keep bothering me about it."

"I plan on it!" I notice something about Onodera. She's talking the same way she normally does. Acting the way she normally does. Yet, she feels entirely new.

There's so much about her that I've yet to learn, and I'm sure some of it will not be pretty. However, I'm willing to deal with that.

"Hey, why are you all quiet?"

"I'm always quiet."

"Yeah, but this time its weird. Do you not like hugs or something?"

"They're okay. I'm just trying not to move so I don't accidentally snap you in half."

"I'll have you know I won't break that easily! I'm strong, I'll arm wrestle you right now mister!"

"I'm absolutely terrified." Onodera once again squeezes me as hard as she can.

"Hehe, you might be bigger than me, but I've got ten times more willpower! Strength comes second, heart comes first!" If that were true, everyone would have me beat.

"I guess I'm in a lot of trouble."

"You're in trouble as long as I've got a hold on you!"

"Actually, when are you planning on letting go? We've been like this for a while."

"When I feel like it." I'm not sure how to argue with that. I make a mental note that Onodera is very tactile person. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with that. I'm just a little surprised that she's like this to me of all people.

"Okay... I think that's a big enough hug. Unless maybe you still want more?"

"I've had my fill. Besides I should probably be getting back, it's quite late." Onodera finally lets me go and takes a step back.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Ayanokouji. You can yell stuff at me if it makes you feel any better."

"Do you really think I can yell?"

"...Hmm, I can't really imagine it to be honest." She lets out a hearty laugh. She composes herself before speaking again.

"Hey, if you have time, we should go for a run together or something! I can match whatever exercise routine you have!" I'm not sure if you can in this context.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Well if you're ever in the mood, you know where to find me. You and me will be training buddies before you even know it!"

"Whatever you say..." The two of us say our goodbyes, and I leave her dorm room. She raises a hand and gives me what is called a 'high-five' before closing the door. It's at moments like these when I question if there's anything wrong in the first place. She conceals her issues very well.

However I still don't understand the extent of Onodera's issues, so I have to be careful.

After all, you don't want to see her hurt any more than she's already hurting, right?