Tsunagari

Chapter XVIII.

When I reached school the next morning, Shunsui had already arrived and I was surprised to find him waiting for me at the gate. I was quite touched by this kind attention of his.

Without losing a second, I ran to meet up with him, but just as I reached him, suddenly, I tripped over my own foot and stumbled forward. I would have fallen face flat on the ground had he not reached out for me just in time to catch me by my shoulders.

'Ah! I'm terribly sorry! I'm so clumsy!' I apologized, in embarrassment, as he steadied me.

When he didn't release my shoulders, I looked up at his face to find him staring at me with a puzzled expression.

'Hime...' he said, in a gasp, 'What happened to your face?'

Reflexively, my hand moved up to touch the wound plaster I had put over my left cheek. I hadn't thought he'd notice.

I felt a surge of panic.

'Oh, that?! Ha-ha, it's nothing!' I lied, in small a giggle, scratching the back of my head nervously. 'I was bending down to pick something up yesterday when, I took the handle of the door in the face!'

'Hime?!' came Natsui's voice, just at that very moment, and I flung around instantly to look at the ginger-haired girl, who had just arrived and who had come to a stop a few feet away from where we were.

She was staring at me, her expression filled with shock.

Oh, Natsui...

She took a short glance at Shunsui, before she dashed at me and took me by my hand to drag me away with her.

'Come with me!' she said.

She didn't release my hand until we were in a desert corner of one of the corridors of the school and letting go of me then, she swung around to confront me.

My breath caught when I saw that there were tears in her eyes.

'It's Hiyori who did this to you, isn't it?' she asked, her voice small and anguished. 'She picked on you because you have defended me yesterday, is that right?'

I opened my mouth to deny it, not wanting to make things appear worser, but she cut me off before I could say anything, to state, 'You don't have to answer me. I already know that it's her doing. I want you to stay away from me from now on!'

My heart skipped a beat. What?!

'But-' I began, but she wasn't listening; the ginger-haired girl was already running out of sight and crying.

I stared after her, my heart squeezing.

Oh, Natsui! I know that you only mean to protect me, but please, don't push me away from you!

When I caught up with Shunsui a moment later, the latter didn't ask me any questions, but I noticed that he was watching me in a very serious manner. We walked to class silently together, and when we entered our classroom, Natsui had already taken her seat. As she met my look, very quickly, she averted her eyes, making my heart sting. I guessed that she has really decided that she wasn't going to talk to me anymore and she was going to try to avoid me from now on. This saddened me, and feeling extremely low, I hung my head and dragged my feet under me as I walked to my own seat, wishing that she would allow me to bring her my support.

***

Meanwhile...

'What are you doing? You're trying to repair the TV set?!'

At the sound of Gōjun's voice, Kenren Shoran took a glance over his shoulder at the teenager, who had just come down the staircase to take his breakfast.