MINE [Complete](E)

Chapter 11

Ahh. I couldn't concentrate in class.

I winced when a paper fell on my desk. I looked around and Marumi, who was sitting beside me, pointed the paper and herself. I nodded and opened the piece of paper. There, she asked me what happened. So I wrote down that I'd tell her at lunch break. I threw the paper back at her and bit the tip of my pen as I looked outside the window again. I let out a sigh.

Jin and Naoki's expressions wouldn't leave my mind. I wonder what that was all about.

"Alright, class dismissed."

The bell rang and the desks clattered as the students stood up and bowed. In a split second, Marumi was already infront of me.

"Alright, now tell me."

I blinked. "Okay, okay," I said, laughing. Naoki did tell me not to go anywhere until he comes to get me. "So, uhh...what do you want to know?" When she shot me a glare, sweat beaded down my forehead as I let out a nervous laugh, "U-Uhmm... where do I start." She grabbed a chair and sat across me.

I told her about what happened. I didn't include the part that I was being bullied. I just told her that I had to look for a new place to stay and when I was on my way to school, I met Aoi Jin who was escorting and old woman. His uniform was tainted with red so I approached them and stuff then Naoki—

"Naoki?! You call him by his name now? Oh, my," she interrupted, her cheeks flushing and her eyes throwing malicious accusations at me. I ignored that and continued.

Naoki then called my name, told me he was worried because he snuck into our classroom, found that I was absent, called my phone but I wasn't picking up so he searched for me in the whole school until he went out and saw me.

"Oh, wow. Minoru-senpai must really like you. It's like you have a GPS on you that enables him to find you. His heart must be a GPS. Maybe that's how love works! When you're in some kind of trouble or whatever, he'd come save you!" she giggled. "So, why do you look so troubled?"

I sighed, "I just couldn't get it off of my mind."

"What?"

I looked at her and leaned towards her as I whispered, "They were throwing deadly glares at each other."

"Eh?!" she pushed herself away, her hands gripping the edge of the table. "I-Is that true?"

I nodded.

"Wh...Why would they be doing that?"

I shrugged, "That's what I would really like to know..."

Marumi leaned her elbow on the table and put her chin on the heel of her palm, "Why don't you ask Minoru-senpai then?"

I looked at her and blinked. "Y-yeah, I could do that."

Marumi smiled, satisfied. Not long after, Naoki came. Marumi said she'd be eating with her friends and then went out of the room. She tapped Minoru-senpai on the shoulder and told him to take care of me before doing so.

"Marumi's a really great friend to you, Mirai," he said, smiling from ear to ear. He had in his hand his bento which was wrapped with a blue cloth. Mine was wrapped with a peach cloth with flower prints on them. "Shall we eat at the usual place?"

I looked up at him and beamed, "Of course!"

Clenching my chest, I looked up at him again, "Na-Naoki!"

"Hm?" our eyes met and he smiled. "What is it?"

My heart thumped I nearly froze. I looked away, my cheeks burning, "Nothing..."