"Our Same as Always" - Himari x Male Reader

Chapter Four - "This Is For You"

As the next school day ended, Himari-chan asked me to meet her on the rooftop. I was interested in what she had to say.
Ran and the others allowed me to talk to Himari this time because we did just start going out the other day.
Well, I say 'going out', but not really. I mean, we both love each other, but we're not officially dating yet... Or are we? Aww, man, I've never been good at relationships before.

I went to the same rooftop that all of us from Afterglow visit so frequently. The view from the rooftop is great during sunsets.
I climbed the stairs knowing nothing of what she was going to tell me.
We already confessed to each other, so what could it be?
She was waiting for me by the balcony, near where Ran-chan usually is when she's thinking about something.

She turned around and gave me a big smile.

"Boyfriend!" Himari gladly shouted. "Give me a hug!"

She gave her usual hug that could knock me out. I'm used to it at this point. I like how it feels, because Himari-chan means it with all the best intentions.

"Welcome to our date!" Himari told me. "It's my way of saying thanks from yesterday!"

"Date?" I asked. "We're on the rooftop!"

"Alone!" Himari stated. "Doesn't that make it better? And besides, isn't this the place that holds the most memories for us?"

"Well, I like the peace and quiet." I told her.

She walked over to the balcony and looked at the sky. The sun hadn't started setting yet.

"I told you I love you, right?" Himari asked.

Strange question.
"You did. Yesterday. And I told you that I loved you back too!"

"I know," she said. "Just wanted to make sure. See, I kinda lied. The rooftop isn't the only place that I wanted to take you."

"Hmm?" I wondered. "What other place?"

"Well, I'll show you!"
Himari happily held my hand as we left the rooftop, not long after I had got up.

We left the school grounds and came to a park.

"This is the same park that we used to all visit as middle schoolers…" I told her.

"Right!"

Himari sat on a swing set and gently rocked back and forth.
"I might be a little too big for this swing set now, but remember how you used to push me so high? I could probably touch the clouds!"

She left the swings and went to the slide.

"And remember you used to wait for me at the bottom of this slide all the time? Tomoe would shove me down so I could go faster! Such a meanie…"

She walked over to the monkey bars.

"Hehe… Remember when I fell off this… and you came to my rescue… while Ran-chan and the others were panicking…"

"Wow, Himari… You sure do have a good memory," I told her.

"We've always been together! Do you understand now…?
That's my 'same as always'."

That's right... She told me that not so long ago, before her birthday.

"Can my 'same as always' just you and I?" That's what she told me.
I didn't quite know what that meant until now. All of us in Afterglow have our own 'same as always'.
We all figured that out a while ago. Himari's is being together with me. That's so precious.

"That's why I brought you here… It was to thank you!"

Himari left the monkey bars.

"It's no chocolate factory, but I thought you'd like going back to our old park."

She walked closer to me to give me a kiss.

"Ahh!"

She ended up tripping over a small rock and falling over.
I suppressed a laugh, and I pulled her back up.

"Ouch… Talk about awkward," she said, as she brushed the dirt and grass off her dress.

"Himari… You're funny. Only you can end up messing up a simple kiss," I told her.

"Ohh! You're teasing! I'm still working on it!"
Himari responded.

"Maybe we should stick to something simple, like hugs…" I suggested. "Actually, no. Those are dangerous… For me."

Suddenly, Himari's phone started ringing.
"Huh? It's Tomoe! Let me put it on speaker…"

"Hey!" Tomoe shouted from the phone. "Will ya two lovebirds come back from your date? We tried calling before, what happened?!"

"Well, Tomoe, Himari tripped and that's probably when you guys called," I told them.

"Ah, that's our Hii-chan," Moca's voice on the line said.

"Mocaaa! You're mean!"
Himari said back.

"Moca! You teasing again?" we heard Ran say.

"Well, anyway," Tomoe continued. "We want to write a new song! We think Himari's creative input will help us a lot! So get over to Ran's house, please!"

"What?!" Himari was shocked. "They never take my ideas seriously! I have to go!" Himari gave me a hug and ran off.

She didn't say to come with her, but I still decided to tag along. But when I arrived at Ran's house, her dad stopped me.

"(Y/N)! It's nice to see you. Ran and the others require some 'solitude', as they said. They didn't tell me what for, but Moca told me,
'Don't let (Y/N) in, or else the great Babanbo-sama will strike you down'!"

"Huh?" I wondered. "Those girls are up to something. I'm getting a taste of my own medicine after doing this to Himari before."

"Well, (Y/N), I don't see many honest young men like you much. I appreciate all you've done for Ran, Himari, and the others."

"W-well, it was nothing. I love hanging out with them every day."
I said.
"I think I'll head home now. Tomorrow's going to be a long day!"

"Oh, before you leave, a girl named Tae came over. Said something about a bakery and taking you and Moca…"

Oh, for crying out loud… Tae, you're cool and all, but… You're a handful.

As I walked back home, I began to think. I do love Himari. I fell for her a long time ago. She always got hurt at the park, and I came to her rescue.

Tomoe was too busy laughing, Moca was too busy teasing, Tsugu was too busy freaking out, and Ran was too busy not caring. We were silly, and Himari didn't get hurt that bad.

Ran's dad shouted at us once for dirtying up his carpet when we came back from playing in the rain. We should've known better - we were middle schoolers!

But it was one specific memory that made me really fall for her…

Once, we were walking home, and it began to rain.
We each had our own umbrellas, but we decided to weather out the rain in a nearby convenience store.

"(Y/N)! Can I please buy something?"
Himari asked.

"Okay, Himari," I told her.

By this point, I knew Himari ran my wallet out whenever we go there, but she came back with one chocolate bar, then she handed me one.

I looked around. She wasn't hiding anything.

"This is for you," she said. "I bought this using my money."

"But that's the last of your allowance! You wanted to buy something!"

"I… I just wanted to buy you something for once…" She told me.

It's not like Himari or the others never bought me anything, but somehow, that gesture really stood with me.
That day, I really saw her in a new light.
I'm not sure how to explain it, but… she seemed more beautiful.
And over something so simple as a chocolate bar.
I guess I started thinking about this after I did something special for her...

I want to see what they all have in store for me tomorrow!

(Author's Note: Final chapter coming up next! I hope the end will satisfy everyone, then we will move on to the next fanfic!)