"Hey, Kishinuma-kun!"
Yoshiki turned to meet the eyes of 2-9's class representative, Ayumi Shinozaki. According to Suzumoto, Shinohara, and Satoshi, Yoshiki's crush on Ayumi was obvious to everyone - everyone except Ayumi herself, that is.
"What's up, Shinozaki?" Yoshiki would never pass up a chance to talk to Ayumi, even if it was only a morning greeting.
Ayumi giggled. "Well, I got tickets to a haunted house from a friend of my sister's who couldn't use them. So...I was wondering if you wanted to go with me!"
Yoshiki was now intrigued. A haunted house? Not an unusual thing for the occult-loving Shinozaki to want to do. But Yoshiki wasn't concerned with that.
He scoffed. "Why are you asking me? I thought you'd want Satoshi to go with you, or some shit."
Ayumi frowned. "Well, I did ask Mochida-kun...but he said he'd be too preoccupied with Yuka-chan to go with." Yoshiki had expected the answer. He knew that the only chance he had of Ayumi ever being interested in him would come if he was a ghost story on the internet. But he wasn't a ghost story on the internet. He was Yoshiki Kishinuma. And, somehow, he had to accept that, to Ayumi, he would always be her second choice after none other than his best friend.
Yoshiki sighed. "Did you try asking the other girls?"
Ayumi looked down. "I didn't think they'd be interested in something like that." Ayumi then looked back up at Yoshiki. "But more importantly...why are you asking me all these questions? You still haven't said if you wanna go or not! Geez!" Ayumi seemed pissed now. Yoshiki was beginning to think that maybe audibly doubting himself in front of his crush was not as good of an idea as it had sounded in theory.
The bleach-blond grinned. He looked back down at Ayumi, ready to give his response.
"Hell yeah I'll go with! A haunted house seems kind of fun!" Obviously, Yoshiki was lying. He didn't like haunted houses. Not one bit. He just agreed to go because Ayumi was going. Maybe he could be Ayumi's knight in shining armor if she got scared! YES! He was a genius! Then, once he and Ayumi had escaped the haunted house, Ayumi would realize that Yoshiki was her true knight and not Satoshi!
Yoshiki grinned in delight at the thought of his latest scheme - or, at least, he would've, had he not remembered that he was in front of Ayumi at the moment.
Ayumi, thankfully, had not noticed Yoshiki's internal shenanigans. She giggled gleefully.
"Great! See you tonight at 7!", said Ayumi before she dashed into the classroom.
Yoshiki was taken aback. Tonight!? But alas, before he could voice his surprise, the schoolbell rang, signalling the beginning of first period. 'Dammit, late again,' thought Yoshiki as he entered the classroom.
To Yoshiki's dismay, everyone noticed his late entry.
"Wow! You're late again!" Shinohara boldly exclaimed.
"And you were right outside the door this time, too!", added a giggling Suzumoto.
Yoshiki wasn't as bothered by it as he normally would've been. This was gonna be the best day of his life so far, late or not.
<haunted house, 7pm>
"Alrighty then. You ready, Kishinuma-kun?" Ayumi grinned at him. Yoshiki smiled softly in response. It was time to put his carefully crafted plan into effect.
"You better believe I'm ready."
Ayumi couldn't help but chuckle at Yoshiki's gung-ho attitude. But little did Yoshiki know that Ayumi also had a plan for how this night would go. And that Yoshiki was being sucked right in.
///
"Uhh, Shinozaki...is that guy supposed to be completely gray, or..." Yoshiki was too worried to finish his question. His plan may have been failing, but Ayumi's plan was not.
Ayumi giggled at Yoshiki's slight discomfort. "You do know that that's just a guy in makeup, right, Kishinuma-kun?"
Yoshiki snapped out of his fear-induced stupor in surprise, although he would never admit this. "Hmm? Oh - uh - yeah, of course I know that." A bead of sweat slid down Yoshiki's face. "O-only cowards a-and pussies f-fall for that b-b-bullshit."
Ayumi chuckled softly. "Mhm. Whatever you say, Kishinuma-kun." The ride continued, as rides often do.
Yoshiki tried his hardest to be brave for Ayumi, but kept losing it at things that weren't even that scary. Ayumi, on the other hand, was enjoying this thoroughly. And she thought MOCHIDA was funny when he was scared.
But eventually, something just had to go wrong. This IS a Corpse Party fanfiction, after all.
And something DID go wrong. Something outside of both Ayumi's and Yoshiki's plans. Something that none of them would ever have seen coming.
"Hey guys!" Ayumi and Yoshiki turned around to see none other than Satoshi Mochida and his little sister Yuka sitting in the cart behind them.
Ayumi was the first to react. "M-Mochida-kun! What are you doing here!?"
Satoshi gave Ayumi a confused look. "I'm...here with my sister. Is that okay?"
Yoshiki, on the other hand, was pissed. Satoshi was NOT supposed to show up! Now, Ayumi would be all over HIM instead of Yoshiki! This was not good, not good, NOT GOOD. But instead of voicing his anger, Yoshiki inhaled sharply and kept his eyes looking ahead. Getting angry at Satoshi would solve nothing. It wasn't Satoshi's fault that Ayumi was in love with him.
But now was not the time to dwell on this. Despite all of his anger, he had a question to ask Satoshi.
"Hey, Satoshi. Quick question."
Satoshi piped up. "Yeah? What is it, Yoshiki?" Ayumi and Yuka turned to look at Yoshiki as well.
"Uhh, well...what exactly made you wanna come here? No offense, Satoshi, but you're, like, the last person I'd expect to find in a haunted house."
Satoshi gave Yoshiki the same look he had given Ayumi, except this time, he chuckled before responding. "Well, Yuka wanted to go originally, but mom and dad were both busy tonight, so I took her instead. Nothing wrong with that."
Ayumi was visibly confused. "I...didn't expect Yuka to like haunted houses..."
Yuka smiled. "I just wanted to see how scared Onii-chan would get when he saw the big jumpscare at the end. Heeheehee."
Now, it was time for Yoshiki AND Ayumi to be surprised. "B-big...jumpscare?"
Yuka's eyes lit up as she went on. "Uh-huh, uh-huh! There's supposed to be a SUPER big jumpscare at the end of the ride where a huge ghost pops out you!"
Yoshiki felt his blood freeze in his veins. Huge...ghost...?
Ayumi, on the other hand, was unsure of what to think. She had lied to Kishinuma about asking Mochida to accompany her to the haunted house. In truth, she had actually WANTED Kishinuma there. Something about the bleach-blond delinquent made Ayumi want to know more about him. So, naturally, she had been looking for a way to get closer to him. Then, her sister Hinoe had mentioned the opening of a haunted house down the road from Kisaragi, and once the idea had entered Ayumi's mind, it would not leave. As a result, she BEGGED Hinoe for tickets, and when she got them, all she had to do was form a plan. And so she did. She knew that Kishinuma was hiding SOMETHING from her. Something involving Mochida. She just had to figure out what. And what better way to find out than to scare it out of him?
So, of course, when she mentioned the tickets to him, she knew he would bring up Mochida somehow. But she didn't expect him to bring up the other girls. Why would she want to take them? Not that she hated them or anything, but...it was way more fun to scare a boy than it was to scare a girl. Besides, it was Kishinuma that interested her, not the girls! But, Ayumi had to admit, she was curious as to what was happening in Kishinuma's mind when she finally confronted him with the question. After a while of thinking, he started grinning, like he had a plan of his own. His answer of "Hell yeah I'll go with!" had admittedly met her expectations. And from there, she had been hoping to be alone with Kishinuma that night at the haunted house. But, as fate would have it, the duo found the Mochidas anyway.
And now, as they had learned from Yuka, they were about to face another threat to their evening: a huge ghost. Real or not, Ayumi knew that it would probably be the thing that finally scared her. Yes, she loved ghost stories, but being stuck in them was another matter entirely. Oh, well...at least Yoshiki was with her...at least she wasn't alone...
"Shinozaki, are you okay? You're shaking a lot."
Ayumi was brought back into reality with the sound of Yoshi - Kishinuma's voice.
"M-me? Oh, yeah, I'll be fine, don't worry about me."
Kishinuma gave Ayumi a look that told her to cut the crap and tell him what was really going on. Ayumi had to look away from him to answer, for if she hadn't, the intensity of his gaze would've given her a heart attack.
Ayumi sighed. "Okay, well...I know that I suggested the haunted house, but...I'm...getting a little scared."
She looked back up at Kishinuma, whose gaze had softened. She looked away from him and laughed nervously.
"I know it's probably ironic...the brave class president who loves scary things is now weak and scared out of her mind...and in the middle of a haunted house of all places...how patheti-"
"Shut it!"
Kishinuma's sudden yell startled Ayumi. She couldn't help but gaze up at him, encouraging him to go on. Thankfully, Kishinuma got the memo and continued talking.
"Ayumi, you aren't weak or pathetic for being scared. Everyone gets scared sometimes, even me...but you already knew that, didn't'cha? Hahaha!"
Ayumi hesitated, but soon she joined Kishinuma in laughter, temporarily relieved. But then, Ayumi gasped.
"What's wrong?" Kishinuma...
"You...called me Ayumi."
Kishinuma thought for a minute, then remembered, and then it was almost as if his face caught on fire.
Ayumi laughed at the blushing bleach-blond mess before her.
"I-it's alright, Kishinuma-kun."
"Call me Yoshiki, goddamnit.", said Kishinu - Yoshiki without even looking up from his feet. His hands were tangled in his hair, covering his burning face as Ayumi pat him on the back in an attempt to calm him down.
Yuka and Satoshi giggled at the duo for a moment, until Yuka opened her eyes, looked up and screamed.
Yoshiki brought his still-red face up from his hands as he turned to Yuka, concerned.
"What is it, Yuka!?" This caused Satoshi and Ayumi to frantically look at Yoshiki, then Yuka, then up at what was ahead, looks of terror on their faces.
Yuka's hand shook as she pointed up at the insatiable horror.
"I-it's the ghost!"
Yoshiki turned around to see none other than the ghost (which was very obviously fake), and as a result, he started screaming. So did everyone else. Yoshiki's first instinct in this situation was to cling to Ayumi as tightly as he could, and to his surprise, she clung to him even tighter. Even after the ghost disappeared, Yoshiki and Ayumi still clung to each other like magnets, while Satoshi and Yuka watched on.
Ayumi was the first of the two to peek at the sky, which now showed that it was about half past nine. She tapped Yoshiki's shoulder until she got his attention, then they both reluctantly let go of each other.
Satoshi found himself giggling at his two friends. He wondered what would have happened he hadn't come. Well, as they say, it is what it is. Once they all got out, he patted Yuka on the back, and soon enough, they walked away.
Yoshiki, upon finally exiting the haunted house, let out a deep sigh before turning towards his dark-haired friend.
"Hey, are you okay, Ayumi?"
His worry was prominent in his voice. Ayumi nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you." Then, she turned to him. "My turn. Are you okay, Yoshiki?"
Yoshiki hid his pink cheeks. God, he loved hearing Ayumi say his name. He wished he could hear it forever.
"Y-yeah, I'm doing good." It was a lie. His plan had failed spectacularly with the arrival of Satoshi, but it's not as if he was about to tell this to Ayumi. He couldn't risk more embarrassment if she were to reject him.
IF. He smiled.
As looked around the outside, he felt a tug on his sleeve. As he turned to see the source, he found it to be none other than Ayumi.
"Hm? What's wrong, Ayumi?" Saying her first name just felt right to him, as if he had been born to say it.
"Well...there's something I should tell you...Yoshiki."
To Ayumi, saying Yoshiki's name felt different, but...it also felt right. Like this was the name she was supposed to say, the name she was supposed to call out for when she was scared. It was a nice feeling.
"What is it, Ayumi?" Hearing him say her name made her heart flutter, which confused her even more. She still didn't know how she felt about Yoshiki yet, so why was he doing all these stupidly cute things that made her fall for him even more?
"Well...I...lied about asking Mochida if he wanted to come here with me. You...were the first person I asked."
Yoshiki couldn't believe it. Ayumi loved Satoshi, not him...right?
"What do you mean..." Yoshiki trailed off in disbelief.
"Y-Yoshiki...the reason I brought you here...was because I wanted to get closer to you. I-I'm getting this weird feeling...like somehow, I should be with you. But I don't understand it! I don't understand it at all!"
Yoshiki's concern only grew. "What don't you understa-"
"I don't understand all these weird butterflies in my stomach! I don't understand why my heart skips a beat when you smile! I don't understand why I feel so insecure when you're not with me! I don't understand why my face turns pink when you say my first name! I-I..." Yoshiki stood there in a daze. Then, he walked over to Ayumi and enveloped her in his arms.
"Ayumi...I love you, too."
Ayumi's eyes widened. She really DID love Yoshiki. Why had it taken her so long to realize?
"You...really mean that?"
Yoshiki scoffed. "Why the hell wouldn't I mean it? You're one of the most important people to me!"
Ayumi could barely believe it. She thought that Yoshiki's secret had to do with Mochida! Unless...
"Yoshiki...I thought...you...and Mochida..."
Yoshiki looked confused for a moment, then chuckled. "Nah, me and Satoshi are just friends. Why?"
"Well..." Ayumi was unsure of how to phrase this, but she did her best. "You always seem to get upset...when I mention Mochida...so-"
"You've got it all wrong!"
Yoshiki's scream effectively cut Ayumi off. But now she was even more curious.
"Well then, enlighten me; what am I missing?"
Yoshiki clenched his fists as he continued.
"The reason I get upset when you mention Satoshi is because when you're not talking about ghost stories, you're always babbling on about 'Mochida-kun', 'Mochida-kun', 'MOCHIDA-KUN'! And it's driving me crazy! I just wanted you to look at me...and not him...for once. So...when you asked me about the haunted house tickets...of course I wanted to go with you. I wanted to prove to you...that I could be better than him. But then he HAD to show up...and..."
Ayumi's heart broke for him. She had no idea...if she knew he was jealous of Mochida, then she never would have mentioned him...but, maybe, if she hadn't mentioned Mochida...then she may never have been able to tell Yoshiki how she felt. And from there, she would never have learned that Yoshiki loved her back.
Wowza.
Ayumi looked up at Yoshiki. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know if she should say anything at all. So she kept silent. She wrapped her arms around the taller boy, hoping to calm him down, even if only a little.
Fortunately, it seemed to work, as Yoshiki returned the hug, holding Ayumi tightly. Yoshiki's body was warm (presumably from all the screaming he had done while still in the haunted house), and it felt amazing to hug him in the cool October wind. Ayumi could feel his breath on her neck as he buried his face in her shoulder, sobbing and dampening her cardigan with his salty tears.
"I...I love you too, Yoshiki. I didn't realize it before, but...I do now. I love you."
Yoshiki sobbed. "I haven't heard those words in years."
'That's right', Ayumi thought. Yoshiki's parents had all but disowned him years ago. She knew he had a younger sibling, but she didn't know what their relationship was like.
Ayumi continued. "Then...I'll say it as much as I can. I love you. I love you. I love you."
If you'd told Ayumi two years ago that she'd end up falling in love with a delinquent, she would have called you an idiot. But now...she couldn't just see it, she was living it. She continued speaking. "I love you, I love you, I love you, God, I love you so much."
Yoshiki hugged her even tighter. He love love loved her.
"Hold me tighter." It wasn't a demand, it was a plea. Ayumi's heart broke even more. Just what had this boy been through?
"Okay." She held him tighter.
"Please stay."
Ayumi teared up. "I will. Of course I will."
"I-I love you, goddamnit."
Ayumi nodded. "I love you, too."
Then, Ayumi felt something land on her head. A raindrop.
"Uh, Yoshiki? It's starting to rain. You wanna head home?"
Yoshiki brought his head up from Ayumi's shoulder, eyes red and cheeks stained with tears.
"Ah, you're right." He then seemed to realize something. "Shit!"
"What's wrong?"
"Well, uh...I didn't think it was going to rain, so I didn't bring an umbrella...eheh."
"Well...wait, you walked here!?"
"It's not that far from my apartment."
Ayumi sighed. "I'll drive you home, then."
Yoshiki was shocked. "I didn't say I couldn't still walk home, dammit! I just said that I forgot my umbrella!"
Ayumi laughed at the boy. "I'm still driving you home."
Yoshiki sighed, accepting defeat. "Okaayyy."
And so they began their walk back to Ayumi's car. Yoshiki, however, still had a question.
"Hey, Ayumi? Does this, erm...mean we're dating now?"
Ayumi's cheeks pinked. She hadn't considered that.
"Well, um...yeah, I suppose."
Yoshiki grinned. "That means I can do this now, right?"
"Do wha-"
Ayumi was cut off by Yoshiki pressing his lips to hers. His lips were chapped, but still warm. Ayumi closed her eyes and leaned into it. When they finally broke apart, they went over to the parking lot, hand in hand.
Meanwhile, a certain glasses-wearing drama club member had been watching the couple the whole time. He cursed under his breath as he pulled out his cellphone and punched in the number of the girl he now owed money to.
A loud cry of "What's up, Morishige-kun?" came from the other end of the line.
Morishige sighed. "I'll have the money for you tomorrow at school, Shinohara."
Shinohara seemed confused for a moment, before finally realizing and gasping loudly. "They really got together!?"
"Yes."
From the other end of the line came a squeal. Morishige was done for.
Goddamn. Well, that's the first chapter
