{Aoi x Inosuke | InuAo} Flutter

Chapter 13: Breakdown

Aoi's POV

From time to time, I expected to see Inosuke in detention. Now... he wasn't. A little bit suspicious, I went to check on his grades. He was... raising them. I thought that this wasn't real. No matter how many times I pinched myself and searched that these were from the right person. This was the new Inosuke Hashibira... the one person who was climbing up from the depths of a nobody, up to this person who everyone was respecting. I had trouble believing this was the right guy.

Walking back to the dorms, I shook my head with defeat. No matter how many times I tried to refute the possibility of Inosuke changing so rapidly, I always failed to refute it. I had to accept the truth. Inosuke was changing. I don't know why.

Tomorrow morning, I would take a visit to their dorms and have a talk with Inosuke. I had to see Inosuke myself. Why...? I think it's to ensure that what I'm seeing is right. I want to refute everything that I see... I just don't see Inosuke changing so rapidly... I didn't believe it- not one second. I refused that the Inosuke I had come to learn was changing.

*   *   *

"Even for a weekend... they are still asleep... at 1 pm in the afternoon."

I sighed, shaking my head. I didn't expect them to be up at 8 am, so I carried on with some studying and working around the school while checking on them once every hour. There was still no response from those boys. Why are those boys still asleep in the afternoon? I heard it's a common thing with all the students... sleeping in as much as they wanted, but this? This was just ridiculous!

I left their front door, waiting underneath the nearest tree. All my school supplies were there. I resumed back into my textbook and began to write some notes down. Focused in my work, I didn't realize that a few hours had seemed to pass by. 

The chilling air fell upon me as I shivered. I looked up and saw the sun already beginning its journey towards the west. Wrapping up my work, I heard that familiar war cry: Inosuke. Packing up my back with my school work, I walked over to that war cry. Why was he screaming his head off? No clue. My phone stated that the time was 4:31 pm... dinner would be in 2 hours.

"You're out here?"

I jumped when I heard his chilling voice. Slowly looking up to see him in his eyes, he was giving this neutral stare at me. Instead of being fearful, I took in a deep breath and began to speak. "I've been trying to figure out where you were, Inosuke."

He crosses his arms, scoffing a bit. "Why are you looking for me?"

"I needed to confirm something."

"Like?"

"I needed to confirm that you are raising your grades. You have been doing both your school work and homework?"

Inosuke nodded his head, leaning against the tree I was underneath. "I am. Is that not a good thing? Should I not be doing the work I'm given or something like that?" He says it so... coldly. He still had aspects of his old-self. But this new-self...?

"I'm just surprised why you suddenly turned like that. Mind giving me a reason?"

As my answer, he shook his head. "Maybe a smart girl like you should figure it out."

In anger, I stomped my foot on the grass. "I'm done playing your vague word games, Inosuke. Tell me now. I need to conclude my little investigation, of course. Just tell me the truth."

He gave me this glare that seemed frightful, but he let that glare go. His arms fell from being crossed. There was this sense of... defeat in him. The aura that surrounded him- I could feel the sadness. "Because... that one butterfly girl told me to do it... because I want to prove that I'm stronger."

"Butterfly... girl?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Saying stuff about how she couldn't be involved between me and you... destroying her school-"

Shocked to hear that she was involved- "H-Hashira Shinobu talked to you?! What did she say?! Tell me now, Inosuke!"

Inosuke chuckled a bit, giving me this mischievous smile. "Oh? Does the little butterfly girl want to know what the bigger butterfly person asked for?"

"Y-You've changed..." I say softly... but I shook my head. Why was I accepting this? "Inosuke, what's gotten into you? First, you were someone who literally disobeyed the school rules at any point in time, then you're becoming a good student, and now you're reverting back to your bad boy side?"

"You just don't know me..." Inosuke growls a bit, backing off. "I still won't change my mind about you, Aoi. See you at dinner..."

Those were his last words before we both parted our ways back to our respected dorms. We waited for the bell to ring for dinner. I walked into my room, collapsing on the ground. I couldn't believe what I got from Inosuke. He had really changed. He ranted... I don't even know what's going on anymore...

I closed my eyes, trying to get the thought of Inosuke's transformation. This couldn't be right... not at all.