Clouded Distance | Free! Fan Fiction

16. Trust

Clouded Distance

Chapter Sixteen

Trust

Hana couldn't have been any more relieved when the bell sounded, releasing them for lunch. She slammed her maths book shut with a force which was probably unneccesary, wanting nothing more than to rid those horrid and confusing equations from her head. Talking and laughing with her friends at lunch would settle that, for sure.

"Relieved?" Hana almsot jumped as Haru came up from behind her. She laughed and turned around, and proceeded to rest her head against his chest.

"Very," she muttered. "Who needs maths, anyway?"

 "Not you, I'm guessing."

Hana chuckled and looked up, temporarily lost in Haru's eyes. No matter how often she looked into them, she just couldn't get over what a stunning blue they were. 

Makoto cleared his throat. "Um, Hana? Haru? Are we joining the others for lunch, or should I just leave you two?"

Hana jumped, and even Haru stiffened slightly. "Don't worry, we haven't forgotten!" Hana exclaimed hurriedly. The two of them grabbed their lunch and followed Makoto up to the roof, though they remained hand-in-hand.

Everyone else was waiting for them. After calling greetings, they settled themselves down and Nagisa animatedly began telling them how he'd scared Makoto that morning. Hana rested her head on Haru's shoulder, smiling as Nagisa retold the tale. 

Once Nagisa had finished, Makoto squeezed his eyes shut, as though cringing at the memory. "Jeez, you really scared me,"

Nagisa laughed ruefully, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, Mako-chan! I couldn't help myself."

"You couldn't help yourself?" Makoto repeated. He sighed and slouched back. Hana couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.

She wanted to tease Makoto more, but before she could get a word in, Rei turned to Nagisa and addressed an issue that had completely slipped her mind. "Why were you at Haruka-senpai's house?" the bespeckled boy asked Nagisa.

Only now did Hana pick this up as peculiar. Nagisa lived a decent distance away from Haru, so why had he gone over to Haru's the previous night, and not Rei's or Gou's?

"He said he stayed the night," Makoto said, after a brief thought. "Right, Haru?"

Haru nodded, and quickly explained how he'd found Nagisa trying to set up a campsite by his house, with tent and camping gear and looking like he was headed for a camping trip to the woods and not visiting a friend. He had wanted to see the Leonids, apparently. "That's why I brought him back to my house."

Hana frowned, thinking it strange. She found the situation even more weird when Rei pointed out, "But the Leonids are in the autumn."

Autumn? But it's summer now! Hana pursed her lips and started at Nagisa. Something strange was happeing here.

Before anyone could ask, Nagisa made a large exclamation. "Oh! I had it wrong!" He laughed loudly, perhaps just a little too loud to be convincing. "How careless of me! Anyway, about today's practice... I think we should train even harder than usual. What do you say?"

Hana hadn't failed to notice the very abrupt switch of topics. But everyone else was agreeing, and Nagisa continued to babble on. "We should practice with paddles, and also..."

Nagisa continued to babble, listing other hard and tiring exercises for them to do that day. The more he went on, the more sick with dread Hana began to feel. She shared a look with the others, and a simultaneous groan passed their lips.