The Wind Sees Daisy – Chapter 10

This is a fanfiction by Doughnut Gunso.

“I think this will do,” said Athena, as she put down a file which Hinagiku had given her a while ago.
It was 15:30 on 6th September. In the Student Council Room, Athena discussed with Hinagiku over the school affairs. The idea was to transfer the duties which should have belonged to Athena, but were transferred to Hinagiku during her absence from the school, back to her.
“I still think it is better for you take up those duties one by one,” said Hinagiku, looking at the long duty list for Athena. “It takes time to pick them up.”
Athena raised her eyebrows. “Who do you think I am?” she asked.
“It was only a suggestion,” said Hinagiku casually.
“Thanks for that,” said Athena, equally casually. “I must also thank you for taking up these tasks for me for so long. It wouldn’t be easy studying and working at the same time.”
Hinagiku raised her eyebrows. “Who do you think I am?” she asked, mimicking Athena. Both girls laughed.

“Now that you only have to deal with tasks which truly belong to you, I guess you will have a lot more time for yourself,” said Athena.
“I guess you are right, and I might need a plan for my free time,” said Hinagiku, and she shook her head. “It is at least three hours per day we are talking about.”
“You are trying to make me feel guilty, aren’t you?” asked Athena, frowning.
“No, I am not,” said Hinagiku, surprised. “What makes you think so?”
“Nothing,” said Athena, shaking her head. “This girl is sometimes as insensitive as Hayate, really,” she thought. “So what are your plans?” she asked, trying to move on with the subject.
Hinagiku thought for a moment. “I think I might go and help at Cafe Donguri more often,” she said. “Master has been complaining all along.”
“What else?” asked Athena. She was sure that as a High School girl, Hinagiku must have something more in her mind other than working. Something more… girly, that was.
“No idea yet,” said Hinagiku with a weak smile. “Do you have an idea for me?”

Athena finally realized that Hinagiku was completely hopeless in girls’ talk, so she decided to take the lead of this talk from this moment onwards. “Maybe you can go on a date,” she said. “I know you have been quite close with a certain Fukada-kun recently.
Hinagiku blushed slightly, but to Athena’s greatest surprise she did not panic. Instead, Hinagiku simply smiled and shook her head. “It’s not like that,” she said. It was not the play-it-down kind of denial which would mean that she was lying, but the honest denial of a not-a-fact.
“Why not?” asked Athena. “You see, he is good-looking and nice. More importantly, he clearly fancies you.” She found herself more and more eager to push Kyosuke and Hinagiku together.
“I don’t really know how to put it,” said Hinagiku thoughtfully. “But the feeling is just not right. He was once my rival, then we became friends, but that’s all. At no point had I had any romantic feelings for him.”
“‘The feeling is not right’, huh…?” said Athena, considering her words. “You know what, Hinagiku? You sound like a girl.”
“I am a girl,” retorted Hinagiku.
Athena smiled. “I still think Fukada-kun deserves a chance.”
“He can make one if he is serious about it.”
“I am quite sure he is going to ask you out soon, but the problem is whether you would destroy the chance he made,” said Athena wisely.

*

“Listen up, Risa, Izumi!” said Miki. “It is time for club activities!”
Miki, Risa and Izumi were all in the Media Art Investigation Centre – in short, their club house. They went there because they had nothing to do, but they had nothing to do at the club house either.
“Why all of a sudden, Miki?” asked Risa lazily, her head lying against the table. “School is over, so we should not force ourselves doing anything, right?”
“You are wrong, Risa! You are just so wrong!” exclaimed Miki. “We haven’t been filming for a long time! I even left my camera in my desk in Ch. 308! This is embarrassing! It is an insult to our filming souls, and it is an insult to our club!” She finished her lines by hitting her fist on the table.
“Hey… but I took out the camera and filmed myself in the same chapter,” said Izumi. However, she suddenly remembered something. “Oh, no!”
Risa and Miki both stared at her. They had just discovered another weak spot of Izumi.
“Did you just say that you had been filming, Izumi?” asked Miki, her face coming closer to Izumi. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“And more importantly, where is the footage?” asked Risa , her face coming closer to Izumi.
“No, no! I didn’t say anything! I didn’t film anything!” squealed Izumi as she took a step backward.
“Izumi!!”
“IZUMI!!!”
“NOOOOO—-!!!!!”
“Wait!” said Miki suddenly. She had just seen someone walking past the window. “Who’s that?”
Risa looked out from the window and saw a blonde boy. “It’s Fukada-kun. It can’t be wrong!”
“Fukada, huh?” said Miki. Even since Kyosuke defeated Hinagiku in the park, Miki had never liked him. Besides… “This guy has been quite close to Hina, hasn’t he? Fine, let me show him that he is far from good enough for Hina!”
She grabbed her camera and headed for the club house door. “Come on, Risa, Izumi!”
“Where are we going?” asked Izumi, who was relieved that her two friends had just let her go.
“We are going to record all the embarrassing moments of that Fukada!” said Miki. “I will make sure he never come close to Hina again! I won’t allow him to hurt her any more!”

*

At 16:00 Hinagiku had finished all her tasks, so she left the Student Council Room. She found it extremely odd that she could go home so early – something she had never been able to do since becoming Student Council President.
“Well, maybe I really should go to the coffee shop. Nagi and Ayumu are working today, so I think I can help in the kitchen.” She had almost come to her decision when she heard someone calling her (“Hey! Katsura-san!”) from behind. She turned and found that it was Kyosuke.
“Hello, Fukada-kun,” said Hinagiku with a smile. “How come you are still at school? It’s quite late already.”
“The same goes to you, Katsura-san,” said Kyosuke.
“I am the Student Council President, that’s why.”
“And I am just walking around the campus, that’s why.”
Hinagiku giggled.
Kyosuke looked at her for a moment. “So are you free now, Katsura-san?”
“Yes, I am. My job today is done,” said Hinagiku sweetly.
“Then… how about you come with me for a walk?” asked Kyosuke, who managed to pull a straight face although he did blush a bit. “There is a place I want to show you.”
Hinagiku rolled her eyes. “Are you taking me out for a date?” she asked, half-teasing.
Kyosuke shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”
Hinagiku considered for a moment. Then she remembered Athena’s words.
“I still think Fukada-kun deserves a chance.”
“Yes, of course,” whispered Hinagiku, and she smiled at Kyosuke. “Why not?”

*

“What?!” exclaimed Miki in utter disbelieve. “She agreed?”
Miki, Risa and Izumi were hiding behind a tree nearby, peeking and filming Kyosuke and Hinagiku. Miki had heard their every single word, but she could not believe her ears.
“Is… is it a date?!” whispered Izumi, who was blushing furiously.
“It surely is!” said Risa, who had become very excited. “Come to think of it: ‘The Private Love Life of the Student Council President’! It is breaking news!”
“Wow!!” cheered Izumi.
“Let’s go, Miki! We have to follow them!”
“You are right, Risa! We have to follow them!” said Miki through gritting teeth. Nobody knew that she agreed to follow them for a reason different from Risa’s.
“Let’s go!!!” said the three of them together, and they followed quietly behind Kyosuke and Hinagiku.

*

“Where are we going, Fukada-kun?” Hinagiku asked, after walking for about half an hour. They had walked past the park, the shopping district and at least three coffee shops. Hinagiku began to think that Kyosuke wasn’t taking her on a date at all, as they were not going to any of the above spots, where girls preferred for dating.
“To tell you the truth, Katsura-san, I am taking you to the Headquarters of my family business,” said Kyosuke with a smile. “There is something I want to show you inside.”
“Your family business?” asked Hinagiku. She never knew what kind of business his family did.
“Yes,” said Kyosuke, but he did not elaborate. “This is it, we have arrived,” he said after walking down another street.

They stood in front of a tall silver building – it was a typical business building in the commercial district. “Deep Fields Weaponry…” Hinagiku read the sign at the building front door. “So your family deal with weapon?”
“To be exact, we are one of the suppliers of the military,” said Kyosuke. “We do nothing with firearms, but we deal with cold weapons – mostly military knives. But I did not take you here for this. Now if you would excuse me…” with that, he grabbed Hinagiku’s hand.
Hinagiku blushed at the sudden body contact. “Fu – Fukada-kun?!” she asked, her voice slightly trembling.
“This is a restricted building, and I can only take you in if I tell everyone that you are my girlfriend,” whispered Kyosuke. “For that purpose, please pretend that you are my girlfriend for the moment – just let me hold your hand, it will do.” He thought for a moment. “And it would be even better if I could call you by a cute nickname.”
“Use… use ‘Hina’ then,” whispered Hinagiku, not even making eye-contact with him as she was thoroughly embarrassed. “My friends call me Hina.”
“Thank you very much, Hina,” said Kyosuke with a smile. “Let’s go.”

Hinagiku said nothing as Kyosuke led her into the building. She could feel her face burning. She felt odd about Kyosuke grabbing her hand – it was not exactly a comfortable experience.