Izumi POV.
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'Hey, do you want to help me study...? It's raining outside as well; I don't want to send you away..."
I had to offer, it was freezing outside right now, and it's already 4:00PM in the afternoon, she must have come here right after school since she still has her uniform on.
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"Yes." She replied. "Um, w-wait, I mean, okay. Sure, I'll help you."
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I've never had a girl in my room, at least from what I can remember. I'm...a little nervous, especially how she looks and everything.
She was dressed as a typical yankee, disheveled uniform with blonde hair...but she smelled good, it was enveloping my room.
Maybe she was my type or something.
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I...had to say something, I want to make sure she's comfortable at least. I don't want to scare her off, my only friend...or acquaintance or whatever we are.
She saved my life...I don't know how I can repay her.
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"There isn't much I can do, but if you want a drink or something we have a lot downstairs." I said, quoting because of my legs.
"I can't get anything right now, I'm a terrible host haha."
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"Ehh? Don't say that Izumi." She said back to me.
Then, as she was sitting down, she seemed to be staring for a moment. Almost like she was daydreaming.
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"You alright?" I asked her.
"Huh...? Oh, y-yeah of course." She replied nervously, sitting down across from me. "Sorry, I've just...never been in a boy's room before."
Eh? Really? I'd have thought she was...I mean as a gyaru and everything.
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"By the way how many assignments have you missed?! Look at this pile!" She exclaimed out to me.
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"I don't really know where to start haha..." I muttered out. "I don't remember too much either."
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"Neither do I, it's quite a lot actually..." She said to me, changing her tone to astonishment. "Well, I'm not the best student either, sooo you can help me with staying concentrated!"
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Then after a moment, she put down an assignment in front of me.
"I think this one would be good to start with," she said, pointing at the first problem. She reached over the table to show me.
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I nodded, even though my stomach tightened instantly. Schoolwork felt like a foreign language now, it was really difficult work.
My legs were packed under the kotatsu in thick casts, and the sensation reminded me of how powerless I was, just how desperate I must look.
I was sitting here without even being able to stand on my own. The medical eye patch covering the left side of my face made my depth perception strange.
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Every time I leaned forward to read something, the world tilted in a way that made me feel clumsy and slow.
I became painfully aware of how I must look to her. It made me feel depressed, I wanted to look cool in front of her, not...look like this.
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While I was thinking these things...Hamasaki looked calm, but she was putting on a serious vibe.
Her uniform was messy in the way that suited her, and her blond hair fell around her shoulders in a soft way.
She seemed comfortable sitting here with me, which made me feel something in my chest shift. Despite how she looked, she was a good girl. Maybe she liked messing around a lot, but that's part of her personality, I think.
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"Hmm? Izumi? Are you alright?" She asked me abruptly.
Shit...she caught me staring.
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'Y-Yeah of course." I replied to her.
"If you need help with anything, just tell me." she said with a smile.
Her sincerity made me lower my eyes, despite how she looked, she was really sweet.
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"Sorry," I said quietly. "My head gets fuzzy when I try to read too much. "My eye makes everything kind of funny when I'm looking at it, I'm still learning my depth perception."
"Oh, that makes sense...does...it still hurt?" She asked.
"It does sometimes, but not right now. I take medication for it though; the doctor told me that it's going to get better over time."
She moved closer so she could look at the worksheet with me. Her movement was smooth and not hesitant at all.
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"Well, here let me explain it a little better for you then." She said.
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The study session lasted much longer than I expected. The rain outside had turned into a steady downpour, and the sound of it filled the room while we worked.
She wasn't the best student she said, but compared to me right now? She was a genius.
"Wow...look at that." She said to me, looking with a mischievous smile. "We were able to get through 6 assignments already."
*click*
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"Izumi?"
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The door clicked open downstairs, and I heard the familiar sound of my sister's voice calling my name.
A moment later, footsteps came up the hallway. My mom reached the doorway first, holding a grocery bag in one arm. Nee-chan peeked from behind her.
Both of them froze when they saw Hamasaki sitting next to me at the kotatsu.
My mom blinked several times. "Oh. Izumi...you have a guest."
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Hamasaki reacted immediately. She bowed her head politely. "Good evening. I...came to help Izumi with his assignments, um...thank you for letting me in."
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My mom's eyebrows lifted. "You came to help him study? That's very kind of you."
Nee-chan's face looked slightly suspicious as she stood behind mom with her arms crossed.
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"Yeah, I invited her over." I said, interrupting them both. "It's fine, I needed help with my work anyways."
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Then Mom looked back towards Hamasaki still sitting down next to me.
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"You must be tired, and its cold outside still raining, would you like to stay for dinner?" She asked. "We've brought a lot tonight?"
Hamasaki's face turned red almost instantly, then she shook her head quickly. "No-no, I can't, thank you for asking though.... I don't want to impose."
"It's fine, you aren't imposing at all!" She was always persistent with guests. "You brought Izumi his assignments, that's plenty enough for me hehe."
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Hamasaki bowed again. "I really can't...I'm sorry, my family is expecting me home soon. BUt I can next time...if that's alright?" She replied, bowing her head slightly.
She looked disappointed for a second but then came back to normal. "O-Of course."
"At least let me give you a ride, alright? I'm not letting a student walk home alone in weather like this." She replied back to Hamasaki.
"U-Um, thank you, I appreciate it." She said, realizing that my mom isn't going to back down from this one.
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She stood and gathered her bag that was still on the opposite side of the table.
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Nee-chan watched her with a suspicious expression, but her eyes were softer than before.
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"I'll wait downstairs Izumi, I had a great time." Hamasaki said. "Um, see you tomorrow then?"
"Um...yeah, thank you." I said, slightly embarrassed as she turned around, waving towards me.
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Then she walked out.
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*hehe*
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Wait.
My sister is still here.
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Nee-chan looked at me with narrowed eyes. "She seems... intense."
"U-Um, what do you mean?" I asked her.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way or anything, but she looks like a delinquent, maybe that's your type? Hehe." She said teasing me.
"N-No, it's not like that Nee-chan! She helped me a lot, and I just...want to be friends with her." I said to her, embarrassed that she hit the nail right on the head.
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"I'll be back soon guys!" Mom yelled downstairs, as both Hamasaki and her got into the car.
"Okay Mom" We both yelled in unison.
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Looks like Nee-chan is going to tease me for a little longer, at least until mom gets home.
...ugh.
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Hamasaki POV.
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"I just wanted to say, thanks for helping Izumi out, he uh, really needs it right now." Izumi's mom said to me, as she was driving me back home.
"Um, yeah. Of course." I said back to her, unable to tell her of my own guilt.
I could tell that he wasn't in a good head space at least. Who would be after everything that happened?
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My first...boys room though.
Weird.
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"You know, I don't know if I want to bring Izumi back to that school." She said back to me. "I-I can't bring myself to trust those kids..."
I mean, that's understandable.
After everything with Katori, and her friends at that karaoke place, it was good instinct to be wary of people.
But...
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Not enough to...seclude him of course. His eyes today looked...lonely if anything.
"H-He was always nice to everyone, and it was a select group of kids who really...um did that to him." I said back to her, clenching my hand across the seatbelt. "So, I really hope he does come back...um, plus I'll be with him."
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I can't bring myself to tell her I used to be someone who ignored him, or even lightly teased him at times.
We were...the same. I could have been in his shoes just as easily.
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I dress like this to fit in; well I used to. I didn't want to be the one who would end up being bullied...I'm...so weak.
I want to make it up to him now though, he's gone through so much. This is the least I can do.
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"Um, its right over here." I told his mom, as she pulled up to my apartment.
"Thanks...for the ride." I said to her.
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"Anytime! Make sure to get inside safe, alright?" She replied back.
'Y-Yeah, I'll be over tomorrow, if that's alright." I said, getting out of the car and heading up to the staircase.
I hated coming home.
My dad was probably out gambling still, with what little money we did have. My mom...on the other hand.
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"Ito.." She said, as I walked into the house.
"Mom." I replied with.
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"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!" She yelled at me, as she usually does.
"I was helping a friend out, what, do I need to give you permission to leave now?" I asked back to her.
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"Shut your fucking mouth, you stupid girl." She said back to me. "I wanted you to COOK TONIGHT!!"
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"You know, we have no money for groceries, right?" I replied to her, turning around to head into the kitchen.
The house was a mess, clothing was everywhere, old takeout that I bought for her to eat for dinner was left untouched on the counter.
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"Are you fucking talking back to me?" She said, raising her hand.
*Slap*
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"Do you know how HARD I WORK FOR US?!?!?!" She yelled at me, as she hit me across the face.
She doesn't have a job anymore though, I'm not even sure if she's looking.
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"Sure mom." I replied back to her, stone coldly as when she gets like this, there's no stopping her.
"Go sell your body, that's all you're good for anyways." She said back to me, tossing things around the kitchen. "Maybe if you did that, we'd HAVE MONEY!"
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Wow, today was bad. She really wasn't in a great mood.
She usually loved to hit and berate me a lot, which I'm used to at this point. My dad used to as well, but he's been winning a lot more lately.
So, he's been acting like a dad at least.
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I switched into normal clothing inside my small room to the left of the living room, a hoodie and some pants.
And I left the house for a while, at least until she got tired, and started sleeping. I didn't want to deal with that woman right now.
I left and closed the door. I don't think my mentally ill mom even noticed.
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The rain, it's nice...at least, with this hoodie and some shade, I feel warmer.
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I walked around for a while, where we lived wasn't too far away from Izumi's house, however it wasn't within walking distance in this storm.
I pulled out my pack of cigarettes and a lighter and lit one underneath the drape of a local convenience store.
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No one I go to school with realizes I smoke, I only do this when I'm stressed enough anyways.
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Izumi's mom was really nice.
Even though...all of that happened to him, I'm glad he's got a family who actually cares baout him, unlike me.
I've been alone for a long time; I've got a brother I haven't seen in years as well though.
He was a runaway and left me alone with these monsters.
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Tomorrow, maybe I can stay at Izumi's a little longer? He's really...really nice to me.
I want to help him more, he feels like someone I want to be genuine friends with, unlike those people at school.
He's directed with me, and I feel comfortable with him.
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"What a...weird feeling." I said, as I was finishing off my cigarette, looking down at my old phone.
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...then someone came up and stood in front of me.
...huh?
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Who was this?
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So, I looked up at them.
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"Leave Izumi alone, I'm warning you!" She said to me, pretty abruptly. "I don't want you near him!"
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...Katori? What...are you doing here?
"I saw you come from his house, I watched you! Don't go there again!" She said, spitting it out at me before turning around, and leaving before I could even say anything.
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Eh..?