"Hikari go out with me!" whines Hayato, shaking her arm for the thousandth time that day. True to his words from last week, Hayato has continuously tried to make Hikari fall for him or ask her out in several different ways.

For the first day, he decides to bring her roses, only to accidentally slam them against a wall when he cheered from seeing her walk through the doors. He still asked her out, but the ruined flowers made it awkward.

Day two, Hayato jumped on her back while screaming for her to go out with him when he saw her walking to school. However his weight surprised her, causing her to fall against the pavement. The result of this was Hikari gaining a giant scrape on her knee while Hayato earned a good beating.

Day three, Hayato tried to get into her heart by apologizing for hurting her and offered to nurse her knee. Despite her lack of faith in him, Hikari allowed him to do so, however he mistook the hot water for cold and ended up pouring hot water onto her wound.

On the fourth day, Hayato decided to have the guys help him out by handing her a rose as she followed a trail to the class. It seemed to be going perfectly until Hayato ran to hug her with a bouquet of roses between them, still full of thorns.

Day five, Hayato ran across the Kurogin campus yelling "I LIKE YOU HIKARI! GO OUT WITH ME!" However he was rejected once again for embarrassing her.

Then finally yesterday was probably the worst. The class went out to the lake to study water properties with Michiko-sensei, who was subbing and apparently loved romantic gestures. Hayato was inspired by her to twirl Hikari around in front of the water like a prince would with a princess. Unfortunately Hayato being Hayato, got so into twirling her that he trips and sends both of them into the water. Hikari in a wet high school uniform in front of a bunch of guys was definitely his worst accident. Ryu had to step in to save the day by throwing his blazer over her while Hayato sat there trying to hide from Hikari's glare.

This now brings us to day seven.

"No," she responds bluntly, bringing a pout to Hayato's face.

"Hikari go out with meeeeeee," he begs again.

"Just give up Hayato," teases Takeda.

"Yeah the lady said no," adds in Tsucchi, feeling sorry for his heartbroken friend.

"Ri-chan, talk, now," Ryu orders emotionlessly. Although his emotionless tone scares the others, it barely phases Hikari. Ryu leads the way out to the roof, Hikari following closely behind.

"Hey where are you going?" asks the bewildered Yankumi, staring at her two students. "Class is about to start!"

"We're just going to talk on the roof Yankumi, calm down," Hikari answers with her arms behind her head.

"Can it be?! Ryu is finally going to ask out Hikari?!" squeals Yankumi, fantasizing romantic scenes between her students as she watches them walk away together up to the roof.

"WHAT?!" exclaims Hayato, fainting from the thought of his best friend betraying him.

"Hayato!" Kosuke yells, rushing to their leader's side. The rest of the class runs in also, trying to support their fainted leader.

"Yankumi!" chastises Takeda. "You put him into shock!"

"Oops," apologizes Yankumi, lightly knocking herself on the head.

"Hikariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" the shocked leader screams for the heavens to hear.

 

~Hikari and Ryu~

 

"Man what was that about?" asks Hikari, raising an eyebrow when she hears Hayato screaming her name.

"Who knows," replies Ryu. "You know why I called you out here. Talk."

"I don't know what you mean," Hikari says quietly, playing with her fingers.

"You and Hayato," states Ryu, placing his hands firmly on her hands to stop her from finding distractions. His two words were all that were needed to tell Hikari that she better confess the situation to him before he gets even more intimidating.

"What about us? Hayato tries to ask me out in different ways as always and I reject him as always," she answers with a moody tone.

"You can't tell me none of his efforts has reached you," denies Ryu. "I know you Ri-chan. You like strong guys, you want playful relationships, and you fall easily when someone puts forth that much effort to be with you. And so far, Hayato is 3 for 3." As much as she preferred Ryu out of the group, Hikari had to admit that sometimes his logic is annoying. Oh what is she talking about? His logic is always annoying, especially when he uses it on her.

"None of his efforts has reached me," Hikari states calmly, staring back into Ryu's brown orbs. The two stayed in a staring contest until Ryu's poker face was just too much for her.

"Really?" Ryu asks again, challenging her mental defenses.

"Fine, I'll admit that he's been wearing me down little by little," Hikari finally confesses, cracking under Ryu's gaze.

"So why not just go out with him?" asks Ryu,  mentally rolling his eyes. "He likes you, you're realizing that you like him. Simple."

"No not simple," she denies. "What if our relationship messes up what we have now? I'm scared of liking Hayato too much and he ends up getting bored with me or realizing I'm not as much as he thinks I am?"

"Hayato isn't like that," reminds Ryu. "Just take a chance on him and go on a date since you like him."

"I know, but what if something bad happens with us?" asks Hikari with worry. "Besides I'm not even sure if I like him. I think I just like the attention and efforts he's giving me. Once he stops doing these things I might realize I don't like him."

"Well make up your mind soon," Ryu tells her, heading back to class. "Girls are so confusing. With guys, if we like someone we go for it." Hikari stands there, thinking about Ryu's advice until she hears the bell.

"Hey wait for me!" Hikari yells, dashing to Ryu's side as the two begin to race each other back to class.

The day passes quickly with Hayato continuously embarrassing Hikari by trying to ask her out through notes during every class.  Although she wrote rejection notes back to him, Hikari couldn't help but blush every time she reads his notes. Unknowing to Hayato, Hikari had secretly stored all of Hayato's notes into her bag.

 

~Next Day with Hayato~

 

"Ri-chan...." hums Hayato happily, loving the attention he was getting.

"Yes master Hayato?" asks Hikari, turning around. Hayato couldn't help but stare at her wearing the same uniform she wore at the Day on Campus.

"So cute...." Hayato sighs in adoration. Seeing Hikari's confused look, he snaps out of his trance. "Will you go out with me?"

"Of course," Hikari agrees cheerfully. "I like you too Hayato!" She skips over to him merrily.

"You'll really go out with me?" he asks hopefully. "And you like me?" Despite how happy he is to hear that, he can't help but question if this was all a dream.

"Yup, so why don't we go to an arcade for our first date?" she suggests.

"Anything you want, Ri-chan!" squeals Hayato happily, embracing her tightly. "All my hard work's finally paid off!"

 

*BUZZ!!!!!!!*

"Hold on Ri-chan," mumbles Hayato groggily, hitting something next to him ."Then I hope you're fine with me doing this too." Without opening his eyes, Hayato continues to make out with his pillow for a few more minutes until he felt himself falling onto a hard floor. "OW!"

"Nii-chan, you're late," Hayato's younger, but more responsible brother calls out.

"OY! How'd it become 7:55 already?!" shrieks Hayato, rushing to change into his uniform and grabbing a piece of bread. "Aren't you going to be late since you're still here too?"

"No, I have a bike," teases the younger Yabuki. Groaning in annoyance, Hayato runs toward his school.

 

~School~

 

"Yabuki Hayato?" Yankumi repeats, taking role. "Has anyone seen Yabuki?"

"He's probably passed out dreaming of Ri-chan again," Takeda teases, turning Hikari a bright red.

"Aw that's so sweet!" Yankumi sighs, daydreaming about her two students getting together. "Yabuki and Toda together, ooh! You two will be the 3D couple! How adorable!" However she is deflated when Ryu stares at her and Hikari throws an eraser at her.

"Yabuki and I are not a couple," she reminds the class.

"And don't you have something you're supposed to be doing right now?" adds Ryu.

"Oh! Right, I need to finish attendance," remembers Yankumi. Suddenly, the door slides-- ahem... crashes into the wall due to a huge man pushing it. The mafia-like adult maliciously walks into the room.

"Uh excuse me, who are you?" asks Yankumi.

"Where is my son?" asks the man, ignoring her question. Hikari curiously turns to Ryu, who seems nervous.

'Why's he so nervous? This isn't his father,' thinks Hikari. The man begins to walk through the classroom, striking fear into every student.

"Where is that good-for-nothing idiot son?!" roars the man.

"What do you mean by idiot son?" questions Yankumi, following him as he continues tossing chairs aside.

"Whose old man is that?" asks Tsucchi, nearly peeing himself.

"He's not here," the man states, acting as if he was not intruding rudely. "Perhaps I made a mistake." Without anyone noticing while Yankumi praises her students, the leader finally strolls into the classroom. The first to notice was Hikari.

"Ah! Yabuki's here," announces the newest leader of 3D.

"Sowwy for being late," apologizes Hayato cutely as Hikari smirks at his messed up hair. However the atmosphere quickly changes to Hikari's surprise. One second Hayato walks into the classroom, the next the classroom is somehow destroyed and Hayato and his dad are in the process of destroying the office.

 

~At Cafe~

 

"He makes me really mad," states Hayato with a dull look, causing Hikari to push his head.

"Well at least now we know where you get all your hot-headedness from," taunts Hikari.

"I'm sorry, you lost me after 'your hot,'" grins Hayato, giving Hikari a noogie. "Now shut up." Takeda lets out a small giggle, raising Hayato's anger again.

"It's just you sounded like your father a bit," he teases, gaining agreement from everyone but Hayato.

"I'm more like my late mother," he denies, turning to Ryu. "Oh you remember my mother right?"

"Yeah, she was really beautiful," agrees Ryu, bringing a satisfied smile to his best friend's face. However Ryu's smile soon turns to a mischievous smirk. "But...he's like his father without a doubt." This comment sends everyone into a roar of laughter.

"As much as I love teasing Hayato, I really gotta go," Hikari states with fatigue. "Mom's been worried about me staying out too late with guys."

"I'll come with you," offers Hayato before turning back to glare at the guys. They walk in silence for a few minutes until they got to the train station. "So how was your day?"

"We spent the whole day together," Hikari reminds him.

"Oh right," he grins nervously. "Well the guys and I were planning to go to the park tomorrow to play catch, wanna come?"

"Isn't there school tomorrow?" she asks.

"Don't tell me the great Hikari Toda is now afraid to ditch school," gloats Hayato. He crosses his arms and smirks at her while moving in front of her.

"I'm not scared, I just don't want to worry my mom, idiot," Hikari roughly shoves Hayato to the side.

"Aw don't be so rough Ri-chan!" he pouts. He suddenly throws himself on her from behind for a hug, resting his chin on her head.

"What are you doing?!" Hikari stutters, trying to hide her blush and pushing him off.

"Ri-chan, I like you a lot," he says in sleepy voice. "Carry me." Not expecting him to jump on her back, she collapses due to the sudden weight.

"Get off me you fat pig!" yells the furious and embarrassed girl under him. "Hayato get off me!"

"You're no fun," Hayato pouts, standing straight again. "But I still like you, let's go home!" He casually grabs her hand as they continue walking. However Hikari tries hard to pull her hand out of his, only to have him take it again. The two then play tug-a-war with her hand until they arrived at her house. "Good night, you unattractive tomboy."

"Good night lame brain," jokes Hikari, rolling her eyes. The two wave to each other before splitting ways.

 

~Next Day~

 

"Where can that idiot be?" wonders Hikari. She knew they were going to play catch at the park, but Hayato missed a whole day of school!

"Toda-chan, do you want to come visit Kumai's shop with me today?" asks Yankumi.

"I would, but it feels a bit lame going with my teacher," Hikari apologizes poorly.

"Okay...." Yankumi sighs and walks away with a disappointed look.

"Yankumi, maybe I'll treat you another day!" she offers, trying to cheer up her teacher. It seemed to work since Yankumi was soon high in the clouds again. The boys suddenly pop up behind her.

"Ri-chan! Let's go visit Hayato at work! Please Ri-chan!" pleads Takeda, giving her puppy eyes.

"If she doesn't want to, we drag her!" Tsucchi commands, and everyone agrees. The group forcefully drags Hikari to Kuma's shop against her will. "Look!" They walk in and Hikari laughs, seeing Hayato in an apron and waving childishly to a customer.

"We thought business would be low!" Kousuke teases.

"We came all this way for nothing?" adds Tsucchi, jokingly.

"You look like a pretty house wife," teases Hikari, sticking her tongue out. Hayato turns to them with an embarrassed look as they did a cat gesture, which Hayato slowly returns.

She didn't know how, but before she knew it, Hikari found herself and the boys at work. Hayato is still a waiter and a bus boy, Kousuke took orders, Tsucchi and Ryu were cooking, and Takeda handled the dishes. Hikari herself worked as a second waiter and server, due to her skills at the maid cafe from before. Once the day ended, Kuma treated them to drinks, where they discussed on how Kuma inherited the shop. Hikari looks over at Hayato, seeing a look on his face that she's never seen before. He looked...more manly and mature. His smile seemed as if he was really touched.

Now Hikari and Hayato are walking Kuma and his siblings back. Hikari is playing with the kids while Hayato and Kuma talk about fathers. Suddenly a group of men approaches them. Kuma and Hikari immediately push the kids behind them.

"We've been waiting for you, you know!" one of the men shouts at Kuma.

"Well you could use some manners, you know?" retorts Hikari, but is silenced by Hayato's hand.

"What'd you say?!" he demands, trying to get in her face.

"What's the problem here?" asks Hayato calmly, keeping himself between Hikari and the men. Surprised by his maturity, Hikari couldn't help but look at Hayato differently. However it disappears as soon as Hayato's fight returns to his eyes.

"What's your problem!" the guy yells back.

"Yabuki, stop," pleads Kuma quietly. Hayato and Hikari back off a bit, but stayed on their guards.

"Do you have a good answer for us about what we discussed yet?" asks the old man.

'Discuss? These guys look like bad news,' Hikari thinks. She throws a look to Hayato, who returns her thoughts. They listen closely as the man threatens Kuma for refusing to sell his shop. He backs up, allowing his mob to throw a few punches at Kuma. Hikari and Hayato get ready to fight, but Kuma stops them.

"Don't!" he shouts. "This is my problem, don't get involved!" Hikari looks away painfully, hugging Kuma's siblings as they hear the men knock Kuma around a bit. Feeling Hayato's anger, Hikari quickly stops him.

"Don't," whispers Hikari sadly. Unable to look at Kuma in the face as the men leave, Hikari and Hayato shamefully return Kuma's siblings to his side.

"Please don't tell Yankumi about this," requests Kuma.

"But she can help you!" Hayato retorts.

"But she's not my teacher anymore!" Kuma points out. "She's your homeroom teacher now, so please don't tell her about this."

"So just for that, you're willing to put your mother and your siblings at risk?" Hikari challenges him. "Your little brother and sister, your mother, you'd put them at risk just because you don't want to ask for help?"

"I will protect them with my own strength!" Kuma interrupts, furious. "Let's go. Yabuki, Toda, thank for you helping me tonight, but please let me do this my way." Without another word, he leaves with his siblings, leaving Hayato and Hikari alone.

"We're not leaving him alone, are we leader?" asks Hikari once Kuma is out of sight.

"You know me too well," jokes Hayato, trying to lighten the mood. "Starting tomorrow I'm going to volunteer at his shop until those freaks leave him alone."

"Me too," offers Hikari, smiling at him.

"No, you go to school still," Hayato orders her. "If both of us are gone, they will definitely get suspicious."

"You just want all the fun to yourself, fluffy,"grumbles Hikari. Hayato calmly places both hands on her shoulders and turn her to face him, faces only a few inches apart. She lets out a small squeak out of surprise.

"What I want is you safe," he whispers, bringing a blush to her face. "I really do like you, it's not some puppy love. Come on, I'll walk you home." For the first time since she's come to Kurogin, Hikari found herself speechless and allowing Hayato to lead her.

Thump

Thump

Thump

She places her free hand on her heart as Hayato walks in front of her, holding her other hand.

'Be quiet! What if Hayato hears you?!' Hikari thinks angrily at her heart. Suddenly she finds herself crashing into Hayato's back. "Ow, what's that for?"

"It's not like you to be so quiet, you ugly toad," teases Hayato, hitting Hikari hard on the head. "Get me if you can!"

"You're gonna wish you never did that, bunny boy!" threatens Hikari in a joking manner, chasing after him. Ah...What a nice way to end the night, Hayato with a few new bruises, and Hikari with pinch marks on her.