It had been weeks since Aileane and Yuri talked to each other. She tried to talk to him but he just ignored her every time they meet. She tried to greet him every morning but still, he didn't pay any attention. And of course, he's always with Rina. They're not YET in a relationship but many said they'll enter one soon. However, Aileane never stopped. 

 

Yuri was in the library today. He already ate lunch and with Rina. They decided to stay in the library today since Rina asked for his help in one of her assignment. He was intelligent and there's no doubt about it. However, he still needed some books for reference. They sat at the third table from the largest bookshelf. 

 

"Chi, I can't understand this!" Rina exclaimed, showing him her notebook.

 

"Let me see." He was about to look at the notebook but he saw Aileane at the table next to the one beside theirs. Going to the library was Aileane's stress reliever ever since. She loved the sight of books. So, he shouldn't be surprised to see her here.

 

He looked away when he saw her looking at them. Yet, she greeted him. "Chii-chan!"

 

He saw Rina glanced at Aileane and rolled her her eyes. "Chi, help me please?"

 

Yuri ignored Aileane. He chuckled and nodded. "Sure."

 

Rina pushed her notebook toward him. He looked at it for a while. "This is simple." He took a pen and wrote a formula on the notebook. "Use this."

 

"Arigatou!" She started answering.

 

"May I?"

 

He removed his gaze from Rina and looked at Aileane. There was a guys standing beside her table. It was YUYA TAKAKI. He could sat that he was a friend of her but they're not super close. Before, he was with them during some break times. Aside from that, he used to be her past crush. Based on how her eyes lit up when she saw him, he still have an effect. 'HE STILL HAVE AN EFFECT!' 

 

 

 

"Sure!" Aileane smiled brightly when she saw Yuya.

 

Yuya smiled back and sat down. "I've seen you around few weeks ago. I didn't have a chance to talk to you."

 

"Maybe you're busy," she said.

 

He chuckled. "I am." He rested his arms on the table and leaned a bit forward. "So, how are you?"

 

"I'm fine. I don't need to adjust because I already studied here for so many years."

 

"That's true," he agreed. "How's life in Canada?"

 

Suddenly, she felt excitement run through her veins. "It was awesome! However, it's also lonely sometimes because I miss Japan."

 

"Oh! So you're lonely in Canada? That explains why you look old," he .

 

She laughed and pushed his face away. "Urusai!"

 

Then, both of them stopped when they heard someone clearing his or . They looked at their side and saw Yuri standing in front of the bookshelf, searching for a book with a serious look on his face. She stared at him for some seconds.

 

"Are you still together?" Yuya asked, which made her look at him.

 

She forced a grin. "Unfortunately, no."

 

"Oh. I hope you're fine." He nodded. "There are many other guys out there."

 

"I know," she agreed. 'But he's the only one for me.'

 

"Anyway, do you have a friend here in school?" 

 

"I have but they have their own circles so I still end up being alone during break times."

 

"I'll be with you," he smiled. "I'm always alone too."

 

 

 

It was already dismissal time. Aileane went out of their classroom and was surprised to see Yuya outside. "Do you need something?"

 

Yuya chuckled. "Hey, that's mean. I'm here so that we can both walk toward the school gate."

 

"Gomen!" she laughed. "But I'm planning to watch the soccer players."

 

Yuya grinned. "You still love him, don't you?"

 

She pouted. "Hai."

 

"That's alright. I'll go with you."

 

"You sure?" she asked.

 

He nodded. "I am."

 

They both walked toward the school's soccer field. They sat on the first row of the bleachers. From that spot, Aileane could see Yuri clearly. His shirt was already full of sweat even if the game only started a few minutes ago. His hair was, that was fixed upward, was already a bit messy. 

 

"Go Chi!" she heard Rina shouted. 

 

She observed Yuri's reaction. She felt something hollow in her heart when he grinned. 'What if he really loves her? Will I still fight?'

 

Her thoughts were cut when Yuya spoke. "Aren't you going to cheer for him?"

 

"He has a lot of cheerers. My voice won't be heard," she replied.

 

"Aww. Daijoubu. Do you want me to bring a negaphone next time?" he asked while patting her back.

 

She laughed hard. "Baka! It's a megaphone! Not negaphone! What is that, Yuya? Baka!"

 

"W-what? Megaphone?" He blushed out of embarrassment. "Shh! Don't shout it!" He covered .

 

She was still laughing hard because of what Yuya said. 'He's really a baka! I'll add that word to my dictionary. Pfft. Negaphone.' Suddenly, a soccer ball went to their place. Unfortunately, it hit her in the face. Everyone shouted because of surprise. Good thing, she was looking at Yuya. That's why her nose didn't got hit, only her cheek. However, it was painful.

 

"Chinen! Why did you kick the ball toward that direction?!" she heard one of the players said.

 

"I didn't mean to," Yuri replied.

 

"You weren't careless. What happened?" another player asked.

 

"I don't know. It was an accident," he replied.

 

"That's enough! Don't blame him. The damage has been done. Just say sorry," their captain said.

 

"Let's go to the clinic!" Yuya exclaimed. He touched her cheek and she squinted her eyes because of pain. "Sorry."

 

They both stood up. Before they go, Aileane glanced at the field and saw everyone looking at her. She felt embarrassed because of it. However, when she saw Yuri, she felt anger build up inside her. He didn't seem to be sorry. It seemed like he really meant it. He was looking at her sharply, like he was angry at her. She rolled her eyes and let Yuya drag her toward the clinic.

 

"What happened?" the nurse asked when she saw the two.

 

"Her face was hit by a soccer ball," Yuya answered. 

 

"Rest here for a while." The nurse pointed the chair near her desk. "I'll get an ice bag."

 

"Arigatou." Aileane sat on the said chair. She looked at her reflection on the mirror and saw a black mark on her cheek. "What?! A bruise?"

 

Yuya chuckled. "Silly. It's just dirt."

 

She used her hand and wiped the dirt. "Ouch!" she exclaimed.

 

"Don't touch it." The nurse finally came back with an ice bag. "Cover it with this." She handed her the bag. "It should be fine in a bit."

 

She nodded and took the ice bag. She immediately placed it on her cheek. She felt goosebumps for a while. It was gone after a few seconds. "It's so cold," she said.

 

"Be afraid when it's hot," Yuya laughed.

 

After some minutes, the two went out of the clinic. They walked toward the soccer field to get their bags. However, when they got there, their bags weren't there. 

 

"Where are those?" Aileane asked.

 

"Let's ask Satonaka-san," Yuya said, pertaining to the soccer club adviser.

 

They were about to go when they heard someone spoke. "Looking for these?"

 

They turned around and saw Yuri, holding their bags. He threw Yuya's bag into him. "Satonaka-san asked me to give these to you. I went to the clinic but you guys weren't there," he said coldly.

 

Yuya nodded. "Okay. Uhm, aren't you going to give Ai-chan's bag?"

 

"I-I'll give this to her. I just need to talk to her first," Yuri replied.

 

Yuya looked at Aileane whose face couldn't be painted. Her expression was scary. It was like she was angry and ready to kill someone. "Want me to stay with you?"

 

Aileane looked at Yuya and showed a small smile. "See you tomorrow. I can handle this."

 

He shrugged his shoulders and went away. After he was gone, there was only silence between the two, Aileane and Yuri. It was already getting dark since their classes end at five o'clock in the evening and it seemed like it was already five-thirty. 

 

"Can I have my bag now?" Aileane asked, her voice was calm but hard.

 

"Ai-chan, huh?" Yuri said bluntly.

 

She looked at him sharply. "What is your problem?"

 

"Yuya! He's my problem," he answered.

 

"Why did you hit me with the ball if Yuya-kun is your problem?" She grabbed her bag from him. "I'm going home. Good bye."

 

Aileane walked in a fast pace. However, Yuri managed to catch up with her pace. He grabbed her arm. "Wait!"

 

"What? I'm going home!" Aileane retorted. 

 

"Don't say good bye and turn your back from me." 

 

She stopped arguing with him and looked at his face. She was surprised when she saw that he was sad. It seemed like he has a problem. She felt her anger melting. She was really in love with this guy. She was already smitten.

 

"Hey, do you have a problem?" she asked, completely worried. 

 

He looked at her and saw her worried face. 'How can she be worried about me when in fact I should be hated?' "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you with the ball."

 

She smiled. "It's alright. I was just mad because I thought you weren't sorry about it."

 

He was jealous. He was planning to hit Yuya with the ball but the one who was hit was her. He wanted to tell it. However, he was lost for words. He didn't know how to tell her that. There was even no use of defending himself because it seemed like her anger already disappeared. That's why he decided to tell her everything through his actions. 

 

"I'm going home. Jaa ne," Aileane waved good bye.

 

Before she could walk, Yuri hugged her from the back. He hugged her tight, like he wasn't planning to let her go. His hug was like shouting how much he missed her. His hug was like shouting how much he still love her.