Rescue
"I'm not a nobody?"
"I shouldn't look for validation from others?"
Hajime let out a sigh and mumbled
"Why did you look so sad?"
I kept thinking about our encounters and realized how different the three sides of her were. I couldn't comprehend what was true among all of her sides, And so it threw me into confusion.
"I wonder if Chika would know what to do" I mumbled
After making up my mind I decided to call her
I could hear her phone ringing while waiting for her to picking up and then I heard a crashing sound in her room next door.
"Ha- Hajime what's up?" She asked nervously
"You alright?"
"Hm? Yeah I just fell down as I was browsing my account for memes so I was kinda shocked when you called me" She said while giggling
"I see, sorry for bothering you"
"No no it's fine really" She said in a soft tone
"I'm actually glad you called me" She added
"It's not that big of a deal anyway" I replied
"For me, it is" She whispered while giggling softly
"It's still only 8:30 wanna go to the park nearby?" I asked
As I asked her that I heard another crash from her room
"I'll be outside shortly" She said nervously once again
"Okay, I'll be waiting be careful now"
"Mm I will"
I walked out of my room and headed outside, downstairs was my father's wife. She was watching a family drama by herself and I think she noticed me but she didn't say anything and just lowered her head.
While waiting for Chika I rubbed my hands together and placed them inside the pocket of the hoodie I was currently wearing
"How cold" I mumbled
A couple of minutes later I heard Chika calling out to me
"Took you long enough Chika"
"Sorry I took a short bath"
"What for?"
"Eh!? It's nothing okay, don't mind it"
I walked towards her and sniffed her hair
"You smell nice"
"EH!!!??? W- what are you d- doing??" She said out of embarrassment
"Oh, sorry my bad I just really like your sweet scent" I replied with a smile on my face
Chika was starting to turn red so she tried to cover her cheeks with her hands to hide her blushing face but it showed nonetheless. It was very cute.
Chika started to push me saying
"Geez stop saying things like that already. It's embarrassing you know"
"Sure sure" I replied with a laugh along with it
"Geez, hmph" She replied while pouting
As we walked towards the park, the sweet scent Chika owned blended with the chilly night breeze.
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Chika and Hajime sat down in the seesaw as Chika said she wanted to play with it
"What did you want to talk about Hajime?" Asked Chika
"Oh yeah, do you have other personalities Chika?"
"Huh? What do you mean? I don't have dissociative identity disorder you know"
"Oh sorry, I didn't mean it like that. What I meant to say was do you show other people a different side or personality to protect yourself?"
"Ah, that was what you meant"
Hajime nodded
"Of course I do, especially after just meeting someone I usually just try to act normal and composed around them at first but after getting to know them better I slowly become more open and friendly to them"
"That sounds just like you Chika"
"Eh!? It's still depends on their personalities you know"
"You're so social I bet everyone likes you"
Chika was silent for a while and after a while asked
"Are you jealous of my other friends?"
Hajime was surprised with her question but still answered calmly
"I don't have control over your social life and circle of friends Chika. That's yours alone no one can interfere with it"
"But I wouldn't mind if you tell me to only be yours" Chika whispered
"Pardon?" Asked Hajime
"Nothing" Chika replied while laughing as she started to move the seesaw up and down faster
Both of them played with the seesaw for a couple more minutes and then decided to sit down and have a drink.
"Hajime back to your question earlier"
"Hm? What about it?"
"Humans always try to keep an appearance in public by wearing masks to avoid showing others their flaws, their true self, and nature they also use this as a defense mechanism to avoid getting hurt"
Hajime was silent while waiting for Chika to finish
"But no one wants to wear a mask forever, we all want to find someone who would understand and accept us for who we truly are. Keep deceiving others and yourself for a long time and you'll lose your identity"
Hajime was silent for a while and asked
"Who would you want to understand and accept you Chika?"
Chika stood up and wiped her behind and slowly approached Hajime.
Hajime was frozen as he looked up to Chika
Chika reached out to Hajime and put her finger in his lips and whispered
"Someone I love" While smiling
The light emitted by the lamp next to the bench lit up her face and highlighted her beautiful and genuine smile.
Hajime was mesmerized with the view in front of him
"Shall we go back now Hajime? It's getting late now"
Hajime still mesmerized suddenly regained his senses replied "Sure" in slight panic
"I hope I helped you out Hajime"
Hajime nodded
The two of them walked back together under the moonlight with a mix of the sweet chilly night breeze.
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Hajime kept thinking about what Chika told him last night
"You'll want someone special or a person you love to understand and accept you" I mumbled as I ate breakfast
I suddenly remembered how the president acted and sounded like when her father arrived
"Is he the person you want to accept you?" I thought
After eating my breakfast I took a bath and brushed my teeth before proceeding to leave the empty house I live in.
"Hajime!! Good morning" Chika greeted me with a smile as soon as I got out
"Good morning to you too"
"Hey, will you be okay today?" She asked in a low tone
"Hm? Yeah I'll be, to be honest I'm actually looking forward to it"
"Eh? Why?"
"I have something to find out for myself"
"Ah, well okay but don't let her do anything bad to you okay?"
Hajime nodded and reassured Chika
"Everything will be okay"
"If you say so" Chika replied while lowering her head
"I'm sorry I can't help you out much" She thought
The pair then proceeded to go to school.
Inside the president's personal office she stood in front of the window looking at the students coming to school. A certain pair caught her attention.
"Hashibara Hajime, I will not fall for your sweet words anymore. I'll finish you quickly and dispose of you"
The vice president entered and lowered his head
"President is everything ready for later?"
"Yes, I have prepared accordingly. I trust you will fulfill your roles"
"With pleasure president"
"Good"
The president once again wore her sinister smile.
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Hajime was informed by the student council secretary. She stated that the president ordered him to go to the office alone at lunchtime today.
"Tell her she doesn't need to summon me, I'll still go without her orders anyway"
"I see, you certainly have guts" She replied
"Maybe you should keep a close eye in this you might find it interesting" Hajime told her
"I'll take you up on that" The secretary replied before leaving
Hajime then proceeded to enter their room and sat down while once again reading the book he was lent.
"You feeling okay?" Asked Iris
"Hm? Yeah, why?"
"Nothing I thought you'll be nervous or something"
"I can't afford to be nervous right now"
"I see, well best of luck to you"
"Thanks"
Iris herself was still ignorant about the reason for this strife. She doesn't know that the reason why Hajime will be judged was because he protected her from those people harassing her.
Only 5 more hours before they meet
Hajime and Hime are both preparing themselves for the upcoming confrontation to occur later.
Hime keeping her usual composed attitude didn't bother to think much about it. Hajime on the other hand was still confused with the events that transpired yesterday involving the president. He didn't know if he wanted to defeat her or save her.
But it should go without saying that troubled people should always be saved no matter what.
That was the right thing to do.
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And so the final bell for the first half of school rung and was heard throughout the school.
Chika approached Hajime before eating with Iris
"Be careful okay?" She told him while grabbing onto his uniform
"Yeah I will don't worry" He calmly replied before leaving
Hajime now standing in front of the student council office took a deep breath before entering. To his surprise the office was empty it seemed like no one was present. After a few minutes of waiting the secretary came out of the president's private office and approached Hajime
"The president is waiting behind this door" She stated
"Are the others present?"
"Unfortunately only the president and I will be present"
"Why?"
"The others have their own jobs to do"
"..."
"Please be glad because two young and beautiful ladies will be in your company today"
"If only the personality of the other is as beautiful as her face" Hajime mumbled
"I agree" The secretary replied
They shared a brief laugh together
"Now then shall we begin" The secretary asked
"Sure"
"Make this interesting like you claimed earlier Mr. Hashibara"
"I'll try to live up to your expectations"
The two proceeded to meet the president. As the secretary opened the door the president sat down and smiled at Hajime
"Welcome" She said
At the same time while Iris and Chika were sharing a meal. Iris suddenly asked
"Chika?"
"Yeah?"
"What's with your friends? Do they need something?"
"Friends?"
Iris pointed to Chika and whispered
"Behind you"
Chika slowly turned around as if she was cautious
"Please no need to be hostile" Said the vice president as Chika turned around
"EH!? What are you doing here?"
"Please lower your voice Ms. Miyamoto we are simply here because of the order of the president"
"Order?" Iris and Chika asked in unison
"Don't let Ms. Miyamoto interfere later. Keep a close eye on her" The vice president told the two
"That's absurd it's not like I'm going to do anything" Chika said empathically
"It's always better to be sure"
"Well, it seems like you can't do anything Chika. It'll be best to ignore them" Iris replied
"It's like what your friend here said just don't mind us"
"Well, that's easier said than done. How long will you do this?"
"Until the president is finished passing judgement upon Mr. Hashibara"
"EH???" Chika exclaimed before letting out a sigh
And so the second half of school begun with Chika being monitored by the student council even inside their room.
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"The time has finally come huh Mr. Hashibara? Tell me, are you nervous?"
"Drop the act president, let's just get this over with"
"Oh my straight to the point are we, I like it" The president replied with a smile
"Your smile is annoying"
"I've been told"
"That fake smile of yours"
"Eh? F- fake??" The president replied in a surprised manner
Hajime just stared at her
The president cleared her throat and said
"Please state the rules to Mr. Hashibara"
"Will do president"
"Rules?" Hajime asked in confusion
"Only the truth shall be stated between the both of you and both of you will be able to ask each other question after taking turns"
"Is that alright with you Mr. Hashibara?" The president asked
"Yeah"
The secretary continued
"Who shall ask first?"
The president turned her attention to Hajime
"Would you like to go first?"
"No"
"Okay the president will now start"
"Thank you for that"
The atmosphere suddenly changed, the president's intimidating aura was now present but this time Hajime didn't surrender to it.
"Mr. Hashibara were you present at the park last Saturday?"
"Yeah"
"Why?"
"I accompanied a classmate per her request"
"This classmate, was it Ms. Laurent?"
Hajime kept quiet for a second before answering
"Yes"
"Hm, interesting"
The president also paused for a second and then continued with her questions
"Are you friends with Ms. Laurent?"
"No"
"Why is that?"
"I'll only trouble her if she become friends with me"
"It's nice you're aware of that"
"...."
"As with what occurred on that day it's clear that being with you certainly caused her trouble"
"I'm aware of that"
"Do you still wish to interact with her?"
"Ah..... N- no, not anymore"
"Please be honest Mr. Hashibara" The secretary interfered
Hajime was shocked he didn't realize that he had lied
"Ah, yes sorry about that"
The president then asked again
"Do you still wish to interact with her?"
"Yes" Hajime whispered
"Why?"
"I believe she'll be able to grant my wish and give me what I desire"
"Even though you'll only trouble her?"
Hajime looked up to the president as she asked him that question
"Well, yes"
"How selfish" The president replied
Hajime then lowered his head
"So rather than calling you friends it'll be more fitting to say you're just depending on her"
Hajime couldn't answer back as he realized it was true. He also started to think about how Iris feels about this relationship they shared
"Let's get back to our original topic now cause it seems that you are sensitive about the case regarding your relationship with Ms. Laurent"
"Ah, sure"
"Why did you assault those people?" Asked the president
"I did not assault them, They were bothering Iris" Hajime replied
"So punching them suddenly was okay?" The president added
"Ah well-"
The president cut off Hajime and continued
"How did you even know they were harassing her? Based on their stories you left her alone so they said they were just asking her"
"Tch those lying bastards" Hajime thought to himself
"I believe they were harassing her based on the fact that they pushed Iris off her wheelchair after beating me up"
"I see, that's all the questions I have for you"
"Mr. Hashibara do you wish to ask the president anything" The secretary asked
"Of course I do" Hajime stated
"Oh? is that so?" The president replied
"Then please, you may now begin"
"Sure"
Hajime glared at the president and the president welcomed his challenge with a smile.
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It was almost time for dismissal and Hajime still hasn't returned
"Iris, do you think Hajime is alright?"
"Don't worry the president wouldn't do anything to him right?" Iris asked the vice president
"I assure you that, the president isn't that type of person" He replied
"Eh? But why isn't Hajime back yet?"
"Hm indeed this sure is taking a while"
"What do you mean?" Chika asked
"Well it was supposed to only 1 to 2 hours but it's been a while now. I wonder if something happened"
"Don't you dare think Hajime pulled something off I'll smack you" Chika replied
"Um excuse me can I ask you guys to let Chika help me go to the bathroom?" Iris suddenly asked
"Well I suppose I could, carry on but we'll only give you five minutes if you're not back by then we'll pick you up"
"Thanks" Iris replied with a smile
Inside the bathroom
"Iris why did you ask me to come?"
"I have a bad feeling about this"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean usually things like this only take up to 30 minutes or less"
"Yeah you're right"
"What is Hajime being accused of again?"
"Hm? From what I heard he beat up three people from another school just because they were asking someone at the park last Saturday"
"WHAT????!!!!" Iris shouted
"Geez calm down what's wrong?"
"And then what does the president think about it?"
"She believed the three people"
"WHAT????!!!! THAT'S ABSURD THOSE THREE ARE LYING"
"What do you mean Iris? And how do you know that?" Chika asked suspiciously
"Ah! Well I kinda saw that while shopping with my mom" Iris replied nervously
"EH??!! REALLY??? THEN HAJIME IS INNOCENT??"
"Chika actually believed that?" Iris thought
"Ah well I think so" She replied
"Then we have to rescue Hajime"
"Rescue??" Iris asked in confusion
Chika was empathically nodding her head
"B- but how?" Iris again asked
"Eh, well.....I don't know either" Chika replied while giggling
Iris let out a sigh and said
"But I still think we should at least help Hajime out"
"But how will we do that?"
"I'm sure if I come with you I'll just slow you down"
"Eh? But why?"
"Well you know you have to push my wheelchair which would slow us down"
"Push your wheelchair?"
Chika suddenly became quiet as if she was thinking about something
"Chika what's wrong?"
And then she suddenly shouted
"I GOT IT!!!!"
Iris was startled
"Got what?"
Chika slowly turned to Iris while laughing to herself
"I have a plan"
"Eh? Chika? You're scaring me"
Meanwhile outside the bathroom
"Hey come out now, it's been five minutes already" The vice president stated while knocking
He didn't get any response
"Huh? Hey I said time's up let's go now" He shouted
Still, there was no response
"Hey everyone be ready, those two might be up to something"
"Understood" His companions replied
They waited for another minute before they force the door open
"H- hey Ch- Chika are you sure about this?" Iris asked nervously
"Relax my plan will be flawless don't worry" Chika replied while flashing a thumbs up
"E- eh? B- but"
"I'm opening it now Iris get ready"
"EH!!!!!!!!???????"
Outside the bathroom
"Okay let's get them" Ordered the vice president
"Yes sir" His companions answered in unity
Suddenly they heard a sound coming from the inside
"What was that?"
The sound was becoming more clear, it was like someone is screaming. And then suddenly out of the door came out Chika and Iris at full speed
"EVERYONE PLEASE CLEAR THE WAY!!!!!" Iris shouted
The vice president and others clearly shocked moved away in an attempt to dodge the full speed wheelchair coming at them
"See Iris? We got past them" Chika stated while laughing
"Why are you laughing Chika!!?" Iris exclaimed
"This is so fun" Chika replied while laughing out loud
And then suddenly they heard a voice coming up to them
"STOP THIS MIYAMOTO AND LAURENT!!!" The vice president shouted while on pursuit with his companions
"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO CHIKA!!!!?????"
"Relax we're almost at the office"
"EVERYONE PLEASE CLEAR A WAY AND STOP THE PEOPLE FOLLOWING US!!!" Iris shouted while Chika and her was dashing through the hallway
"STOP!!!!!!!" The vice president also shouted
Chika was clearly enjoying this as she was laughing while they do this
"I see it. The office!" Iris shouted
"Nice finally, let's go rescue Hajime"
"Yeah"
At the same time inside the private office of the president
"What's with that look president?" Hajime asked sarcastically
The president have the look of shock clearly showing on her face
"Oh my this is certainly interesting" The secretary stated
Hajime slowly approached the president
"NO, GO AWAY!!!! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!!!!!!" Screamed the president
"Now answer me presi-"
Before Hajime could finish the door suddenly opened and to the surprise of the three people inside it was Iris and Chika who opened it
"Miyamoto and Laurent?" The president said in a surprised manner
"What are you doing here?" Hajime asked
The two answered in unison
"Isn't that obvious?"
Hajime was surprised and asked
"What?"
"We're here to rescue you".
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Did you like the story? If yes then please let me know.
For a really long time I've always wanted to write a story and finally I had the determination to do so. I really hope you would like this story and I hope you'll be interested in what's to come.
So if you liked it, I'll be glad to continue this story for you guys.
Thank you for reading and please support this story.
Sadly I have lost access to my old facebook account so I have also lost access to the official page.
-Ecclair