The End Of The Year Dance. All The Dates Are Set?

Shiori steps into the bathroom. She puts her shirt down and looks down with a flustered look.

Shiori "What's going on?.. I've changed in front of him countless times before… Why am I getting embarrassed all of a sudden?.."

She looks in the mirror still blushing.

Shiori "Was I really distracting him that much?.."

She says quietly. She shakes her head.

Shiori "No way! He wouldn't think someone like me is cute at all! Not that I want him to think I'm cute! He's just an annoying asshole who I'm stuck with!"

She says sharply before letting her look soften.

Shiori "Right?.."

Hikigaya closes the door to his room as he leans against it before sliding down with a towel on his head.

Hikigaya "I've seen her change countless times before… So why was she so cute just now?.. Do I… really like her?.."

He says softly, holding the towel against his mouth. He then starts coughing a bit into the towel. After a moment, he pulls the towel away from his mouth and looks at it. His eyes widen a bit.

Hikigaya "Is that… blood?"

He says while looking at the small bit of blood on the towel.

At school.

Samuel "Okay everyone. With the end of the year coming soon, we are about wrapped up with work. I am impressed with most of your improvements. Some of you still have work to do but regardless, I look forward to each and every one of you passing this year!"

The class cheers happily.

Samuel "Also, the End of the Year school dance is coming up but I'm sure none of you care about that so I'll just move on.."

She says as she looks at her binder. The class begins to shout and beg for her to elaborate. She smiles playfully.

Samuel "Alright, Alright, you twisted my arm. I'll tell you about it. It'll be in June and now that you're second years, you can attend. So be sure to have a date ready or you'll end up like me, single in your late twenties…"

She says sadly before moving on.

Samuel "Anyway, tickets are available today so go get yours later before they run out. Okay, next announcement…"

She trails off as Haru leans over to Sugawara.

Haru "We are so going!"

He whispers. Sugawara nods excitedly as Lucy calls to Ryuji quietly.

Lucy "Are we going to that?"

Ryuji nods as Lucy sighs with a smile.

Lucy "Should've known you'd be so excited. It is our first dance together after all."

She says cooly as Ryuji blushes gently. Touma sits in the back and blushes as he looks at Chizuru.

Touma 'I… I must ask her to that dance..! I must!'

Mormo pokes his head out of Suiyoubi's bag and looks at her.

Mormo "Hey, I don't want to go to no stinkin' dance but I think it'll be good for you. So I taken the liberty of texting that hero girl to go with you."

He says as he lifts up her phone to show her. The text reads: "Hey Alice or whatever, I think you're really cool. Let's go to that dumb dance together, yeah?" Suiyoubi instantly freaks out and grabs her phone.

Suiyoubi "Mormo! Why would you do that? She would never-"

As she types out an apology message, she gets a response.

Alice "OMC YES! We are so going to that dance!"

Suiyoubi is surprised but smiles softly. Chizuru then looks at Shiori.

Chizuru "Do you think Tsuki is gonna ask you to that dance?"

Shiori "There's no way. I made it very clear how I feel about him. Besides, he's a first year. He can't even go."

She says casually. Chizuru giggles as Tsuki sits outside of their classroom door with intense eyes.

Tsuki 'I have to ask her to that dance! It's my last hope!'

Suddenly, Milo is right behind him.

Milo "Hey, whatcha doin'?"

Tsuki is startled and needs to compose himself again.

Tsuki "You have to stop sneaking up on me!"

Milo "You're thinking about sneaking into the dance, aren't you?"

Tsuki "Yeah, I have to- Wait. How did you know that?"

Milo gets a smug look.

Milo "Oh, you know, the normal stuff. It's only natural after all. You have a thing for that short weird girl, for some reason, and I have a thing for Hikigaya. With that being said, I think if we both go, we can both get what we want, don't you agree?"

Tsuki looks at her surprised for a moment before smirking.

Tsuki "Sounds perfect to me. Can you get us in?"

Milo "No problemo."

She says with a smile. Later, at the ticket booth. Milo and Tsuki approach but Milo stops him.

Milo "Wait right here. I'll be back in a second."

Tsuki stares confused but listens. He watches as Milo approaches the attendant at the booth and speaks. She then turns and points at Tsuki before the attendant gives a smile and a thumbs up and hands her the two tickets. Milo then turns and shouts at Tsuki.

Milo "It's all good! We got tickets, we can go now!"

Tsuki's jaw drops as Milo skips to him.

Milo "See? No problemo."

Tsuki "Wow. You are something else."

Milo blushes a bit at his words but smiles widely.

Milo "Thanks!"

Later, as Shiori and Hikigaya are walking home. Shiori blushes a bit as she looks at Hikigaya.

Shiori "So, about that dance…"

Hikigaya "What about it?"

He asks softly. She looks forward and down, obviously nervous.

Shiori "What do you think about it?"

He looks at her confused a bit but then looks ahead.

Hikigaya "I don't know. Dances have never really been my thing. They're boring I guess? I'm not sure how to say it."

Shiori "Oh… I see."

Hikigaya "I remember Amber's third end of the year dance though! She went with her boyfriend at the time. Everything was going great but then she kicked him in the balls and stormed off haha! I can't even remember what he said but she sure didn't like it!"

He laughs at the memory of his sister for a moment before stopping. Shiori smiles softly and giggles lightly.

Shiori "So you have been to one before."

Hikigaya "No no, that's just the story she told us."

Shiori pauses for a moment, anxious but works up the courage to ask.

Shiori "Would you ever go to one?.."

Hikigaya "Hm. Maybe with the group. They seem to enjoy them but they all have partners now so I feel like it'd be weird. Even Touma is going to ask Chizuru to the dance. I wonder how that's gonna go. She's turned down all other advances as long as I can remember haha! So probably not, if I'm being honest."

Shiori "Right."

She says softly with a disappointed look.

Shiori 'Why couldn't we go together..?'

She thinks to herself as they continue on home.

Another day, Shiori sits at her desk writing in her notebook. She eventually pauses and grips her pencil harder in frustration. She gets a frustrated and distracted look as she stops writing.

Shiori 'Why can't I stop thinking about it? It really isn't a big deal.'

She thinks to herself. She thinks about Hikigaya so blatantly saying that he won't go to the dance.

Shiori 'So what if he doesn't want to go? It's not like it affects me. I can just go by myself!'

She lifts her hand up with a triumphant look on her face for a moment before drooping back down in her chair.

Shiori 'No… I can't do that. Not only have I never gone to a dance before, everyone else is going with a partner. I'd be all alone…'

She gets a sad look as she lowers her head.

Shiori 'It's okay if he doesn't want to go but… What if I want to go?..'

Suddenly, her phone starts ringing. She picks it up with an unknown contact calling her. She gets a confused look before answering.

Shiori "Hello?"

Tsuki "H-hi. Shiori?"

Shiori "Tsuki? How did you get my number?"

Tsuki "I uh… got it from Haru…"

Shiori 'Of course he did…

She visions Haru giving her a thumbs up as she sighs with a disappointed look on her face.

Shiori "Whatever. I'm gonna hang up now."

Tsuki "Wait! Wait, Shiori, please!"

She stops and listens to what he has to say.

Tsuki "I didn't know how else to get a hold of you… But I really wanted to ask you something…"

He says nervously. Shiori sits there with a neutral look, not very interested in what he has to say. Tsuki pauses and gets a nervous look but takes a deep breath in to ask her.

Tsuki "I was wondering if… maybe you wanted to… come to the end of the year dance with me?.."

Shiori is surprised by his question and even blushes a bit. She doesn't respond as she thinks about what he just asked.

Shiori 'Did he really just… ask me that?.. Me?'

Tsuki gets nervous as she doesn't respond right away.

Tsuki "I-I know you already told me how you feel and I don't expect this to change anything but if I could have just one dance… that would be enough for me…"

He says nervously. Shiori blushes a bit before composing herself.

Shiori "Sure."

Tsuki is surprised.

Tsuki "Wait, really?"

Shiori "Yeah. Why not?"

Tsuki smiles widely.

Tsuki "Oh, yeah! Okay, then I'll meet you there?"

Shiori "Mhm."

Tsuki "Great! I promise, I won't make it weird or anything!"

Shiori "Goodbye Tsuki."

She says with a softly happy tone before hanging up. Tsuki stares at his phone for a moment before doing a little happy dance in his chair in his room. Shiori puts her phone down and lets out an anxious sigh.

Shiori "This is okay. It'll be okay."