"And so, the above is a formula, and it has no single solution. Each value of E gives a different value of T." The teacher explained to the students as he pointed towards the board. My chin was placed onto my palm as I could barely keep my eyes open.
"Now... Can anyone solve the next formula?" He asked the class as Sensei wrote down another formula. As soon as he was done, Momiji raised his hand excitedly.
"Ah!! I know!! I know!!" He yelled out impatiently. The other students were already used to Momiji's behavior and payed no mind to it.
"Go ahead Momiji." I glanced over at the boy, being all curious. "The answer is (E – 3000) 0.0475 90!!" My eyes almost feel out of their sockets upon hearing his answer.
"That is correct. I can see that you learned your lessons, Momiji." Sensei spoke up as he began blabbering again about another new formula.
"I hate algebra." I muttered darkly. Just then, a pencil was being thrown at me from behind. I whipped my head around and faced the person behind me. "Don't throw your pencils at me." I hissed at the guy.
"I didn't do it. It was him." He pointed to Hatsuharu, who was staring out the window like he had nothing better to do.
"Just great. He's playing around with me." I whispered to myself. Hatsuharu sighed deeply as he didn't seem to hear Sensei's boring lecture. "I wonder what he's thinking about.."
"Tanaka!!" Sensei yelled at me.
"H-hai!!"
"Pay attention." He muttered out.
As soon as he faced the board, I stuck my tongue out at him. I heard a soft chuckle coming from Hatsuharu's direction. I faced him with a frown. "Very smooth..." He whispered out to me. I just grinned widely. The bell rang after that, and I jumped up as I did a little cheer.
"Yahoo!! Time to go home!!" Everyone either ignored me or just gave me stupid comments like 'What an idiot' or 'I sure don't want to be her right now'. I felt a hand on top of my head and I looked up at the person.
"You’re so weird. It isn't time to go home yet." Hatsuharu announced.
"B-but the bell.." I pouted as I cried a waterfall of tears. "The bell was for something else. It's lunchtime now." He retorted with a smile. "Ah.. Lunchtime." I said to no' one in particular.
"Yeah, lunchtime. Your such a problem child." He muttered as he walked past me. "I am so not a problem child!"
I ran after him in a hurry. Momiji was already in the hallway, waiting for us. "Hurry!! Hurry!! I want to meet up with Tohru!!" He jumped up and down excitedly before running ahead of us.
"Is he always this exited? Or does that kid eat sugar for breakfast." I asked myself in wonder.
"Come on. You don't want to be left behind all alone." Hatsuharu already walked ahead of me. "H-hai!" After a while of following him around, I entered what looks like to be the cafeteria. It was pretty big.
"Are you coming or what?" Hatsuharu asked me as he turned around to face me.
"Y-yeah.. I'm coming. I'm just.. A little intimidated by the size of this place." I walked up to him in a daze, still looking around. "Are you always this slow? Come one."
He took a hold of my wrist and dragged me along with him. "Over here!! Over here!!" Momiji waved at us as he already made his way to a table.
Hatsuharu walked over there in a slow pace. "Now who's the slow one." I muttered, being careful not to let him hear it. "Ohaiyo Haru-chan! Good to see you again! I was so worried about you!" Tohru piped up with a bit of rice on the corner of her mouth.
"Ohaiyo Tohru. It's good to see you too." I greeted her with a slight nod of my head. I noticed two guys who were staring me down. One had orange hair and the other light purple.
"Is this the girl you were talking about, Honda-san?" The purple-haired one asked. She nodded a yes.
"Oh yeah! I haven't introduced you to my friends, Haru-chan!" By this time, Hatsuharu and Momiji already got comfortable and sat around the table. "On the left side of me is Sohma Yuki. He's considered the prince in this school!"
I sweat-dropped at her statement. But then, the name Sohma rang a bell. Isn't that the same last name Hatsuharu and Momiji have?
"Nice to meet you Yuki." "Pleasure's all mine. I heard a lot about you from Honda-san." He responded as he flashed a smile in my direction. He's pretty...
"On my right is Sohma Kyo. Well.. He likes karate!" Tohru retorted with a smile to match her mood.
"Is that all you can say about me?!" Kyo spat out in anger. "There isn't much to talk about if it's about you, stupid cat." Yuki interfered calmly as he chewed down a rice-ball. "I didn't ask you anything, you filthy rat!!"
Kyo rose from his seat and glared Yuki down. Something tells me they don't get along too well.
"And this happens all the time, right?" I asked both Hatsuharu and Momiji. They just nodded in reply. Tohru made Kyo sit down again, even though he was still pissed.
"But there's one thing I don't get. How come you guys have the same last name? It can't be a coincidence, right?" I couldn't help but to ask.
"We're all related!"
The four of them piped up at the same time. I just scratched the side of my head. "I see." This is just too weird. How can they possibly be related to one another! They don't even look alike! And I thought I had it bad with Hideki.
"Come on Haru-chan. Take a seat." Tohru spoke up to me.
I sat down next to Momiji, across from Kyo, who seemed to glare at me even more. I took out my backpack and rumbled through it, only to find out something terrible. "I forgot my lunch at home!!" I panicked completely. This never happened to me before.
"Je suis tel un idiot!" (I'm such an idiot!)I scolded myself as I turned my backpack upside down. "Who in the what now?" Kyo questioned himself.
"It's French, you idiot. Don't get confused over something that little." Yuki retorted with a glance in Kyo's direction. "I knew that without you having to tell me! I just don't understand her weird language!"
I placed my head on the table as I stretched out my arms on the surface. "How could I forget something that important?" Just when all the hope of enjoying my lunch break left me, I felt something hard and round being placed in my hands.
"Eh?"
Was the only sound I made when I lifted my head.
Tears began to fill my eyes to the brim as I held onto a bowl of delicious looking rice. But that wasn't all. An obento was placed in front of me, filled with lots of food.
"Whoa.."
Was the only thing I could say as my stomach grumbled loudly. "Go ahead and eat. I'm not that hungry anyway." I glanced next to me to see Hatsuharu as he sat back down again. I didn't even see him stand up from his chair. But this means.
"Ah! I- I can't possibly eat your lunch! That's just way too cruel!" I cried out in protest. "Keh. I'm even surprised that Haru gave away his lunch. Well.. There's a first for everything." Kyo retorted with a goofy grin. Hatsuharu just stared blankly at Kyo.
"Here.. Have mine as well." Yuki replied as he gave me his lunch. I felt even more ashamed. It's my fault that I forgot to bring my lunch, so I should starve as punishment.
"You can have mine too!! Here.. Have a taste of my chocolate cake!!" Momiji piped up. I was surprised that he was willing to give up his dessert for me.
"I think this is more than enough." I began to say. Momiji's eyes started to get watery at my answer. "B-but I guess I could... Take a bite." "Yay!! Good for you!!" Momiji cheered as I just hung my head in defeat.
"Umm.. So.. Tanaka-san. How is your first day so far?" Yuki asked me.
"I guess it's alright. If it wasn't for Tohru, I would still be wandering around in the hallways." I spoke up as I flashed Tohru a friendly smile.
"Do you really have to help every student in this school? You can't even take proper care of yo-!"
Lucky for Tohru, Yuki slammed a whole loaf of bread in Kyo's mouth to make him stop talking. He choked on the bread, as I could see from the red colour in his face. Tohru slapped him a few times on his back, in which he swallowed the food.
"What the hell!! I know that you hate me, but making me choke like that is not cool!!" He snapped at Yuki.
"You owe me a loaf of bread." Yuki spoke up as he smirked at Kyo. "You’re the one who stuffed it in my mouth!! I don't owe you anything, you dirty rat!!" Kyo snapped.
"What's up with the animal nicknames?" I whispered to Hatsuharu. "They grew up on a farm..." He retorted.
"I was not raised on a freaking farm! You're the only one fit enough to live on a farm, ya stinkin' cow!!" At this, I sweat-dropped. "Stinkin' cow?" Hatsuharu just yawned at Kyo's insult. "Don't ignore me! I'm talking to you!" Kyo got into Hatsuharu's face, still pissed off.
"You know what. Never mind. Someone who doesn't understand a word I just said doesn't have to listen to me. Ain't that right, Haru?"
Kyo messed up Hatsuharu's hair, and he still didn't do anything. "Would you stop it, you idiot. Do you want to get beaten up again?" Yuki scolded him. "By him?! He can't handle me! He's beneath me!" Kyo retorted.
"Ano... Kyo-kun. You should stop now. Hatsuharu-san is..." Tohru pleaded, but he didn't stop.
Hatsuharu's bangs covered his eyes, which worried me a little.
"The idiot can't even punch a tre-" Kyo couldn't finish his sentence as Hatsuharu seemed to have punched him in the stomach. "I didn't punch a tree, but punching you is a lot more fun..."
Hatsuharu got up and laughed darkly, sending shivers down my spine. Kyo just held his stomach in pain as his back was against the wall.
"I told you to stop, stupid cat." Yuki muttered softly as Tohru ran up to Kyo's side. "Are you alright?" She asked him. Kyo got back on his feet, still a little wobbly. He tried to hide the pain with a thumbs up.
"I'm... Fine." He whispered out. Hatsuharu seemed to have changed completely as he walked up to Kyo with a grin.
"Come on, little kitty. Let’s settle this once and for all." Kyo took on a fighting stance and prepared himself. "Bring it, moron." He grinned widely. I ran towards Kyo and spread my arms so that Hatsuharu had to go through me to get him.
"Stop fighting! I thought you guys were friends!" I yelled out to them.
Kyo seemed rather surprised at my outburst and lowered his fists. "You shouldn't punch Kyo just because he insulted you. Violence isn't the answer." Yuki walked over to us as he sighed deeply.
"It's alright Tanaka-san. They end up like this all the time." He explained.
"That's because Haru always started it in the first place!!" Kyo yelled out at Yuki. I got caught off guard as Hatsuharu lifted my chin so that I could look in his eyes. They didn't look too peaceful at the moment.
"You’re quite the cutie. I think your worthy of taking a trip with me to the closet. I'll show you the time of your life."
A grin was plastered on his face as Hatsuharu took a hold of my hand and kissed the backside like a gentleman would. I tensed up as my cheeks turned slightly pink at his proposition.
Just then, Kyo's fist collided against Hatsuharu's jaw, making him crash down in an unconscious state.
"God I hate it when he turns black... He's such a pervert." Kyo muttered as he rubbed his fist. I just stood there in the middle of everything. Not really saying anything at the moment.
"Are you okay, Haru-chan?" Tohru asked me. She seemed worried about me. But shouldn't they worry about Hatsuharu?! He's the one who got punched in the face!
"I- I'm fine. No need to worry."
Momiji stared at the unconscious Hatsuharu plainly. Yuki sighed deeply as Kyo stuck his hands in his pockets. "I never thought that Hatsuharu would do that. He seemed nice before." I whispered, feeling a little saddened at Hatsuharu's true colors.
"Oh no Tanaka-san. You got it all wrong. That was black Haru. Haru has a split personality. Whenever he gets yelled at to the point that he can't take it anymore, he'll change into black Haru."
He explained as if it were a simple thing. "That's right. White Hatsuharu-san is peaceful and quiet. Black Hatsuharu-san is..." Tohru spoke up.
"To put it simple, he transforms into a perverted, and not to mention annoying jerk." Kyo finished off. Just then, Hatsuharu got back up again and just held his head in pain.
"Why do I feel so sleepy?" He muttered out as he looked around. I inched away from him, being afraid that he might hit on me again.
"It's okay Tanaka-san. He's white now." Yuki pointed out to me. I nodded and made my way over to Hatsuharu, even though I was still a little cautious. "Are you feeling okay?" I asked him. He looked up at me and flashed me a smile. I started to laugh at his goofy expression.
"What's so funny?" Kyo frowned deeply.
"You guys are so weird!" I bursted out laughing as I held onto my stomach in pain. "What a weirdo." Kyo muttered out with a sigh.
Hatsuharu's POV:
The school day came to an end. Haruhi waved to us before she was completely out of sight and went home. "What do you guys think of her? Isn't she great!" Tohru piped up with a smile.
"I really really really like her!" Momiji jumped up and down.
"She does seem like a nice person. But she sure is forgetful. "Yuki spoke up softly as he faced Tohru. "As long as that girl doesn't get too close to me, I don't care either way." Was Kyo's opinion on this.
"What do you think Haru?" Yuki asked me. "You seem rather quiet all of a sudden." He continued to say.
I hesitated for a while. Not finding the right words to say."I think... That we shouldn't let her get so close to us." I replied truthfully. Everyone looked up at me in confusion. "Huh? I thought you were getting along with her pretty well." Kyo retorted.
"That's exactly the reason why she shouldn't hang out with us. She'll just get into trouble if she finds out about the family secret."
Tohru seemed to realise the situation were in. "I guess you’re right. But we can't just push her away." She replied sadly. Kyo patted her on the head to reassure her.
"Don't worry so much. We'll make it work out somehow. Don't put on such a gloomy face." He retorted with a smile in Tohru's direction. She seemed to smile apologetically at Kyo.
"Well... That settles it. We just need to be extra careful with Tanaka-san around. Is that okay with you, Haru?" Yuki glanced up at me as I leaned against the wall with my hands in my pockets.
"I still think this is a bad idea." I muttered out with my eyes shut. "It will be painful for Haruhi if she found out about it. But maybe, she’ll learn to accept it." Momiji piped up with a surprisingly soft tone in his voice.
"It won't work."I frowned deeply.
"What makes you think that?" Yuki asked me.
"After spending the day with her, I can tell that she's very weak. She won't be able to accept us for who we are. So why should we keep her close to us?" My frown deepened as my hands were clenched into fists.
I know I'm being a complete idiot right now, but Haruhi shouldn't get close to us. She'll end up getting hurt in the progress.
"Alright. What do you suppose we do about this?" Yuki asked me. "I don't know." I whispered out. "Maybe... We can just ignore her. Stop talking to her." My bangs covered up my eyes as I faced the floor. I felt ashamed of myself for saying that.
"It surprises me to hear you say that, Haru." Yuki spoke up. "Whatever you got against her, she doesn't deserve to be treated that way. No’ one does. Haven’t you learned something from the time that you were treated that way?"
I didn’t say anything. Yuki was right. But I still held my foot down.
"If you feel that you should ignore her, then do so. As for the rest of us, we will give Tanaka-san a chance to prove herself." Yuki decided as I faced him with a look of distain.
"Let's go home." He finished off as they all walked to the exit. I just stood there, not really doing anything.
"In that case... I'll just take matters into my own hands."
