An Unheard Voice - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

I get up, just before my alarm. I pet smudge to wake him up before getting off my bed, yawning. .. Why did I set an alarm on the weekend?
Oh yeah, it's the day I make chocolates with An, Saki and the others.
"Morning, pumpkin!" My mother says, as I stare in disbelief. There's chocolate everywhere! Even she's covered in it!
"Eheh.. uh.. I tried not to make noise." She smiles, and I rush over to her. Oh yeah, teeth first. After I wash my face and do that, I grab paper towels.
"No, no, it's okay! I'll just go to the store for you and your father. Isn't this the day you go to An's house to keep her from creating a new kind of poisonous gas? Go get ready, I'll clean it up myself!" My mother pushes me into my room, and I sigh. How did she even..? Smudge, don't--!
An told me she isn't the best at baking. She's an expert at cooking, it's just her weakness. That's the only reason I came, it would be odd for men to make chocolates, right?
After bumping into a pole again, I step in front of her house. I memorized the directions because of the Halloween party. I did not have fun there. I have a bad feeling about this, though..
"Heya! Come on in, just throw your shoes anywhere, WE'RE HAVING A CATASTROPHE." She slightly shouts, as I see smoke coming out. What the-?! Saki runs of to me, clinging onto my leg, trembling.
"I'm scared..!" She cries, looking in horror at the house.
Ena comes out fanning the smoke, coughing. I thought only Kiritani, Asahina and An were here?
"Hi-- ack, Toya! I came to talk shit about Aki- uh- pick something up but when I found out what they were doing, I figured I'd join! Just.. nobody text Mizuki about this.." She covers her cough, and I step inside. Oh my god. This is even worse than my mom's attempt.
"Hello." Asahina says behind me, and I flinch. That scared me.. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll help you up." She smiles, holding out her hand. I fell on top of Saki..
"Ouch.." She says, and I apologize.
"Welcome, Toya! I really hope you know how to do this." Kiritani waves, but it seems like she was in an explosion.
.. This is.. going to take a lot of cleaning up. I sigh, and grab cleaning supplies and gloves. Time to get serious. Saki imitates me, and I pat her head. She giggles, and goes to help clean Kiritani.
"Oh, thank you, Saki. Minori would not like it if I told her about this.. what to do with her.." Kiritani sighs.
"It's okay! She just loves you very much she wants to keep you all to herself, that's common for lovers! But in my way, I want to squish ichika's cheeks until they turn red, like when I get her flustered." Saki laughs, and I think about it for a moment. Akito said he wanted to keep me to himself once... Did he mean it like that..?
I blush, putting my hand over my mouth.
"You're so cute, Toya..!" An takes pictures, but I choose to ignore that. Saki tastes the monstrosity behind her back, and she turns around.
"Saki, I said don't get food poisoning today--!"
"But it's chocolate!!"
I start sorting the dirty random pots and pans, and sweep the powder everywhere. They help by wiping off melted chocolate off the counters and floor, and fan the leftover smoke out. An's house.. is very messy. How did I not notice that until now?
After we finish, I wipe the sweat off my forehead, looking proudly at the clean kitchen. I do this when I'm bored. An claps, amazed.
"Wow, Toya! I didn't know you were a pro at cleaning! My kitchen has never looked so clean!! Dad is going to be so happy! You'd make a great malewife for Akito, haha." She takes photos, sending them to him. I sigh, smile back, and get out the necessary tools. Even if I've literally never done this, even I know you don't need a huge pot!
"We just let An do her thing. Don't worry." Ena reassured me. I don't know why I'm not surprised. Okay, now.. what do we do.
As we all stand in confusion, An looks intensely at her phone, and we peek at her phone.
"AHA!!" She raises her hand, hitting my nose. I rub it, almost crying. How strong is she? "Augh- Sorry, Toya!!"
"Oh, is that a tutorial?" Asahina asks. An nods, putting it in full screen. "I don't really need it, I'm making some from my mom's recipe."
"If we follow this, we definitely won't fail!" She seems confident now.
"Why didn't you just do this earlier..?" Ena sighs. An awkwardly laughs, and coughs. Saki laughs.
She then sends Saki, Asahina and Kiritani to get the ingredients, while Ena and I begin with what we have already. Well, I was only here to help out because I know she doesn't bake very well, but I can make something for Tsukasa to show my appreciation. As for Akito.. still. Appreciation.
We were in charge of melting the chocolate, while they made filling for some of them. An wanted to try making some truffles on her own, but we'll check on her every now and then.
"So, you making giri-choco or honmei-choco for Akito~?" Ena wiggles her eyebrows, and I blush, looking away. I'm not even making any.. "Just teasing! I know it's a bit odd for you to hand out chocolates since it's mostly women, but the thought would still be appreciated." She smiles, and I stare down at it. It wouldn't hurt to make a few, right?
I mix the chocolate, but some accidentally gets on my hand. I look around seeing if anyone is staring. Maybe it won't hurt to taste test, right..?
I see a flash, and turn to it's direction.
"Twenty whole bucks here. Toya is just naturally adorable! GAH, MY TRUFFLES!" An wipes her tears, and I blush. What the.. I'll just wash my hands again before continuing.
"Asahina, your cookies are burning!" Kiritani panics.
"Oh. I thought they were supposed to do that." She says, and we all stare at her. "What?"
An lies down next to me, exhausted. Kiritani, Asahina, and Ena are still active, though. I'm so tired.
"Wow, these look amazing!! I'm going to take pictures, nobody move!" Ena pulls out her phone, taking photos from all angles.
"Mafuyu!! What are you doing?!" Ena shrieks, as she takes her boxes.
"Okay, I have my packaging done for Minori and the others. Bye, An and you all! Thank you for inviting me!" Kiritani waves as she heads out the door, and An nods, giving a weak thumbs up. She really didn't have to make so many for all of her friends... Especially me.
"I've got mine. I'll see you on Nightcord, Ena. And hand them to you when I come over. Bye, Shiraishi and Aoyagi!" Asahina smiles, walking out.
"I should head out, too. Bye, guys! I'll see you tomorrow, too! Ciao!" Ena heads out. An and I are just laying on the floor. Everything. Hurts.
"Bye-bye, Toya! I've got a surprise for you tomorrow~!!" Saki waves, running out. "Time to go hide the apple pie I made for Hona-chan~!" She shuts the door.
".. Guess we should begin packing the chocolates now. I'll do yours too, so go rest! You can give them to whoever you made them for." An offers, pushing me on the couch. Okay.. this would be so awkward if Ken was home.
Akito comes into the room, and I begin to panic. An did the most fanciest box for his, why did I let her do this?! He'll think I did it!! Why are we so early?! Nobody's here!
"Morning." He says, yawning. I nod a bunch of times, and sat stiff.
"TOYA!! I GOT THIS FOR YOU!!" Mizuki barges into the room, handing me a huge box of chocolate and flowers that spell out 'BE MY MODEL YOU'RE SO GORGEOUS' and has a picture of them promoting their camera.
... Okay.  A few teachers drag them out as they kick their feet and scream. Akito realizes what day it is, and gives a huge sigh.
"Time to protect Toya at all costs."
"Happy Valentine's day, Toya!" An hands me the chocolate we made yesterday. I smile, thanking her. I go to grab the one I made for her. Maybe I'll save Akito's for later...
"Yippee! I'm going to go sell this!" She jumps, but Akito stops her.
I see Tsukasa behind them with Kamishiro, and go to him.
"Happy Valentine's day, Tsukasa. I know this might be odd, but I still wanted to show appreciation today."
"Huh? Thank you, Toya! Saki got you something, so you should come over after school." He grins, and I nod.
I see Akito peeking, glaring at Tsukasa, mumbling something to himself.
"He really looks up to you, doesn't he? Well, I'll go show you something I worked on just for you, too!~" Kamishiro smirks, taking Tsukasa's hand while he's still red all over and runs off.
"YOU BETTER NOT EXPLODE ANYTHING!" An shouts, huffing. I hear something, and turn to where it is. It sounds like it's getting louder. "Oh, lord." She shrieks, grabbing me, then closing the door. "AKITO!! HELP ME BARRICADE THE DOOR!"
Akito holds it closed with An who tries covering the door with chairs, and a bunch of people bang on the door. Wh-?! What's going on?
"It's an apocolypse! They've come for Toya!" An cries, struggling.
"Yikes." Akito grunts, trying his best to keep it closed. "Why are they so desperate?"
Is the whole hall full of people..? What in the world.. I hear something on the window, and look outside.
'I love you, Toya! Accept my hand in marriage' in rose petals.. wow. I thought everyone hated me.
.. Who are you, anyway?
"Don't accept anything!! Everyone, do this after school, you all will get detention if you don't leave!" Ms. Hatsune shouts, managing to get through the crowd.
"Oh, and pay 10 bucks to get in." An says, while Ms. Kagamine scares everyone off. She sighs in relief, and Akito smacks her head. "Ow! What the heck?!"
"I don't know what it is, but I have a feeling you've caused something." He says. "Ignore all of that, Toya. I'll protect you."
I blush, staring at him. I sit down, and nod. I don't really feel in danger, though.
"That's too crazy! We should have Aoyagi in a separate room, or something." Ms. Kagamine sighs.
"That's me whenever you and Miku drag me on your dates. I keep telling you to get a room!" Mr. Kagamine gags, and Ms. Kagamine throws herself onto him as the students cheer her on. "Miku, HELP!!"
"Rin!!"
We all just watch as this happens, and laugh.
"Happy Valentine's day, Miku~!" Rin kisses the teacher's cheek, and she grows embarrassed.
"Not in front of my class..!"
"Uh- Happy Valentine's day, Toya.." Kusanagi blushes, handing me a box of chocolate while I try stuffing all of the other cards An cleared out of my shoe locker in a bag. There's a lot. I think they're love letters..
"Thank you, Kusanagi." I smile. She blushes, and throws it at my face. "This is just because I had extra while making them for Emu! Hmph.." Kusanagi mutters, and goes to Akito.
"Huh?" He says, as she places a bag on his desk.
"Tsukasa asked that I make this for you, too. He said thank you for taking care of Toya while he isn't able to. And plus, you're a good friend to me too, even if you don't realize it. I appreciate it." She grins, and Akito just stares at her.
"Thanks. I'll make sure to pay you back." He smiles, and she nods.
Oh. She didn't mean it like that, right? Right?? I wonder if mine are good enough for him, now. I mean, technically men don't give out chocolate on valentine's day, so.. but I was just helping An.
"Happy Valentine's day, Akito! You better enjoy it!" An puts a half eaten truffle on his desk, and he looks up at her in confusion.
How am I going to pay back all these people?!
"Come in, one at a time, be patient!" An says. The after school bell rang. and they actually came back with money. They brought a throne prop from the theater club.. I feel like she's abusing my power as a stage crew.
Akito sighs, still standing next to me. I kind of want to get off this chair, I don't like how it makes me feel. It's kind of high, too...
"You okay?" He asks, and I hesitantly nod as a girl places her box in the huge pile. "If you're uncomfortable with this, let's leave while An is fighting off Mizuki. Come on." He holds out his hand, smiling. My face flushes, but I grab it and run out with him. I'll probably get beat up by An later.
"Wh- Hey, Toya?!" An shrieks, but my heart is beating too loudly to hear what she says. He's still holding my hand-!! The crowd runs after us, and the blood from my face drains. He goes behind the building, keeping me to the wall.
"Shh." He shushes me, and everyone passes. When do I make noises at all, though..- Okay, why are there so many girls. Some of them aren't even from Kamiyama-! He's also so close.. I hold my breath because he'll definitely hear my heart racing.
"Okay, they're gone. I brought our bags, let's head to your house before they find you." He chuckles, handing me my bag. Flustered, I still pull out my notebook.
"I wanted to take you somewhere."
"Where?" He asks, and I take his hand gently, directing him. His hands are super cold, but that's fine. Once we arrived at the place we went to while ice skating, I show him the poster.
"U-Uh.. I'm flattered, but-"
Am I getting rejected-? I nod, and sigh. I mean, that's fine, but I kind of wanted to bring him.
"We're going." He says, holding the door open. My face lights up. Oh, the place is decorated now with hearts, that's nice. Is that-?
"Li'l bro! TOYA!" Akiyama jumps from her chair, and Ena pats their back. ".. Sorry."
"Please don't-" Ena and Akito mumble, and I get an idea.
"Why don't we join them?" I suggest.
"CAN THEY JOIN US??" Akiyama says.
The two of them groan, as Ena bangs her head on the table.
"You know I can't say no to you.." Akito sighs, and ruffles my hair.
"Only because you want to.." Ena pouts.
We sit across from them, and Akiyama begins rambling about how they almost died in a stampede. They were the craziest, though..
The waiter comes up to us, and I write down what I wanted to get him. I tell Akito I'll pay for it, but he refuses.
"JUST ACCEPT IT YOU SON OF A BI-" Ena covers Akiyama's mouth. He sighs, and nods.
"I'm still returning the favor, though."
I smile, and wait for it to come.
"So, how many letters did you get today?" Ena asks, and I shrug. "Well, you must be very popular. I don't have a lot of time, school starts for me soon.." I tilt my head in confusion. School just ended, though.
"She takes night school. What a shame.. I'd love to have lunch with Ena.." Akiyama whines, and Ena blushes.
"Shut up."
Once our order arrives, it surprises Akito.
"Wow." He says, and I cover my laugh. "What's so funny..?" He says, embarrassed. His face is adorable when he gets something he likes.
".. Mizuki, how did you-" Ena's face is bright red. Why do Akito and Ena have the same face seeing cheesecake or pancakes? It's funny.
"I know my Ena. You looked like you wanted that for a while, but you never go out or accept my dates. This happens once in a lifetime!" They smile, and we stare at them in disbelief.
"MIZUKI--!!" Ena interrupts, flustered.
"What??" They ask, and glance at Akito. They take a while, and gasp, covering their mouth. "I- I mean- Uh-"
"You're dating??" He asks, and I blink. Seriously??
"I- Uh- No, we're-" Ena stutters, not maintaining eye contact.
"God, I owe An so much money.." He slumps, putting his face in his palms.
"She made a bet on us-?"
"What. You're- You're okay with that??" Ena asks. An and Kohane are dating. Kamishiro and Tsukasa are dating. Otori and Kusanagi probably are. That's really no surprise.. Heck, I'm in love with your brother!!
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I know so many homosexuals.. I respect all lesbians except An. Nothing wrong with that, honestly. Plus, you're my sister, you should've told me earlier." He begins eating, and she stares at him. Tears immediately begin falling from her eyes.
"AH-!! You made Ena cry, good job, Akito!" Akiyama freaks out.
"That's rare- What's wrong??" He asks, handing her a tissue for her running mascara.
"I- I just- Mom and Dad would never accept this, yet you- You did right away, I thought you'd be weirded out because I'm related to you.. Not your friend or anything." She sobs, as Akiyama hugs her.
".. Just wipe the running mascara, you look like you came straight out of a horror movie." He chuckles as she sobs while trying to laugh, and nods.
"Aw, you two can be friendly towards each other!" Mizuki laughs, and I nod. They blush, and grumble. It's nice to see them get along. It can get lonely while your siblings aren't home anymore.
"Do you not have a sibling, Akiyama?"
"Oh, I do. I have a big sister, my parents are visiting her, she doesn't live around here." Akiyama says, trying to wipe Ena's make-up but is just smudging it. I feel like Saki would get along with them. "Come on, go to the bathroom and fix it. I'll wait outside."
They go do that, and Akito sighs.
"It happened again, didn't it? Someone interrupted our date.. why does this always happen..?" He laughs, as I blush. He wanted to be alone with me?.. He used 'date' as a joke, didn't he?
"Maybe we can schedule a hangout just including us, we don't have to tell anyone." I suggest. He smiles and ruffles my hair.
"I know you like hanging out with your friends. I don't want you to stop doing that because of me. Does that mean you want to go anywhere with others?" He asks, and my face grows red all over.
"I want to go to the theme park Tsukasa works at with all of you. I've never gone to one so I want to.." I hide my face with the notebook, and he laughs.
"Can't say I'm surprised. Okay, then. We can do that." Akito smiles, and the door flies open, scaring the workers and us.
"TOYA!!" It's An. Yikes.
"How could you?! Making me carry all of this!" She says, as Azusawa helps her drag a bag inside. "Thanks, my love!" She gives Azusawa a kiss. It's.. full of cards and boxes of chocolate..
"What the hell?.." Akito mumbles, and I stare in shock. That's not going to fit in my room. Akiyama and Ena come back, and their eyes widen.
They all helped me bring this back home, but I'm leaving it outside..
"Can we help you read them? I want to laugh, and I should get going in 20 minutes." Ena asks, and I nod. Akito sighs, and sits down. "Wait! I made these for you too, Toya. Happy Valentine's day!" Ena hands me a box. She throws one at Akito, who holds his arm in pain.
"Speaking of that, here ya go, Li'l bro! Kohane and An! Ena and I already gave each other chocolates." Akiyama hands some to An, who smiles.
"Happy Valentine's day, Aoyagi, Akiyama, Shinonome-san! And.. Shinonome-kun!" Azusawa hands all of us tiny bags. The packaging is adorable.
"Oh yeah, I saved yours for last, Kohane!" An says, handing Azusawa the truffles and a box as big as her head.
"Ooh, thank you!" She smiles, and her face drops. She comes to me, and whispers. "I forgot her chocolate at home-!!"
I stare at her, and think.
"I know!! Emergency plan!" She says, and goes on her knee, pulling out a ring pop. "MARRY ME, AN!!" Azusawa shouts, flustered, and An gets shocked. Ena and Akiyama burst out laughing.
"WHAT?!"
My mother takes pictures, and they both just stand there, faces flushed.
"Wait, would it be Kohane Shiraishi or An Azusawa?" Ena asks, and looks at me. "Hear me out. Toya Shinonome~!" She teases, and I grow flustered, shaking my head rapidly, making sure Akito didn't hear.
"Anyways. Ena, want to start?" Akito sighs. She nods, and clears her throat.
"'Dear A̶o̶y̶a̶g̶ Toya, .. I love you.' Okay, wow, bold I guess.. 'Yes, I said it just like that. I really mean it. God, why am I still writing this?! I'm so stupid! I know you probably don't like me back because I'm weird, shy, too obsessed with games and stuff, but.. I would really like it if you wanted to date me. If you don't accept my feelings, you meet me on the rooftop on white day to return the favor to me?' .. She scratched out her name good." Ena dropped the high pitched voice, and looked at Akito and I. Akiyama huffs, breaking their pencils.
He puts his arm around me, holding me close. I blush, and stare at him.
"Y'know you don't have to do that, right..?" Now he wraps his other hand around my neck, putting me in front of him, burying his face in my shoulder. My heart just skipped a beat there.. ".. I don't want you to." He mumbles.
"O-Okay.. I won't." I whisper, looking down. I don't even like girls. Or any other boy. I just like Akito?
"Move it, Romeo. You're getting in his personal space." An separates us, and he grumbles. It felt nice, though.
Ena, my mother and Akiyama look at us, with their eyes widened.
"You got that shot, right? You got the camera, right?" My mom whispers, and Akiyama nods.
"Crap, it's time for me to go! Come on Mizuki, I want to walk with you. Bye, An, Kohane, Mrs. Aoyagi, and Toya! Oh, and Akito." She smirks, and he sticks his tongue out. They leave, and smudge finally comes out.
"We'll get going too, then. Bye, guys!" An and Kohane say, waving. I wave back, and Akito gets up.
"I'll go, too. I'll help you put these all in the paper shredder. Bye, To--" I stop him, by holding his hand with both of mine. He blushes, looking back.
"I.. I got this for.. you. I made some with An yesterday. B-But I only got this box for you." I say, handing him the box. "Th-.. Thank you for taking care of- of me all this time." I bow, and run inside. I don't even want to look back.
"You are really confident, you know? Jesus, if he won't, just make the first move." My mother says, peeking out the window. Flustered, I dash to my room, gently closing the door after smudge comes in, and slide down it.
"Aww, it's okay! Come out when you're ready for dinner!" She giggles, and I sigh. That won't be easy, though, because..
.. How would I say I like him and not lose him..?