Sukisho Fan Fiction ❯ 10 years ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
10 years
By Sapadu
A/N: I once again offer everyone my thanks- I'm happy that you're enjoying it. Don't worry, though- things will get better, but there will be some drama and necessary angst.
Until then, enjoy the ride and see if you can guess what the next chapter will be.
Oh, and I still don't, and never could hope to, own it.
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"It's almost the fourteenth..." Nakou mused as she, Sunao, and Matsuri sat around a table.
"Mmm..." Matsuri agreed, as Nakou fed him a forkful of pasta, while Sunao stared out the window. His fiancé had to bop him on the head to get him to turn around so she could spoon some rice into his mouth.
"Nakou-chan, yamete de kudasai..." Sunao managed, after he swallowed and just barely avoided choking.
"Aww... but Nao-kun, I need to practice for when I become a mother." Nakou replied with a grin. Sunao grimaced and looked away, before Nakou said, "Oh... but don't worry- I'm always willing to adopt!"
Her well meant relief only caused Sunao to hang his head further. Nakou frowned, then looked to Matsuri for an explanation as she fed him more food.
"Sora and Nao-kun both lost their parents when they were very young... I think it was even on the same night. Demo, Sora was adopted by Shinichirou-san while Nao-kun..."
Nakou turned her gaze back to Sunao, whom was staring out the window, longingly.
"Everything today... has been reminding me of Hashiba... I don't know why, and I don't like it, but it does, all the same..." Sunao finally whispered, as the two blonds watched him, somewhat sympathetic, before Matsuri piped up.
"Maybe Nao-kun's in love again!"
Sunao turned around, slowly. Both Matsuri and Nakou could see an evil glint in his pink eyes and the scowl around his brow and clenched teeth as he hissed out.
"Ma-su-ri-cha-a-an..." Sunao raised his fist, which seemed to be on fire. As Sunao opened his mouth to shout, however, his fiancé came in, armed with her chopsticks and stuffed a piece of sushi into his mouth. Sunao made an odd noise, which sounded like the sushi had hit the back of his throat.
"...Nakou-chan... I think he's choking..." Matsuri finally said, as Sunao's face turned red, then blue. Nakou just continued smiling.
"Daijobu, daijobu..."
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"Sora... did you and Nao-kun fight?"
Sora slouched and shifted his gaze away while Nakou, whom was still proclaiming herself 'Nakou-chan' as her excuse to try to pair them up despite being Sunao's fiancé, kept trying her damnedest to feed him.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Nakou said, smiling sadly as she finally managed to get a crab roll past Sora's lips, "You and Nao-kun are both so difficult to feed these days..."
"Ano sa..." Sora managed after swallowing, "Why are you..." But she interrupted him before he could finish.
"Why don't you get him something for Valentine's Day to say you're sorry?" Nakou suggested, taking a meatball for herself, before popping an omelet in Sora's mouth.
He almost choked.
"D-Demo... Valentine's Day is when GIRLS give chocolates!" He protested. Nakou gave him a look before uttering one word.
"Tenshi-chans."
Sora's mouth snapped shut at the memory of parading around the school in a robe, halo, and wings, distributing chocolates...
After a moment, Sora stood and walked towards the infirmary, not noticing that Nakou was following him- maybe he was just trying to get away from her, as being around Sunao's fiancé the way that she was right now was singularly uncomfortable.
Sora opened the door to the sick room just as Minato Shinichirou swallowed a meatball, oh-so-lovingly fed to him by Nanami Kai. Sora made a face.
"Doesn't anyone feed themselves, these days?" He muttered under his breath, to himself, as Nanami patted Shinichirou on the back to keep him from choking.
"ORA! Can't you knock?" Shinichirou finally growled as he cleared his throat.
"It's the infirmary- you don't knock for that! And what are YOU doing here?" Sora shot back. Shinichirou snorted.
"Just because I'm retired doesn't mean I can't visit." He returned.
"Hashiba-kun, was there something you needed?" Nanami interrupted, smiling, as he punched Shinichirou in the gut to make him shut up. Sora sighed and sat down on a stool while Nakou listened, outside.
"I need some advice, Nanami-chan..." Sora started, and Nanami made a concerned noise, "A few days ago... Fujimori and I had a fight and... Ore... I said something which made Fujimori mad..." He paused as everyone in the room heard Nakou whisper 'Shitte ta' out in the hall, "It's just... I don't know how to apologize... that's all..."
"You do realize that you came to the worst possible choice when it comes to Sunao, right?" Shinichirou mentioned, with a bit of a concerned frown, "If you're looking for romance advice, we can't give you any, and when it comes to apologies, my best advice is that you just say that you're sorry. And given it's Sunao, that probably won't be enough."
"Wakaneru." Sora snapped, impatiently, before Nanami spoke up.
"Ah!" He shuffled through papers on his desk before he found, what appeared to be, a flier kind of advertisement, "These people might be able to help you- reportedly, there's nothing they can't do." Sora cocked an eyebrow, but took the flier, and turned pale as he read it.
'Jack Of All Trades Inc.
Got a Problem? We can Handle it!
Call and one of our specialists will be over to assist you immediately!'
"I feel a chill for some reason..." Sora mumbled, a dark cloud suddenly hovering over his head.
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"Why the hell did you have that flier on hand?"
"Whenever we're both too busy, I call and ask if they could send someone to pick up groceries because we don't have the time..."
"That explains a few things..."
"Shinichirou!"
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"Matsuri teme! Don't tell me you knew about this the whole time!" Sora demanded, brandishing the flier in Matsuri's face. After blinking for a moment, Matsuri took it, then frowned, both disappointed and concerned.
"Well, I guess then it's back to the drawing board..." He muttered to himself. Sora stopped glaring, in surprise, "I thought that I'd be able to get the corporation started after I'd acquired enough funds... but somebody beat me to it, I guess..."
"Wait... you mean you don't know who started this up?" Sora asked, surprised. Matsuri shook his head, with a dramatic sigh.
"Not a clue." Matsuri confessed, but then smiled again, "De wa, you might as well call them- if they don't help you out, then you don't need to pay them, at least in theory!" Sora made a sour face and thought of all the clubs and people in high school that would have ripped them off if they'd used that excuse.
"...Matsuri..."
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A/N: I trust my readers to be smart- hopefully, you know who it is by now.
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"Warui... Warui desu..." Sora mumbled to himself as he resignedly dialed the number from his cellphone and listened to it ring. He was so tempted to hang up before someone on the other end answered- he really did have a bad feeling about this- but before he could do anything, someone picked up.
"Moshi moshi! Jack of all Trades Incorporated- what may I do for you?" A chipper voice on the other end answered. Sora sighed and forced himself to talk.
"...Um... Hello... I was wondering if you did advisory sessions..." He mumbled. The voice was loud, but prompt.
"Atari mai daiou! That's my branch- what are you having difficulties in?" Sora was asked.
"...Relationships... I guess..." He mumbled.
Quickly, Sora managed to convey the situation without revealing any details, and the operator seemed to understand, before an idea was reached. The person on the other end even offered to deliver the 'Condolences Valentine' as Sora's package was apparently called.
Sora hung up and proceeded to crawl into bed and feel sorry for himself.
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"Nao... what's your favorite dessert?" Sora asked, sprawled out in the grass as the three of them stared up at the clouds.
"...Mmm... wakarimasen..." Sunao mumbled around the sleeve of his baggy shirt, the edge of which was in his mouth as he sucked on it, "Matsuri-chan, what about you?"
"Peach cobbler." The blond immediately answered, and then pointed up into the sky where all of them could see a cloud shaped like a peach. Sunao laughed and Sora grinned, reaching up and taking Sunao's hand, gripping it tightly.
"Kuu-chan... what about you?" Sunao then turned his head to look at Sora. The 'what about you' game never got old with the three of them.
"...Strawberry mochi!" Sora finally said, and Matsuri reached up again and spotted a strawberry in the clouds. Sora reached up and Matsuri took his other hand.
"Nao... what do you see up there? Maybe you'll find your favorite dessert." Matsuri suggested. Sunao tilted his head and blinked for a moment, before he pointed.
"I see an apple!" He said, with delight, setting his hand down to grab Matsuri's other one, "That's it- my favorite is apple pie!"
The three of them continued to stare up at their favorite fruits, still hovering in the clouds, hands linked in a circle.
"Ne... when we get older, we'll all still be friends, right?" Sunao asked, quietly, almost afraid. Both of this hands were squeezed by Sora and Matsuri.
"Of course- our friendship is forever." Matsuri said, smiling.
"And even if something happens to Matsuri, I'll still be with you, Nao." Sora added, "And if something happens to me, you'll still have Matsuri."
"And if something happens to me, Kuu-chan and Matsuri-chan will still be together." Sunao finished. All three of them sighed.
"Demo... nothing will happen to any of us." Matsuri said again, "Shinji teru- We'll always have each other."
"And when we do get older and get jobs like grown-ups have to, we'll all have peach cobbler and apple pie and strawberry mochi together." Sora said and Sunao smiled.
"Sou da... like a tea party..."
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"Damn if that wasn't a weird dream..." Sora muttered, waking up and running a hand through his hair, before he was hit by a realization, "Sou da!"
He quickly got dressed and went out the door, going for the nearest bakery.
By the time the day ended, Sora had gotten a lot of cards and handmade chocolates from admiring, but wary students. He was careful whenever he thought someone was watching him to not let anything fall off the desk in the math room or accidentally throw it in the trash. A good deal of them were actually pretty nice, but he just didn't really care at this point.
Sora had gotten home just in time for the doorbell to ring. He checked to make sure he'd wrapped it nicely, and had put the card in the box, before opening the door.
And staring.
The 'Delivery Boy' was a young man with blue hair and bright blue eyes, and for a moment, Sora thought he was staring at someone with a mirror on their head before he saw two antennae-like strands of hair dangling down around his face.
"....Sora... niichan?" The young man asked, and although it was more mature, there was no mistaking that voice.
"...Sei???" Sora's jaw dropped, and he was glad hadn't actually been holding the box as Sei jumped at him with his arms open.
"SORA-NIICHAN!!!"
Sora's fist met with Sei's head before he could finish the hug.
"That's 'Hashiba-sensei' to you." He said, sternly. Sei drooped
"I'm an adult now- I can call you what I want." Sei answered, pouting. Sora rolled his eyes.
"Then stop talking like a little kid and calling me 'Sora-niichan'." Sora scolded, but Sei just giggled, "De... so, Sei, you're the one who started up this whole..." Sora made a vague gesture and Sei shrugged.
"Actually, Shiina, Kitamura, and I all worked for a few years after school, then compiled and became partners to start it up." He explained, and Sora sighed.
"You're gonna have to explain that to Matsuri- he wanted to be the one to found it." Sora groused, scratching the back of his head. Sei made a face.
"Tell Matsuri-senpai we're not sorry- business is going well." Sei said, with a touch of dry humor that he'd developed with the same immaturity that he'd had in school. Sora rolled his eyes.
"Dame. You do that yourself." He said, before turning and picking up the package, "I can't give it to Fujimori personally- he probably won't take it if I try to give it to him, myself. He's right next door, but won't be home until around nine- I hope you don't mind having to wait." Sora explained, handing Sei the package. Sei took it, then put it at his feet, explaining how the cost worked. With a heavy sigh, Sora handed him the money, before the younger one took off, leaving Sora, exhausted, free to crawl into bed.
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Sunao was sore and exhausted as he almost literally crawled back to his apartment. It had been a harsher day, and he wanted nothing more than to take a few painkillers for his aches and injuries and curl up in bed. He didn't even think he'd be able to eat anything.
His hopes of being able to relax and fall into a healing sleep were dashed when Sunao saw a blue haired man waiting in front of his door. Sunao wrinkled his nose and tried to pretend he didn't see him.
"Sunao-senpai..." Sunao froze at that tone of voice... it wasn't like Hashiba to whine...
Sunao turned around and suddenly recognized it wasn't Sora.
"...Sei?" He asked. The chibi-Sora grinned, then extended his arms with a box in them.
"A Valentine's Day delivery, courtesy of Jack of all Trades Incorporated!" He said, handing Sunao the package. Sunao took it, mostly out of surprise, before Sei bowed and ran off.
Sunao sighed as he put the box down on his table, muttering about how Nakou-chan needed to learn when some things were appropriate and when things weren't. However, he was surprised by the noise it made. Boxes of chocolate didn't make noises like that... like metal.
Curiosity piqued, Sunao unwrapped it, setting aside the note that fluttered out, until he lifted the lid to reveal an apple pie. Sunao's eyes went very wide and he immediately dived for the note.
'Fujimori,
Gomen. I didn't mean what I said about you only committing when there was something in it for you- I was just angry and it was the first thing that came to my mind to say in an argument like that.
This might not be the best thing, but I THINK when we were kids you liked apple pie, so that's why I got you one. You don't need to get anything for me on White Day, since it was my screw up- I just wanted to say I'm sorry.
-Hashiba Sora.'
Sunao stared at the note for a long time, before he noticed his hands were shaking.
Something hurt right between his ribs. It hurt so unspeakably much that Sunao wondered how he was still breathing. How could Hashiba just...
Dimly, Sunao was aware that the note was crumpled up in his hands, pressed against his chest. It wasn't because the apology had been so beautiful or touching or anything like that. It wasn't because of the apple pie. It wasn't really anything...
But...
He remembered... He REMEMBERED...
After a moment, Sunao blinked, then glanced at the clock. It was late... but maybe...
Sunao slammed the note down on his table, then grabbed his wallet and keys and headed out the door, locking it tightly behind him as he took off at a run.
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"Nandaiyo...." Sora looked up at his clock. 10:30. And someone was knocking on his door.
"I should be used to it..." Sora grumbled- and he actually was, kind of. At least he could tell where he was going and would be able to keep a civil tongue if it was the elderly landlady come to check on him or something like that.
It wasn't. It was Fujimori.
Sora blinked once, then twice, seeing the other man at his door, and was sorely tempted to slam it in his face, but he couldn't. He just couldn't- not after the long ass month he'd had, agonizing over the last time he did something to blow his former roommate off.
Sora only barely caught it when Sunao shoved a box into his arms.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Hashiba." He said. Sunao's voice wasn't icy, like it usually would be when offering something like this. But it wasn't that warm or kind, either... it was... polite. And gentle. Not cold, but not warm, either... Sora blinked, and opened his mouth to say something, before Sunao interrupted.
"Just keep in mind I want another one of those apple pies for White Day." He added. The slightly icy edge was back to it, and Sora wasn't sure if he was happy about it or not. Finally, he just smiled.
"Yosh! Glad to see I was right about that. Arigatou na, Fujimori." Sora went back in and closed the door. He opened the box to see that inside were four, perfect strawberry mochi. He snickered and took one out to bite into.
"Guess I was right about this, too..."
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Outside Sora's door, Sunao continued to stand there, staring at the nameplate that read 'Hashiba Sora'.
He wasn't even aware of the tears running tracks down his cheeks.
"Arigatou.... Kuu-chan..."
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"Fujimori, is something wrong?" Sora asked, plopping down next to his friend on the bed where Sunao was sitting, curled up with his knees to his chest.
"...Betsuni... Hashiba..." Sunao replied. Sora put an arm around the other boy's shoulders, grinning somewhat coyly.
"Aww... don't be like that- I'll think you don't like me anymore..." He purred, and Sunao shivered, both regretting and feeling appreciative that Sora no longer had Yoru- some times, he could swear they'd merged, instead of gone their separate ways.
Sunao's eyes narrowed a little bit.
"...I was just thinking... Hashiba..." Sunao explained, looking a little guilty.
"Nani...tsuite?" Sora asked, lazily draping himself over his roommate's shoulders.
"...Ore-tachi... Hashiba..." Sunao continued. Sora's act of being stupid dropped and he gave Sunao a serious look.
"Fujimori..."
"...I don't know if it's this way for you, too, Hashiba... but... lately... things haven't... things haven't felt the same for me..." Sunao caught the look on Sora's face, "It's not that I'm going to start saying I hate you again, Hashiba... it's just... I guess it almost feels like we're just friends again... not... something else..." Sunao explained. Sora blinked at him, then frowned, as though pondering.
"...Ore wa... I guess I see what you mean..." Sora muttered, also looking somewhat like Sunao knew his face looked like, "We're not... like that anymore... are we?" Sunao shook his head.
"...I guess, Hashiba... what I'm saying is... if you want, we can keep going... but I don't want Hashiba to be uncomfortable like this..." Sunao offered, not meeting Sora's eyes. Sora didn't make any attempt to make eye contact, either, before he mumbled.
"Ii yo... I mean, Fujimori... you said that we'd be friends, still, right? So... we'd just be like we were when we were kids, right? It's not that bad..." Sora's voice was strained. Sunao turned to see the smile on his face was equally strained, as though he didn't really mean it. Sunao offered a small smile back, and gripped his friend's hand, giving it a squeeze.
"Yeah... we'll still be friends..." He said. Sora smiled, then stood up and bounced over to his bed, pulling Toushizou into his arms.
"I won't wake up for weird reasons tonight." He called.
Sunao stared, then went to take a shower and get ready for bed.
When he came back, Sora was fast asleep. Sunao didn't know that the next day, the other boy would go crying to Matsuri for comfort and that the best Matsuri would be able to offer would be 'Sometimes relationships end' and 'Sometimes feelings change'.
Sunao stared down at his old friend, before leaning over and giving him a small kiss.
"Gomen nasai... Kuu-chan..." He whispered.
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Sunao woke up again, in the middle of the night, and no matter how much he tossed and turned, he couldn't fall asleep again.
After a moment's gathering of strength, he crawled out onto the balcony and climbed over to Sora's, sneaking in and managing to slip under Sora's covers without waking him.
One arm went around his waist- probably out of instinct, from all the nights Ran had come in to spend- and Sunao...
Sunao fell asleep, at last.
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"Do you think it worked out?" Nanami asked his lover as he cleaned the dishes from their dinner. Shinichirou shrugged, noncommittally, but Nanami could tell he was worried, too.
"Given those two... who knows?" The former teacher mused, flipping through a newspaper.
Nanami hung his head a little.
"...At least they have each other, now..." He said, softly. Shinichirou started, and looked up, seeing Nanami drooping. He stood up and walked over, somewhat forcibly straightening Nanami's back.
"Nanami..." He whispered, and had to still the smaller man's hands, they were shaking so badly.
"...I know..." Nanami whispered, not looking up, "I know how long it's been... but there are still times when I worry about not knowing where they are..." Nanami wasn't crying, but his voice was definitely shaking, "Sometimes... I remember going back for them.. and leaving Fujimori-kun behind... and other times... I remember..."
"Yamero!" Shinichirou commanded, softly, gripping Nanami's hands and forcing him to release the knife he had been washing, just in case his hand slipped and he cut himself.
"Yamero..." Shinichriou said, again, whispering this time. His arms wound tighter around Nanami's waist, holding onto his arms so he didn't shake.
"...Shinichirou..." Nanami whispered back, almost in shock, as though he was just remembering that his lover was there.
"We agreed." Shinichirou reminded Nanami, "We agreed- no more of that."
Shinichirou punctuated his statement by kissing softly next to his lover's ear, trailing them down his jaw. Nanami shivered, just a little.
"...Sh-Shinichirou..." He repeated, softly, feeling a squeeze from Shinichirou's hands, which, surely and firmly, turned him around so they embraced.
Nanami clung to it like a lifeline, arms still twitching, but some of the nervousness draining away as Shinichirou's arms around his waist tightened, one of those hands liberally groping lower. Nanami didn't protest- he was too distracted by other things, both carnal, and serious.
Shinichrou paused his trail of kisses around Nanami's jawline for the smaller of the two to voice his worst concern.
"It feels like everything is repeating, all over again." He whispered. Shinichirou's grip around his waist tightened again, almost painfully, but Nanami was shaking so badly, he didn't notice.
"...We'll get through it. All of us will." Shinichirou finally said, and it sounded like a load of bull to him, too, but it was something Nanami had needed to be told. Nanami's fingers gripped at Shinichirou's shoulders even more tightly, and his arms pressed closer together around the other man's neck.
"...I... can't... I can't see that... not again... I don't want to have to see it again..." He finally confessed, and Shinichirou hung his head, pressing his mouth against his lover's neck, kissing him softly before pulling back.
"Don't worry- I won't do anything stupid this time..." He answered, and met the fearful look Nanami gave him, "I promise."
Nanami didn't answer, except to bury his face against his lover's chest.
Shinichirou didn't say anything, but continued to hold him for a long time after that.
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"Eeeh? You saw Sora-senpai again today?" Ren Shiina asked as Hashiba Sei came back into the office, somewhat loopy from a day of running around delivering chocolates.
"Hai... he wanted me to deliver something to Sunao-senpai." Sei confirmed, before adding, "And they live right next door to each other, too. But Sora-niichan said that Sunao-senpai wouldn't have taken it if he delivered it, personally."
Kitamura Fuuta sighed, ruffling his business-like hair.
"After ten years, they still fight all the time..." Shiina mused, somewhat exasperated, before Sei started up again.
"DE-MO! Why am I the only one out delivering packages? I'm one of the partners, too!" He insisted. Shiina shuffled papers and receipts, putting them in his desk.
"If you don't like it, then get better with office work- out of the three of us, you're the most useless around the office on days like this." He lectured. Kitamura made a face.
"What does that 'most useless' mean? Are you saying I'M useless around the office, too?" He demanded, nose wrinkled.
Shiina gave him The Look.
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"Naruhodo! So, the Jack of all Trades was a project you came up with in high school... I didn't realize THAT was why Nao-kun and Sora had had to dress up as Tenshi-chans on Valentine's Day..." Nakou muttered, blushing. Matsuri chuckled.
"School was a little more interesting with those two around..." Matsuri agreed, "Demo... I was still happy when they finally got together... And then... I guess things just stopped working and here we are, today..." Nakou tilted her head with curiosity.
"Matsuri-chan... were you ever like that with someone?" She asked, and the other shrugged.
"Can't say I was, before. I was more concerned with getting those two together or making money- Ah, sou da! I should let you borrow my copy of '100 ways to make money and live comfortably'!" Matsuri suddenly seemed to change the topic. Nakou shook her head.
"Thanks, but I've already got my own copy of that..." She replied, and it was Matsuri's turn to be embarrassed.
Then they were both quiet.
"Nao-kun's right..." Nakou finally whispered, and when Matsuri raised his eyebrows, she explained, "We really are more alike than we seem..."
Matsuri smiled, reassuringly.
"That's how Nao-kun says he thinks of you as a friend." He explained, and Nakou blushed again, but out of flattery this time.
They reached her apartment, and Matsuri bowed, graciously, if a little playfully.
"Matsuri-chan, I'd swear you are the prince of devious plans." Nakou mused, a glint in her eye. Matsuri laughed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, I'm a useless prince without my partner in crime at my side." He reminded her. Nakou chuckled and held out her hand.
"De wa, my thanks for you escorting me home, Oji-sama!" She teased. Matsuri smiled, took her hand, and kissed the back.
"'Twas but my pleasure, Ohime-sama!" He returned. The two snickered, both at the surely idiotic show they were putting on, and out of sheer giddiness, before bidding each other goodnight.
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A/N: Things will get better... honestly!
Anyhoo... I do realize that, essentially, I've made about a year go by- the first chapter, Shinichirou talks about student's exams coming up, and now it's Valentine's day... but the anime didn't seem to care about little things like that- the night of the Valentine's Day episode, it snowed, and the next day, Matsuri was parading around in SPRING clothes and the stupid Peiron hat. So... I don't care.
Translations:
Tenshi-chans- Angel-chans.
Ora!- An angry way of saying 'Hey!' Sometimes it sounds like 'Kora', but its a much ruder way of saying it, just the same.
Shitte ta- This was the best I could translate the phrase 'I knew it'- I THINK it's correct, if a little stiff and formal.
Wakaneru- Again, spelling/grammar troubles- but it's an annoyed way of saying 'I KNOW that'
Warui... Warui desu...- Bad... this is bad...
Wakarimasen- (spelling?) I don't know
Shinji teru- I believe that.
Yosh!- Okay!
Betsuni- Nothing.
Nani... tsuite?- Essentially, translates to "'Bout what?"
Ore-tachi- Us.
Yamero- Stop. Unlike 'Yamete' which is either more polite or more of a request, 'Yamero' is a command.
Naruhodo!- I see!
Expect to start looking through other chapters for some translations- It's going to get worse if you want to see everything in English. Sorry- I'm learning more Japanese, and I gotta use it, somehow...