Hated by You ☆ | Riki Nishimura

第7章

Down Together

It's 3PM. Today the activities are at the lake again, but in the afternoon. They were again gathered in front of the lake and were listening to the teachers now.

"Today we'll have art! I want you all to increase your teamwork as a group and see if you have gotten closer in these few days." "So you're making a flag for your group. You can create a logo or just make up a name for your group. And lastly you can decorate the flag with the stuff i brought here."

There was lot of paints and glitters on a cloth in the ground. Hitomi liked art but the problem is her group.

"Okay, let's create a name." Niki said and sat on the grass near the lake and pondering.

"I'd prefer a logo." Hitomi sat across from him and played with the green grass.

"No." He dryly responded. "Niki's cult. That's a good name." He added.

"What? No. It would only feature you." She looked at him in disgust and disapproval.

"Fine, then think for a name."

"I still suggest to draw a logo." She requested again.

"No, It takes too much effort."

They were debating for if they'd draw a logo or make up a name, but they couldn't reach for an agreement. Moments after Niki's one friend came to greet them, "How's it going Tom and Jerry?" His friend said crouching and wrapped his arm around Niki's neck.

"Quit it." Niki commanded, feeling irritaded how his friend called them

"Alright, sorry dude."

Niki stood up and wiped the grass from his pants, "Let's go, Rio." He left with his friend and didn't say anything to Hitomi before leaving.

What the hell? Fine, I'll do it myself

Hitomi grapped some paints and glitters from the cloth where the teachers put all the supplies they could use. She had many ideas in her head. It became unusually calm after Niki left. Hitomi landed on her stomach to draw the outlines of the logo she wanted to paint. She designed a bearing  that had a panda holding a bamboo on it's little paw. For the background color she chose lilac, her favourite color. For that she had to mix some paints but it was no work. After finishing the logo she rose up from the ground and observed her art work.

I think it's ready now. It turned out well.

-

For a long time after, Niki came back to see what she was doing. He looked at her work of art for a while. "You're good at painting."

What? Is he complimenting me?

"But I don't like pandas." He added and smeared it's face with his dirty shoe sole.

"Hey! You ruined it, twerp! I did that for decades!" Hitomi shouted, loud enough that everyone could hear her.

"I know. That's why I don't like it." He smiled teasingly.

"What is you problem seriously?! I did that for a long time when you were lazing around!"

"Well it's our flag anyway. I have the right to modify it." He said sarcastically. Hitomi hit him on the shoulder furiously, "I'm so sick of you!"

At this point everyone were watching them, but Niki and Hitomi didn't seem to notice everyone's stares. He looked down to her in disbelief with widened eyes, "Did you just hit me?"

"You deserved it, asshole." She said with determination.

"Hey! Do not curse at me!" He urged and nudged her back. But when his poke was too strong, Hitomi slipped and was about to fall into the lake. She quickly grapped Niki's collar to take him down with her or just to keep her balance by holding onto him. But by her grapping he slipped too and they fell into the lake. All the other students saw the whole situation and got up from the ground to see what happened.

The lake wasn't deep right from the shore, but deep enough to Hitomi's legs not reach the bottom while Niki's could. They rose up from underwater at the same time.

"What the hell Hitomi!?" Niki shouted and brushed the wet hair from his face with his hands.

"It was all your fault!" Hitomi splashed water against him. It was hard for her to keep herself on the surface because of the depth. He noticed that her hand was holding onto his arm and realized that her feet couldn't reach the bottom, so he didn't say anything about it.

"Not my fault that you're clumsy!" He splashed some water against her aswell. 

Hitomi began to swim towards the spot that was low enough to climb up. Without realizing Niki held her arm to help her up, but in the cold and furiousness, she didn't even mind anymore. They couldn't see that a female teacher was walking towards them already.

"Look, now I'm all drenched!" Hitomi stated furrowing her eyebrows and squeezing the extra water from her shirt.

"I'm wet aswell, thanks to you."

"You can only blame yourself, Riki."

"Don't call me Riki." He spoke in a sharp voice.

"Whatever, I hate you." She left and headed back to the cabin to change clothes, while the teacher came to talk with Niki. 

"Niki, I see that she really doesn't seem to like you. Have you done something to her?" The female teacher asked in a gentle tone.

"What? No!" He denied right away and looked confused.

"I want to have a word with you." She gently rubbed his shoulder.

"Alright everyone! If you're done with the flag go back to the camp. It's over for today." The teacher announced to the other students. They started leaving from the lake and the teacher directed Niki to sit on a bench near the lake with her and have a talk.

"So, why do you keep molesting her? Do you perhaps like her?" She asked the boy next to her. Niki furrowed his eyebrows, "No!?"

"Well, Riki, you shouldn't take your anger out onto other people. I know how it feels like when someone you love is in a bad condition."

She knows? Of course she knows, she is a teacher.

Niki didn't reply anything just faced the ground scratching his nape. 

"You're not the bad gyu, Riki." She caressed his arm gently and then stood up. "Go get some dry clothes now before you catch a cold." The teacher left leaving Niki in his thoughts. He sat there for a moment and then headed back to the camp.

-

"Hitomi!" Yuma and Mina came running after her, when she was walking to the cabin.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry we didn't do anything.." Mina apologized in concern.

"I'm okay." She replied without any emotion.

"Do you want us to visit your cabin right now, while you change clothes? For company?" Yuma requested.

"It's alright. I'll go by myself. Thanks still."

Hitomi changed her wet clothes to a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. She took her towel and dried her hair as much as possible. She heard the front door open knowing it was Niki, but she stayed in her room hoping that he would leave the cabin soon.

☆