Fire with Fire

"Narumi-san! There's a wasp in the room!" She gasped, pointing to the air.

Automatically, Ayumu jerked his head around, anxiously searching for the dreaded insect. It didn't take him too long to realize that there wasn't really a wasp; it was just another one of Hiyono's pranks. It was obvious a wasp would most likely not be in a clubroom at school, but he still turned on instinct. And before he knew it, his lunch had disappeared from in front of him.

He grimaced at the pigtailed girl who now had possession of his bento. He always wondered how he got stuck with such a troublesome person. Although Hiyono looked innocent on the outside, there was actually pure deviousness behind that childish smile. She was the rumored and feared upperclassman who had the ability to find any information on almost anyone. And if she needed to use that information, she never hesitated to whip out her "Hiyo-chin data booklet."

In this case, she knew Ayumu already all too well. Though she served as a great help to him, she also seemed to know him down to the very last detail. His personality, his interests, his strengths, and (unfortunately) weaknesses. That included his fear of wasps, which she always got a good chuckle out of.

They've been friends for a while now—if that's the correct word to describe their relationship, that is—and have gotten to be quite close. Despite that Hiyono would tease him from time to time, Ayumu never became bothered enough to cut connections with her. He wasn't sure if that was even possible, actually. It would probably be really difficult to get rid of her, knowing her stubbornness. But he didn't think too much about it. He was pretty fond of her, but he never admitted it.

Though he used his logic and wit to counteract with whatever blackmail or information she used against him most of the time, Ayumu sometimes wondered in the back of his mind: what exactly is her weakness? She was kind of mysterious in that way, not to mention a little scary as well. She was indestructible almost; no one could bring her down. But he thought how interesting it would be if he were to find her Achilles' heel and use it against her. Just to make her squirm a bit or quiet down for once. Her expression would probably be priceless. Sure, the idea sounded a bit sadistic, but it would be interesting, no doubt.

But at the moment, it was Hiyono who had the upper hand… and his lunch.

"Why must you always take my lunch from me?" Ayumu asked tiredly as Hiyono pushed triangle-shaped sandwiches in her mouth.

She took a moment to swallow the food down before answering. "Because Narumi-san's food is the best!" She chirped.

He furrowed his brow. "That doesn't mean you should take it for yourself. I need to eat too, you know." He stretched his arm out to grab the bento box, but Hiyono swiftly grabbed the last sandwich. She then put one end of the sandwich between her teeth and held it there, managing to smile at the same time. She was messing with him again.

That's when an idea came to Ayumu's mind.

"I guess that gives me no choice." He exhaled.

"No choice but to give up?" Her words were slightly muffled by the sandwich pinched between her teeth. She looked smug, another victory.

"Nope." He took a step closer to her. "It gives me no choice but to do this." Ayumu leaned forward, grabbing the other end of the sandwich with his mouth. Hiyono's eyes widened in reaction to how close his face was to hers now. Eyes locked onto hers, he started chewing.

One bite. An inch disappeared between them. Another bite. Frozen, Hiyono felt her face turn a shade of pink. Then another. His nose barely touched hers.

Hiyono pulled away, biting off her end of the sandwich and feeling flustered. She tore her eyes away from him and stared at the clubroom's floor. Her cheeks felt as though they were burning.

Ayumu observed the flustered girl and licked his lips.

She turned sharply toward him with angry eyebrows and pursed lips. "Wh…what was that all about? Narumi-san… you almost… almost… Why did you do that?"

"You took my lunch, remember?" He answered much too calmly.

There was a look of fear and timidity on her face; an expression that was rare to find on her face. It was kind of cute to him, once she looked vulnerable.

He had found her weak point.

The school bell rang clearly through the campus. "The bell…" Hiyono murmured. She cleared her throat and began to collect her belongings. "We should go to class now."

She hastily made her way over to the door, avoiding eye contact. "See you, Narumi-san!"

Ayumu remained where he was in a composed stance. "See you. Thanks for lunch."

She winced a little before she hurried into the hallway.

He just discovered something fun.

"Narumi-saaaan!" He heard Hiyono's high-pitched voice call out to him after school. She made her way over to him wearing her usual, cheery smile. Ayumu assumed she had already gotten over the whole lunch situation and greeted her with a nod.

"Any plans for today?" She asked suddenly as they walked out of the school gates.

Ayumu shrugged. "No, probably not. Why?"

"Well…" Hiyono slowed her pace of walking and started to fiddle with her hands. "I was wondering… since I took your lunch and all... If we could go eat somewhere together?"

He raised an eyebrow, turning to the girl with pigtails. "You're still hungry?"

"No!" She pouted. "I just wanted to make it up to you because… You must be hungry, right?"

"Eh, not really." Ayumu returned to looking straight forward as they walked on the sidewalk. Hiyono was now walking directly behind him.

"C'mon, Narumi-san! Let's go! I'll even pay for it, my treat!" She grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him slightly. "What do you want to eat, huh? Tell me!"

"What do I want to eat?"

"Yeah! Just say the word." She chirped energetically.

He suddenly turned his body around completely, causing Hiyono to bump into his chest.

"You."

She slowly lifted her head to look up at Ayumu.

"What… What did you say?" She asked uneasily.

He proceeded in walking again, leaving a blushing and confused Hiyono standing behind him. "Wait! Narumi-san!" She ran to catch up with him. "Where are you going?"

"Home, obviously."

"Then I'll go with you. Maybe I can prepare something nice for Narumi-san."

"That's a dangerous thing to say. You'll probably ruin my kitchen."

"Who ever said anything about using the kitchen?" She winked.

Ayumu felt his face turn red as Hiyono laughed. "Two can play at that game, Narumi-san!"

Taking out her data booklet, she started to scribble some words down.

"I've just discovered something fun!"

"Dammit."

She really was indestructible.