Thank you for the reviews, favs, and follows! Those really made my day ;v; I love all of you guys. I'm so glad there are people who appreciate Gakushuu. He's truly underrated! Also, I'm glad this piece of writing made you appreciate Gakushuu more, Guest-san!

This turns kind of sadder by the second... ;v;

Happy reading!

ＩＩ． 距離－ｄｉｓｔａｎｃｅ－
「こんなに近いのに、どうして．．．また君を僕の前から失うような気がする．．．」

Asano Gakushuu realised that he has changed. He was no longer the 'Gaku-kun' his fairy knew anymore—he was a person much more disagreeable and toxic, truly the polar opposite of how he was, when his fairy was still with him. Will she still accept him, given how he has changed? Will she still caress his hair softly, with the warmth he'd been longing for?

"I can't believe it," He thought, as he closed his eyes, "Someone like me, who's at the top of everyone, would get worried over a single person."

Even though he's never felt anything like this prior to their reunion…

"Asano-kun?"

The worried voice of a young man snapped Gakushuu back to reality, "Yes?" he asked, as he put on his usual smile.

The one who had called him was apparently Sakakibara Ren, one of the Five Virtuosos, and also the Student Council secretary. "You've been… out of it since earlier," he said, "Is there anything wrong?"

The other members of the Five Virtuosos—with the exception of Gakushuu—nodded their heads, each having the same question in their head. Just what could've made the invincible Student Council President this way? Gakushuu had never ever shown them such a troubled expression—although indeed, for other students Gakushuu may look anything but unusual, but for them who have accompanied him the longest…

Gakushuu looked, to say the least, worried.

"Do I look like I'm troubled?" Gakushuu asked—it was a rhetorical question on his part—the smile never leaving his face.

Nobody dared to reply, as he simply looked like he didn't want to say anything further on the subject.

The bell rings, signaling the start of lunch break.

If it was a usual day, Gakushuu would've already left the classroom to eat lunch in the Student Council room, as it has the tranquility he needs when he's eating. Of course, not to forget his usual routine of smiling, greeting, and encouraging the students he met on his way.

However, today it's different. He immediately went to the second years' hallways, if only to get a glimpse of a certain person.

"Where is she?" he thought, as he looked for the familiar petite stature.

Bingo!—there she was, walking out of the 2-C classroom, talking joyfully with some female friends she's made. She looked as if she's having fun, and Gakushuu couldn't help but to be reminded of the past; of the time when he could only look from afar as she played with her mates happily.

His fairy seemed to have noticed him as she smiled and waved her hand, "Gaku—"

She was about to call his name, he knew, but for whatever reason, she stopped midway. Her friends looked at her with a puzzled expression as she looked down, a sad expression on her face.

"…...…Asano-senpai," she finally said, as she bowed.

And just like that, she left in haste along with her friends, leaving a startled Gakushuu in her wake.

He had never felt such an excruciating pain in his chest.

After that, time felt like it moved in the speed of Mach-20. The homeroom teacher's incessant babbling went over Gakushuu's head like it was nothing—it was fine, though, as he'd already mastered this part of the subject.

The problem was that he couldn't forget what had happened during lunch break earlier.

"Why did she… call me by my last name on purpose?" he thought, as he absentmindedly finished a math question on his book. "Why does it feel like she's widening the gap between us?"

As he answered another question on his workbook, he thought again, "No... that's a stupid question."

"After all, I've changed. She probably... Ah," Unconsciously, he used his mechanical pencil with too much strenght; the lead broke, and the sound it produced brought him back to reality.

He sighed, "...This shouldn't be a reason for me to slack off."

After all, he was still the Council President and the role model.

Click. A light voice was heard as Gakushuu opened the door to the Board Chairman's office.

"Board Chairman," he said, in a composed voice he had always used whenever he faces off his father, "I am here to report about the Student Council budget."

The Board Chairman—Asano Gakuhou—nodded, signaling for him to continue. Gakushuu continued his report, as he gave Gakuhou a detailed, printed report of the budget. After he finished his explanation, without as much as a goodbye, he turned to go.

"Gakushuu," the cold voice of his father stopped him in his tracks.

"...Yes, Board Chairman?"

"How is the transfer student doing?" he asked, "I left her in your hands, didn't I?"

"...!" Gakushuu turned around, startled. Did his father know everything?

...No, on the contrary, it would've been stranger if his father didn't.

Finally, he gathered his composure and replied, "She's doing well. It seems that she has fitted in with the rest of the student body."

Gakuhou smiled—the sickening kind of smile he's always shown his only son—and said, "I am glad to hear that."

Gakushuu turned around and continued his way out of the room, still not bothering to say goodbye.