Full Metal Panic! Short Stories Volume 6 [Parts 1 to 7] by Shouji Gatou

Author:Shouji Gatou
Language: eng
Format: epub

A Past-Deadline Romance

Classes were over, and Chidori Kaname stood in front of the A/V storage room. She’d come to return some videos, but had stopped with her hand just short of the door, listening curiously. She could hear a pair of voices on the other sides—one male, one female, both familiar. One belonged to Tokiwa Kyoko, her best friend. The other voice was Sagara Sousuke.

“Hey... I really think we should stop. I don’t feel right about this.”

“After everything? Why?” he asked.

Kaname could sense the tension through the door. Are Kyoko and Sousuke discussing something in secret? she wondered. It wouldn’t be right to snoop... Yet she remained rooted to the spot, listening closely.

“You’re not into me anymore?” he persisted.

“No... It isn’t that. I still really like you,” Kyoko said earnestly. “And last night... I don’t have any regrets about last night.”

What the... thought Kaname, and felt her heart begin to pound. Kyoko and Sousuke, going behind my back? No way. And what did she mean by ‘last night’?!

“I’ll never forget last night either,” Sousuke declared. “Why ruin a good thing, then?”

“Because...”

“Is this still about her?”

“Yeah... She’s my best friend, you know? And she really likes you,” Kyoko insisted. “If she knew about us, it’d really hurt her.”

Kaname felt the blood draining from her face as the world around her went dark. Part of her knew it didn’t sound like the Kyoko and Sousuke she knew, and yet the words were still deeply upsetting.

“I don’t want to betray my best friend.”

“So, what about me? Don’t my feelings matter? I’ll admit she’s attractive, but she doesn’t compare to you. She’s got someone better suited to her anyway,” Sousuke insisted.

“B-But...”

“She’ll understand. She’s a tough girl.”

I had no idea they were a couple, thought Kaname. Of course, since I don’t have anything concrete going on with Sousuke, Kyoko might not see any reason to defer. But this is still just... it’s just... “Ah...” Just then, one of the tapes slipped out of her arms. The sound of it hitting the floor caused the conversation within to cut off suddenly.

“Who’s there?!” It was Kyoko’s voice.

Kaname looked around in panic, then whispered quickly, “F-Fumoffu.”

“Oh, it’s just Bonta-kun.”

“Anyway, you have to listen to me. I keep saying, I really—”

The two were about to resume their conversation as if nothing had happened, when... “Cut, cut, cut!” A new shout from inside the room cut the conversation off angrily. “That’s not right at all! You’re supposed to follow the script, not improvise! And who said that ‘fumoffu’? Is someone out there?!”

The door burst open right in Kaname’s face. Besides Sousuke and Kyoko, six other students were crammed into the storage room, armed with a variety of equipment: lights, board reflectors, microphones and video cameras.

“Chidori?” Sousuke asked.

“Oh, it’s Kana-chan! Hey!” Kyoko waved to her, smiling her usual warm smile.

“Eh?” Kaname breathed as it sunk in that it wasn’t a lovers’ quarrel after all.

The person who’d opened the door to glare at her was a male student, holding a well-worn script.

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