Well, this is just a quick oneshot I did on a whim, inspired by one review I once got on one of my earliest stories regarding in what way Satoshi thinks about Risa. Yeah, so just a small SatoRisa here, since I occasionally have to do some of those too. Feedback is always welcome.

DNAngel © Yukiru Sugisaki, 1997
Original Story © Berlioz II, 2009

Math.

Math, math, math, math…

Oh, how I hate it.

No… scratch that. I don't hate it. I despise it!

With a vengeance.

I mean, I can do simple calculations and stuff, but… BLEH!

It's just not meant for me. It's too… logical. Too cold. Too… unspontaneous!

Numbers… figures… calculus… most of which I know I'll never need in my life. Still I'm forced to learn all of this needless information that I'm not interested in in the slightest.

Seriously!

It's one thing if you know you're going to try getting into a field of expertise in your later life in which you know that you'll need to know this sort of stuff, but I can tell you now already that that's not going to be me. Not at all. I'm not meant to become an accountant or a scientist or something. I'm destined to become something a lot more interesting. Something requiring imagination, and creativity, and spontaneity… anything that really has nothing to do with these kinds of facts and figures that stale the freedom of expression.

Unfortunately that viewpoint isn't something that is shared by many other people who feel like I really do need to know this useless stuff. And not only the school faculty, but my parents too, who say that I should be able to "cope with the challenges of the world". Yeah right. I can handle anything life throws at me just fine, thank you very much, without the need to stuff myself stupid with these kinds of subjects.

And not even the one person who's supposed to stand up for me no matter what is taking my side… meaning of course my dear sister Riku.

Hmh! Of course Riku just has to be different from me yet again. Look at her. Sitting there at her desk and toiling away so completely absorbed in the questions. I mean seriously, can't she for once share at least some kind of character trait with me? Just so that maybe I'd at least have somebody to rant to and be understood instead of getting "oh come on Risa. It's not that big of a deal. Just keep on studying and stop complaining."

Yeah… no understanding at all from my dear twin sister. Sometimes I wonder if we're related at all…

Well, back to the problems… the useless problems if you ask me.

I mean look at this. "Masaaki's Taxi Service charges ¥146 for the first kilometre and ¥90 for each additional kilometre. How far could Kulp-san go for ¥1940 if he gives the driver a ¥195 tip?" I'm not a taxi driver! How should I know something like this? I mean, if I run out of money, will I then be thrown out of the car? Jeez, girls shouldn't be treated like that. It's just proper etiquette to make sure we get home safe. Surely wouldn't it be more important for us to know whether the taxi driver is actually a decent person? Besides, even with that kind of eventuality, daddy wouldn't leave me in trouble…

Or this: "A team of scientists found that there were 4 oak trees for every 10 pine trees. How many oak trees were there if they counted 36 more pine than oak?" Who cares? There are trees in the forest. Get over it!

Gah! It's just these types of inane questions that make me feel so oblivious to it all. And don't even get me started on algebra and company…

Sigh… And if only this was my only problem.

Yeah… I do have another problem believe it or not… and it's a lot more bothersome than the math problems, effectively making it even more difficult for me to concentrate on the thing that I'm supposed to be at the moment.

You know the feeling when somebody is staring at you and you can just feel their eyes drilling into you? When you just can't help but get this weirded out feeling that somebody is ogling at you without even trying to hide it. Well, that's what's happening right now.

And if that wasn't enough, to make matters worse, the source of this annoying feeling is coming from the one person that really knows how to make the most of it.

Hiwatari Satoshi.

That emotionless, coldly calculating boy with the incredibly blue eyes… which are now aimed straight at me. And have been aimed at me for the entire duration of the period for who knows for what possible reason.

To be honest, it's actually really starting to bother me big time, and not just as a minor annoyance.

I mean, I don't mind if boys stare at me… that's just expected. But Hiwatari isn't like other boys. Not to mention he has never shown any interest in girls before… let alone in human beings in general outside of Niwa-kun, so this is just making me sit doubly on the edge. I just don't see why he's looking at me so intently now all of a sudden.

Stealing a glance to my side… yep. No change. There he is still, ogling at me with those icy blue eyes like a scientist would a test rabbit.

Why?

What's the sudden interest?

I can just feel myself blushing… and you can be sure that the all-seeing Hiwatari-kun is well aware of this effect. He must be enjoying himself so much…

Okay, Risa! Just… imagine he's not there. Concentrate on the delicious math problems. So… Toshio-kun has bought eighteen apples with five of his friends' money, paying a total of ¥2500 for the whole bag. However, Toshio-kun got greedy and decided to skim from the top, taking an extra seven apples from the bundle. However, Rei-san noticed this and is now blackmailing him with a 65% cut or she will rat on him… So how many apples does Rei-san, Toshio-kun and the remaining four people each get after the final division, and how will the division be handled when Rei-san tells of Toshio-kun anyway while intently staring with her coldly blue and piercing eyes straight into Risa's soul… "GAH!!!"

Before I can control myself, I let out a loud burst of emotion. And as if on cue, a dozen other gazes suddenly land onto me. Great… just what I needed.

"Harada-san… I know some of the problems can be tricky, but I would appreciate if you didn't disturb the work of the other students by informing them of this, please," the teacher tells me.

"Sorry…" I timidly answer, blushing ferociously.

"Good. Just concentrate on the problems and you'll do just fine," the teacher further assures me as calmness again descends on the classroom and everybody returns to their work.

Concentrate… That was a good one. As if I could concentrate with Hiwatari-kun drilling a hole into my being.

Stupid Hiwatari. Making me look foolish in front of everybody like that. Thank goodness everybody knows I'm an emotional and impulsive person, so they won't be looking at me crossly for that little outburst.

And still the jerk just keeps on looking at me as if nothing had happened!

Why, oh why, can't he just do the stupid math assignments like a good boy instead of distracting me like this? Does he somehow get some kind of perverse satisfaction from this exercise? He's just so mean. One would think he'd be over the moon about solving math problems, but of course he always has to do things differently to other people, doesn't he?

When girls show him attention he doesn't care one bit. And when he is supposed to use that logical and super-smart nerd brain of his for the assignment at hand, he suddenly decides to ignore it in order to observe… or what ever the hell he's doing right now - to unnerve me.

You know, I'd have a good mind at just standing up right now, walking up to his desk, and then slapping him right in the kisser. I mean, who does he think he is?

A total jerk that's what. Disturbing me like this and causing my concentration to completely disappear.

And the only reasons why I'm not going to do what I said is because I don't want to get detention and at the same time incur the wrath of all his fangirls… who are manyfold in this very classroom.

Hmph! The nerve of the guy…

He really does think he is all that, doesn't he? Just because everybody at school thinks he's so handsome and cool and everything he feels fit to act all superior and treat people in any way he likes. And just because he has an enormous brain, he thinks he is somehow entitled to criticise other people, which I'm sure he's trying to do right now. The arrogance.

I know I'm not that hot in math, or stuff that require a lot of abstractions, but hey Mister Genius! Guess what, that's just the way I am. Different people are good at different things. So don't you dare come and try to judge me…

Or maybe… wait, now that I thought about it… could it be something else entirely different than that? Could it be… no. No, that's not even possible. I mean, this is Hiwatari we're talking of. No way could that be a reason…

Or could it? Risa… I think you just might be onto something here… no matter how unlikely it sounds…

Could… could Hiwatari-kun be bothered by the fact that I don't fawn over him like every other girl? Could he really be so self-satisfied to be disturbed by this fact? Could he… gasp! Be jealous of my relationship with Dark-san? Or feel somehow inadequate when he doesn't receive the affections of every single girl in the school? Could he really be that much of an arrogant jerk?

Ha! What am I thinking… of course he is that much of an arrogant jerk! He can't live with the fact that somebody doesn't find him engaging or thinks of him as an idol.

Oh my God! That's it, isn't it? And now he's just trying to find that one little piece of information from my exterior that could explain this conundrum. To find that one weak place in me at which he could nudge a little to sway me to join the flock. Oh, he's a sly one, isn't he? Ha! Never thought he'd be the vain type… but guess they come in many different shapes and sizes.

Well, too bad, Hiwatari Satoshi-kun. No matter how much you want it, you can't always get everything you want. I mean all right, I won't say you don't have a certain sense of handsomeness to you, but sorry, the accumulation of your characteristics just isn't enough to make you that desirable.

You're cold and calculating. What girl would like to always be thinking whether she's being studied or judged? You act all aloof and superior to everybody with that disconnected air of your's. You don't even have that many friends, and I'm sure Niwa-kun's close to you like that only because he's such a nice guy and probably feels sorry for you. And you probably like it that girls flock all around you all the time, just that you can act all superior again by shooting everybody down with your usual "I don't have time for girls" crap, and knowing full well that they'll still keep on rounding you. Yeah, right! As if!

You know what, Hiwatari-kun. You're really making me furious! You are so far away from the ideal of what a desirable guy should be, and all your book smarts are not going change that. Yes, that's right! In fact… I'm hoping you keep on staring at me… looking at the one that knows your game and whom you can never have. Heh! Let that be your lesson.

Now Dark-san… there's a man. You'll never be anywhere near the equal of Dark-san's many attributes and graces. He's cool, mysterious, handsome, charming, and knows how to treat girls the proper way. You aren't even a blip on the screen.

In fact, I think I'll just drive the point home so that you'll know your game is up.

Time to go into full "Risa Charm" mode. Slowly, and ever so slightly I shift my gaze toward the boy's face, and those blue blue eyes of his. There, that should be enough… and now a little tilt of the head, like so. Yes… got your attention now haven't I? Next, add the "sparkling eye" look, sure to cause tingles going down any guy's spine. Perfect. And to top it all off… the "sweet and happy, but oh so innocent" smile. Eheh…

K.O.!

Oh, yes, the message went through loud and clear. I could see his eyes widen a little for a couple of seconds… Ah, that felt good. Must feel awfully frustrating that he can never get the affections of this particular girl.

Ah, revenge is sometimes so sweet…

Oh, and there goes the bell! Class dismissed, and time to go home! Finally! The torture thus ends in a glorious victory of Harada Risa over the evil forces of mathematics and Hiwatari-kun's observations.

Well… in the end I didn't really get any of these math problems done… but no worry. I'll just ask to copy Riku's answers when we get home. I mean, of course she's going to put up a fight first, but she'll soften eventually and let's me use her notes. She always does, because what else are sisters for than to helping each other out?

But, just as I'm putting my books away while the teacher's giving final homework notices, whom do you think decides to just walk up to me? I'll give you three guesses.

"Harada-san…" Hiwatari-kun drones out with that same bored looking expression on his face he always has.

Well, guess I can't just ignore him. That wouldn't be very ladylike behaviour, no matter how much the other person would deserve it for everything he had done to me today. So I just brightly turn to him and ask, "Yes, Hiwatari-kun?"

He just stands there a while, regarding me coolly and saying nothing, before he just quickly moistens two of his fingers up and, before I know it, starts scrunching my right cheek with them.

Of course I gasp in surprise and outrage as he continues on scrubbing my face… unexpected and uninvited. What the hell is he doing!? Now Hiwatari may be a player, but isn't this going a little too far? I… I don't even know what I'm supposed to do here. Scream? Slap him? Back away from him? Try to remain polite and ask him what he's doing? This sudden action has just thrown me into complete disarray that I am practically paralysed out of not knowing what to do.

After a few more moments of his rubbing, he then seems satisfied with whatever sick little deviation he just performed and again regards my flustered being with that oddly non-committal look. "There. That's better."

Better? Better? What? What's that supposed to mean? And just seemingly to spite me, instead of giving any explanation for his conduct, he just turns and starts walking away!

Well, I'm not letting him get away that easily without explaining himself. "H-Hiwatari-kun!"

He stops and slowly turns his head toward me with a questioning look, "Yes?"

"What… what did you just do? W-what do you mean it's better now? What's better?" I demand, still rather shocked.

He languidly looks back at me for a while more without saying a thing before turning a little more sideways toward me and says, "It was just something I was bothered by this entire period."

"What…?"

"Harada-san, I've noticed you have a nervous habit of rubbing the tip of your pencil at the side of your cheek when engaged in problems you may have some trouble with. This action has effectively left a little mark on your cheek, which has been the source of my consternation this entire period. The mark wasn't big or very noticeable by any means, but I found it disturbing none-the-less. I was merely removing the stain from your face. You might want to look into this habit of yours in order to try and eradicate its existence," he gives out an almost robotic statement.

"Wha…?" I still ask, completely shellshocked at what he just said, my eyes feeling like they're about to roll out of their sockets.

But in response, apparently completely ignoring my flustered condition, he just calmly turns around again and, with a final addition, says over his shoulder, "Masterpieces shouldn't have blemishes," and then simply walks away.

This time I don't stop him, and without even looking back, he disappears through the door, leaving me standing alone in the now empty classroom holding a hand over my apparently now-perfect cheek and blushing terribly much, my entire face seemingly heating up so much that I can only imagine how red I must be.

"Masterpiece…" I mumble as if trying to understand what the word means.

It's not until Riku suddenly snaps me out of it upon her return to the room having noticed that I hadn't followed her out of the class, which prompts me to leave for our home as well.

But during my entire way home I can't help but be haunted by the image of two cerulean blue eyes regarding me with an air of detached haughtiness… or is that appreciation? Critically eyeing every little detail and figuring out how to fix the offending imperfections… and causing my heartbeat to rise again unwanted, the red refusing to leave my blemish-free smooth cheeks.

Hiwatari Satoshi… you certainly can surprise, I'll give you that. Yeah… now I'm certain of it.

He really is a playboy!

And there you have it. A quick SatoRisa piece for all the fans. Hope you enjoyed. : )