Otohata Rei was a realist.
The glass was neither half-full, nor half-empty. It merely occupied half of the space it could fill. He was efficient, he was level-headed, he had no flights of fancy (something that made him sometimes wonder about his friendship with Yuuya). He knew what worked for him, and did just that. He was definitely the kind of guy who followed their own pace in whatever they did.
Everything about Otohata Rei was more or less set.
He knew what he liked, and what he didn't, and kept things that way.
So, of course, it came as a somewhat unpleasant surprise for him to find that he actually liked Kotobuki Ran that way.
Maybe he didn't show it in the same manner as Yuuya, but the feeling itself was definitely similar.
Ugh. He thought, slapping a hand to his face. Why did it have to be that loud, troublesome girl?
And she was trouble. He knew that the moment he laid eyes on her. He wasn't really so sure when it began. He wasn't really the type to lie, and actually saying he hated gals was not only true, but a not-too-subtle hint to show he wasn't interested. Even that time, when he told her she could give him a kiss for his bag...that was nothing more than a game (Of course, he gave her his bag, anyway.
He figured if he did, she'd be out of his hair, that much quicker).
Nope. He did not like her, at all. She was loud, boisterous, and too flashy for a laid-back guy like him. About the only good points Rei could see was that she didn't seem the least bit interested in him (thank goodness), and that while she might give the impression of being shallow, she was really a very nice person...mostly. And that she was her own person (which is what he found himself drawn to, no matter how distasteful he found her outward appearance to be). Granted, she never bored him, but she was really more trouble than she was worth.
Or so he thought.
So, he never really worried about it. He never worried about how, like Yuuya, he would end up paying for her meals, and went along with her plans (no matter how much trouble it was bound to be, though he did make sure to protest).
How he would help out, if he was free.
How he didn't really mind when she would hang with him and Yuuya, when the other girls weren't around.
He didn't even feel the slightest bit of jealousy, when she had gotten herself a boyfriend.
Really. He thought, dryly. Who would ever take that relationship seriously?
One look at Yuuya answers the question, and he sighs in resignation.
And while he never knew when it happened, exactly, he knew there was something there, the moment he saw her in that...good girl dress.
There it was. Something other than her flashy clothes, that actually made her look...sweet.
And he found that he liked it even less.
because it wasn't her. And he wasn't prepared to find out if the things that he did like about her had changed, as well, because, he was going to do something about it.
He went to fetch his scooter, and left them to figure out how this happened, while he looked around a bit, for some clue. After seeing them follow a truck with some machine on it, he knew that the answers were with that truck and he followed it.
He was the one who ended up pressing the button, to stop the machine from crushing the game.
It was on his way home that his brain had begun to ask the questions he was trying to ignore. Why was he so affected by the change in Ran when the way she usually dressed repelled him?
Shouldn't he have liked it?
Why didn't he?
Why was he so worried?
Why was he even involved?
Better yet...why did he even have an opinion, either way?
It was then that he realized that it was only her outward appearance that disagreed with him, but that he was attracted to the person she was, inside. It was not the wrapping, but the gift.
He wasn't attracted to the make-up, the clothes, the shoes, the obsession with fashion. In fact it had all to often made him shake his head. What he liked was her determination, her loyalty, her sense of justice, her kindness, and her strength. And, later on, as he was pleased to find, she did look better without the make up. But that was just a bonus.
He remembered when she had shed her Gal persona, and became a 'Cop.'
This change, he welcomed, because it didn't screw with her personality (merely her preference). She was not a gal, but her enthusiasm, her kindness, her strong will, and sense of justice and duty had remained the same. The wrapping was different, but the gift was still the same. And once again, he had extended a helping hand, without her even asking. This time, he could bear to look at the change, knowing only the clothes were different...and he liked it.
Of course, he knew this was only temporary. One of these days, whatever caused the change would undo itself. Ran's luck was like that. And things wouldn't really be any different. Even now, what he did like about Aya, was that spark of determination he saw that day, during the relay race, when she refused to give up.
Because it had reminded him of Ran.
This was definitely her influence.
And he did tell Aya the truth, or as close to it as he could, when he said that it was easier for him to be around Ran.
Because, this was as close as he would ever get to admitting anything...for now.
So he took things in stride.
It didn't bother him that she was in a relationship with someone else. And while he found his best friend's (if not the whole male populace of Shibuya) infatuation with her tiring, he just let Yuuya (and the rest of Shibuya) do his(their) thing. He, himself was in a relationship with Aya-not so much because he was in love with Aya, but he figured, it wouldn't hurt. If he could fall for Aya, so much the better, since she seemed more his type (outwardly, anyway)-because the way he saw it, there was no need to hurry.
Ran was still emotionally immature. It would still be a long time- years, even- before she would ever be ready for a serious relationship.
He was still emotionally stunted. As much as he liked Ran, he had a very good idea what she would expect in a boyfriend, and he would fail to meet them dismally, given this condition. He wasn't quite in love with her, just yet, but he wouldn't know what to do, regardless. Aya was probably the only girl who would put up with him (no, that wasn't quite true, it's just that he prefers someone he was comfortable with, than a total stranger).
If he fell in love-great. If not, he tried, for a wonderful girl (Aya).
It simply would never work out, at this point in time. So, for now, he was going to let things fall into place.
He was Otohata Rei.
He knew himself, and was his own person, who always followed his own pace.
He knew her, maybe as much as her two closest friends, and they were friends.
There was no need for strong displays of emotion. He was practical, level-headed, and laid-back. And he would continue to be, indefinitely.
And one day, maybe she wouldn't be so averse to good guys. Maybe she'd realize he just looked like a good guy, but was actually just a regular guy, if only a tad bit smart.
Maybe she would grow up. Maybe he could change, and become the kind of guy she would want and need.
Or maybe he would fall in love with Aya (which would definitely make life easier for everyone concerned).
But for now, they were 16. High school kids. They were friends who hung out and had fun. It was waaaay to early to be getting all serious and heavy and emotional.
At the very least, they had fun, and they were there for each other.
And that was all that mattered.