Confessions.
They were sitting on the porch. In order to enjoy the overcast afternoon sky, she opted to have a table taken out, and started to grade the other classes' papers, there.
Shin was sitting right across from her, looking at the serious expression on her face. She was currently grading 2-A's quiz papers.
"I like you." he said, suddenly.
"Yeah. I like you, too." She replied, in a noncommittal tone.
"No. you don't understand. I really like you." He tried, adding emphasis to the word, hoping she'd get a clue.
"Yeah. I know. I like you, too." She answered, looking at him, smiling a little, then returned to grading 2-A's papers.
"Not 'like' like. I mean really like, like." He said, frustration creeping into his voice.
"Yeah, I really like you, too. I'm busy." She replied, absently.
"More like l..l-love, really." He stammered, a bit sheepishly.
"Yeah. love ya. I'm still busy." She murmured, in between papers, not even bothering to look at him.
He wanted to shake her. Violently.
"Dammit!" he snapped. "I'm in love with you! Don't you get it?"
"No, I don't. I'm grading papers, here." She shot back, equally irritated.
"We're finally in agreement." He muttered, more to himself, than to her.
honestly, I don't get it either. He thought inwardly, looking at her, critically. No chest. No curves. Macho, unsexy, visually challenged, preteen boy was more what she looked like.
But as much as he hated to admit it, he was definitely in love with her. No doubt about it.
He slapped a hand down on the papers she was grading, and met her devil glare in the face.
soft, pink lips. almond cat-eyes. smooth, soft, marble-white skin. He noted, taking off the glasses. Okay. maybe she wasn't as manly as she seemed, after all.
"Oi, baka. I'm in love with you. I don't get it either." He said.
"Sawada. I want to hurt you really bad with my bare hands, right now. Think anything you just said makes sense to me?" She asked, in a dangerously low voice. "Hand. Off. NOW."
"I don't think you'd understand it, even if you gave me your complete and utter attention." He answered dryly. He took his hand off the stack of papers, and walked out of the porch, and into the house, in that slow, lazy manner that was so characteristic of him. Thankful for his departure, she smiled at him, knowing he wouldn't see.
Thirty minutes later, after 2-A's papers have been successfully graded, she stood up and stretched her limbs. She yawned, and leaned back.
Now what was it that Shin said to her, earlier?
"I like you."
"Yeah. I like you, too."
"No. you don't understand. I really like you."
"Yeah. I know. I like you, too."
"Not 'like' like. I mean really like, like."
"Yeah, I like you too. I'm busy."
"More like l..l-love, really."
"Yeah. love ya. I'm still busy."
"Dammit! I'm in love with you! Do you get it?"
"No, I don't. I'm grading papers, here."
"We're finally in agreement." (apparently, much as she ignored that-she heard that!!!)
"Oi, baka. I'm in love with you. I don't get it either."
"Sawada. I want to hurt you really bad with my bare hands, right now. Think anything you just said makes sense to me? Hand. Off. NOW."
"I don't think you'd understand it, even if you gave me your complete and utter attention."
Then. Something seemingly clicked and her mind repeated something he said, earlier.
"Oi, baka. I'm in love with you. I don't get it either."
I'm in love with you.
I'm in love with you.
I'm in love with you.
HE WAS WHAT?!?!?!?
The "EH!?!?!?!" that escaped her, resounded through the whole Ooedo household. You could hear the stampede of footsteps that came to her rescue, a mile away.
He heard her berate her too-helpful/concerned henchmen, for coming to her 'rescue,' that ended in a heated shout of "CURSE THAT DAMN BRAT!!!"
Shin, who was leaning against the wall, outside the Ooedo house, chuckled to himself.
Apparently, she understood what he told her, and everything it implied-perfectly.
He never expected that.
She apparently believed it was a joke, to throw her off-balance.
THAT, he expected.
He shook his head. She was such an idiot.