This was originally part of something much longer, but writing about Mingx2 herself made my head implode. I don't have brains anymore, just a hollow, empty shell and a headache where brains are supposed to be. So the unused part was scrapped, possibly to be reused at a later date.
"Why are you wearing that?" Kenny asked. Then, with the high-pitched tone of a sudden realization, he continued in a half-screech, "More importantly, where did you get that?! I'm – "
It didn't take a genius to figure out what Kenny, also known as Chief, also known as –
"Ming Ming's biggest fan – "
– was pointing at. And that was good news, since according to numerous people, Daichi Sumeragi was about as far from genius as one could get.
"Tch, tell that to the other hundred trillion."
It wasn't intentionally that Daichi pulled the hem of his Ming Ming merchandise hoodie down a little farther. The stares and the what sounded suspiciously like accusations from Kenny just made him a little self-conscious. For reasons Daichi didn't understand.
"Just answer my questions."
Disregarding Kenny's assertion of importance, Daichi replied, in a similarly snotty voice as before, "Well, first of all, it showed up on the doorstep in a package addressed to me, plus it's comfy and – "
"There are so many things wrong with this that I don't even know where to begin! First of all, it's unlike you to even wear hoodies, Daichi! Second, did you have to desecrate it by tearing off the sleeves like that?"
Despite "not knowing where to begin", words tumbled out of Kenny's mouth so quickly it left Daichi wishing he had time to make a sarcastic quip out loud instead of just mentally. Geez, the Chief could turn into a real motormouth whenever anyone so much as mentioned Ming Ming.
Even if Daichi wore long sleeves, he still wouldn't have worn those sleeves. He could live with having a picture of Ming Ming plastered on his front, but the bright pink, swirly cursive her name had been written in on the sleeves? With little hearts dotting the "i"s?
Yuck.
No way.
The only heart Daichi wanted to go out in public with was his own. The one in his chest, exclusively.
"That shirt isn't even being sold in the online store yet!" Kenny, self-proclaimed biggest fan (still out of at least a hundred trillion), exclaimed.
And this was the thing that finally caught Daichi's attention.
"It's not?" he stared down at his hoodie again, pinching the hem and holding it out to get a better look at the smiling face printed on the front. That definitely looked like the face of someone charitable.
"Until exactly nine days from today, it's still on pre-order for the rest of us..."
But if what Daichi were thinking was at all true, they wouldn't be having this conversation right now. It wasn't like defeating BEGA or seeing Ming Ming lose in a Beybattle had dampered Kenny's obsession any.
"I bet you secretly own all of her CDs too," Kenny continued, not so secretly moping.
Maybe he was worried that he'd forgotten what day it was or that everyone else had gotten their hoodies early or something, but – truth! – Daichi hadn't even ordered his. It had just shown up on the doorstep a couple of days ago.
"Nope. I mean, maybe two or three, but those came from packages too."
He was at least smart enough to avoid telling Kenny they came with notes signed by Ming Ming herself.
"But that's all of them!" Kenny exclaimed, in a way that led Daichi to thinking he was maybe overreacting, just a little. "What, does she take time out of her busy schedule, randomly show up and ask you to Bey– "
"Hey, Daichi!" the owner of that voice was unmistakable, but it didn't hurt that she was also still the number one pop star in Japan and that they were currently talking about her.
Kenny gaped, then promptly tripped over nothing.
Anyway, I was aiming for friendshippy or ambiguously shippy, since ambiguity is practically my hobby at this point, but I don't feel like it gets across like that. Well... maybe it's still ambiguous if you don't look at the title the way I did. Otherwise, Daichi being dumb is all that's saving me.
