It seems as if my inspiration for that multi-chap dried up…ah, I'm sorry! Here's something I've been meaning to write for a long time now, and you guys can consider it an apology gift. Ah, it's kind of short though, sorry. ;w;
Eh, it's so late...I can hardly keep my eyes open... (。´-д-)
Kagerou Project belongs to Jin.
"Say, Haruka, Takane…" The younger girl tapped her pencil on the desk, curiosity lingering in her warm brown eyes. She tugged on her scarf when a slight second of silence followed, her two elders craning their heads to her direction. "I've always wanted to ask, and I mean…you don't have to answer it! I – if it's personal, or you don't feel comfortable saying it, or – "
"I don't think that'll be the case." Takane's blunt answer cuts Ayano off, and the girl's face changed into the color of her scarf's. It was easy to catch Ayano off guard, huh...? "You don't have to worry about that, Ayano."
"Yeah! It's safe to talk to us, after all!" Haruka's joyful tone lifted the girl's spirit, and a small smile hid behind the cloth wrapped around her neck.
"Eh, well…" She hesitates, tugging on her scarf once more. Something like that…surely it was a nervous habit? "How did you meet? I mean, on the first day of high-school?"
"As expected…" All attempts to tame her bed-head were futile, and as Takane scanned the bus for at least one seat, she had failed. Of course, that much wasn't a surprise. It was the first day of school, and everyone tried to get there on time. It happened every year.
But bus attendance wasn't the only first-day ritual known to the girl. She had managed to oversleep each year ever since her disorder kicked in, a habit she couldn't exactly break. She begun to expect the worst of her first-days since then, but…this one seemed to be the exception. She had missed the bus at the stop closer to her home due to her oversleeping nature, leading her to make a dash through the streets to get to the next one. God, she swore she'd never run like that ever again, even if her life depended on it.
But as she got on…yeah, the situation only seemed dimmer. Handing over her fare, she took to standing near the front, hanging onto one of those handles buses usually have along the top. What fun. High school life was great.
"A – ah, miss?" A quiet voice makes her crane her head towards it, and at the corner of her eye, she could see the guy occupying the seat next to her stand up. "You can take this spot if you'd like…! You look kind of tired."
The boy's skin was pale, giving him some sort of sickly atmosphere. But somehow he managed to keep a smile on his face, something that ticked Takane off right away. That, and his hair had been swept a million directions, a mole adorning the bottom of one of his eyes. He's wearing her school's uniform, too...oh god, how terrible. What if she has to see this guy in the hallway or something...?
Could it be…he caught my attention?! It was the first time Takane turned as red as she did that day, pure embarrassment practically oozing out of her. No, she wasn't going to let it happen! But it's not like she can avoid him now, inside a confined vehicle and all!
"N – no, it's fine!" She stuttered, trying to avert her (probably sleepy-looking – that's not a good first impression) eyes from his sunshine-y figure. Seriously, it felt like he was glowing. But upon realizing that he had not budged, she hastily said, "Oi, if you keep standing like that – "
The bus came to a halt, throwing the boy with no mercy. Now try to imagine this: Takane's small arms immediately react to the predicament, stretched out to catch him with little ease. She stumbled backwards, but somehow she was able to grasp hold of him. But the part of him that she was able to grasp was his waist, and as soon as her balance, as well as his, were taken care of, it made it seemed like they were hugging.
"E – eh?!" She's even redder and flustered, the emotions running through her face as she lets go of her grasp on him. Her hands immediately go to her face, shouting, "You idiot! That's exactly would have happened! I can't believe – "
And then the bus jolts forward, sending the boy to sit back in his usual spot. He's still smiling, and honestly, it was starting to piss Takane off. How can this boy be so cheerful…?! Ah, but it seemed as if a shade of pink crossed his cheeks, but that much was a detail Takane didn't dwell on. So what? She probably looked worse, unlike his stupid (and kind of cute) face –
"Ah, sorry…!" He replied with alaugh, scratching the back of his neck like it was no big deal. This guy was really frustrating her now. How unfortunate. "I guess I'm a bit clumsy…"
"Well, don't do it again!" She yells, only to receive hushes from the other people on the bus. Oh god, did they all see that? Turning red again, she said, "If I see you around school again, I swear…"
"Hey, miss?" He perks up, holding up a paper. From the looks of it, it was his schedule. What now...? "I'm curious…what classes are you in?"
"None of your business," she grumbles, looking down at him. Even then, he was still cheerfully grinning, as if he hadn't an ounce of embarrassment in him. She's kind of jealous.
"Well, you see…I'm in S-Eleven! I was wondering…if you'd drop by so we can be friends, you know? You seem like a great person!"
She's silent for a second before her eyes grow wide, stumbling again as the bus stopped. She takes hold on the handle, as well as the fact that the boy had gotten a hold of one of her hands. Once she was able to steady herself, and as soon as she was able to get her hand out of his, she proceeds to running her hands through her already messed-up pigtails.
"You're in the same class as me!"
"Ah, Takane was really surprised…" There's a dumb smile on his face, one that reminded her of that day. Ayano laughed, seeing as Takane's face once again showed off a shade of red. "And when we got off the bus, I was so excited! I actually had a friend in that class even before I knew it!"
"Oi, I never said we were friends back then!" She avoids pinching his cheek, only because she's just so humiliated of him already. "That was embarrassing, by the way! If you would have just sat down…!"
"But in a way, don't you think it's kind of like fate?" Both seniors turned to Ayano, an angelic presence made around her, presumably from the light. "I think…I think you two were meant to meet each other, no matter what!"
"Ayano, you're making this sound like some sort of shoujo manga…"
"But Takane, what if we are in a shoujo manga?" His eyes lit up in an instant, a sign that he had gotten some ridiculous idea. "How long do you think it'll take for us to confess to one another? I wonder…"
"Idiot!" And there's the smack to his shoulders. No, she didn't want to think of it today.
No way did she have a crush on him.
