The day was not starting out so good.
That was all Ann could think of as she ran from the very much opened walkway to the nearest shop awning she could find, the previously small drizzle of rain turning out into countless sharp needles that hit anything in its wake, including her. All the while, she chided herself for forgetting to watch the morning forecast, or at the very least took a glance of it. While it was rare to rain in the early morning, she had seemed to forget that it was currently the spring season, and rain was very eager to show its water self after months of snow.
She stepped under the awning, appreciating the cover it gave from the rain, and removed her hood to shook her hair from any water droplets, fully aware of the stare from the fellow Shujin student beside her. She bit down the instinct to flee at the stare, and instead ignore it in favor of watching the rain washing down on every surface it could reach. So long as he didn't do anything unfavorable to her, she could endure it and pretend it never happened. And she wished that that was what would happen- nothing. She would rather have the morning not turning south any more than it already did. The only thing that could top the person beside her being a potential creep was Kamoshida suddenly appearing- stop, no need to jinx herself.
The silence that befall the two students seeking refugee under the awning could be described as awkward. Or unsureness, she didn't know. (She was pretty sure that that was not a word. Then again, she didn't have complete control of her wayward thoughts.) But waiting in awkward silence was times better than awkward conversation, so she would take what she could get.
"Umm," A soft voice sounded from her right, hesitation and a touch of fear clear in them.
She resisted the urge to take a sharp intake of breath. In the back of her mind, she knew that she was thinking rudely. She blamed it on the fact that school had started again, and not being able to get her daily morning coffee. Especially the latter. Working as a part-time model that could be called for work at any time would eventually turn you into a coffee addict, one way or another. Turning her head to the side with a smile ready at her lips, she answered, "Yes?"
It was true that she didn't get a good look of the boy when she rushed to the spot beside him, only managing to caught a glimpse of a male Shujin uniform and black hair, but she did not expect to see an awfully normal looking boy wearing a ridiculously large round glasses looking at her with wide eyes that somehow had a touch of child-like innocence in them.
Her smile almost slipped and gave way to pleasant surprise, but thankfully, she managed to keep it in its place. He returned her smile with one of his own, even giving a tiny sheepish sound, and she suddenly feel not so grumpy anymore. "I'm just wondering," He started slowly and softly, as if not sure of what he really wanted to say. "you're a Shujin student, right? So, can you maybe, tell me what Shujin is like?" Wait, how could his voice be so soft?
She blinked at the question and the overly polite tone he spoke in (and also to her abrupt thought that no one need to know about), but answered his question nonetheless once it dawned on her that he was a new student. She also blatantly ignored the warm embarrassment crawling at her neck. "Oh! Are you a transfer student?" A nod from said transfer student answered her. "I see. Well, welcome to Shujin!.. I guess. We're not really at the school yet, but an early greeting is not bad, right?" She shrugged sheepishly, most of the defenses that she raised beforehand retreating back down, but not completely. The person before her was a newcomer after all, and he hadn't done anything that deserve any hostility from her. Yet. The least she could do was being a touch friendly to him.
The new student's posture relaxed slightly, his smile becoming more genuine. She instantly felt bad for her previous negative thoughts. "Thanks." He said with that same expression. Okay, it was not fair to make someone feel so bad with just looking at them like that. Or maybe it was.
Ann inwardly berate herself and continued with her explanation. She seriously need to learn to focus on one thing at a time and not let her thoughts run wild. "Shujin is..well, it's just like any other high school. Nothing much really stood out from it except for its pretty good grades, and the sports too now, I guess.." She tried to hide the wince on her face, she really did, but the person across her seemed to notice it anyway. "The students are just like any other teenagers on their phase. The teachers are average, though some of them are unique. Like one teacher always throw chalks at students who doesn't pay attention, and one always smile creepily with half lidded eyes- don't worry, he's not a harasser, I promise you- but not so weird like wearing a Sengoku Era war helm all the time or dressing Ancient Egypt style. Just normal kind of weird. Overall, Shujin is your everyday high school." She finished with a small shrug, hoping that her quick and spur of the moment explanation could meet his expectation. And where did she come up with those examples, she didn't know.
The transfer student blinked owlishly in reply, face set in a surprised expression. Until slowly a smile, unlike the small one that he gave her before, bloomed on his face. She stared stupidly as he regarded her with a warm look. "Thank you for the explanation. I appreciated it."
His words were still as politely constructed, but something about the way he said it was utterly different. And just like that, as if he put a spell on her, she felt an odd desire to know him more. To know the person behind the overly polite and soft spoken persona he put up. It was merely a small tug, but one that she somehow couldn't ignore. "Don't worry, it's just a quick ramble, nothing to be thankful for." She rubbed her arm absentmindedly, a sign of self consciousness on her part.
The transfer student's smile widened, and he opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a car's honk. The two of them turned around to see a white sedan parked on the side of the road. The cold claws of dread sink itself into her. She recognized that car everywhere. As the passenger's seat window rolled down to reveal her most hated man on earth, she inwardly chuckled with dark amusement. It looked like she really jinxed herself.
Kamoshida called out to her, saying something about giving her a ride or she'd be late, she couldn't care less. Turning her head toward the confused transfer student that had been her pleasant company for a short moment, she gave him a forced smile, somehow knowing that he had seen right through it. "Well then, I'll be going ahead. Don't get lost on the way, okay? You don't want to be late for the first day."
He nodded silently, the look in his eyes said that he wanted to say something, but held himself back. She didn't know whether to be grateful or disappointed. Giving him one last farewell, she finally ducked out of the awning with a great feeling of reluctance and regret, but not once did she look back. She knew that if she refused the offer, Kamoshida might do something drastic, especially to the transfer student- which he did not deserve in the slightest. Especially if it was from her selfishness.
And as she sat down on the passenger seat, the familiar disgust of herself enveloping her, she realized that she hadn't ask for the transfer student's name, nor introduced herself. "Oh well." She allowed herself to whisper quietly, "maybe we'll meet again."
(I do not live in a country with four seasons, so please excuse me for any mistakes that I made.)
Hello and welcome dear readers, to my Akirann fic that I finally write after so long! Seeing as there are rarely any stories dedicated to this pairing these days, and I've been craving for them for quite some time, I thought, why not do it? And voila, a story from me that is actually quite decent in my eyes. But the reason why I put this up is not just to contribute to the fandom, it's also to get a feedback from all of you who read this! So please, could you spare some time to tell me how I did in the review? It would be really appreciated, and greatly helped me in writing next chapter.
So, drop some words in the comments, kay? :)
And information~ This is a short stories collection that connects with each other. So like, a connected drabble? Except it's way over drabble's limit. Depending on the ideas really.