If Ppoiyo were to speculate possible pairings inside their friendship group, the first and most immediate to come in mind would be himself and Yukari Yuzuki.
Not only are they obviusly both compatible, what with their simliarly good looks and interests in being (extremely) talented - but of all his friends, Ppoiyo finds that Yukari is the only one of whom he can speak with for longer than ten minutes without them getting thoroughly annoyed at him (Yuuma cracks after eight-and-a-half, and Hakupo's record is a measly twenty-six seconds).
Yukari, however, being his best friend, is always happy to sit down with him and sip a hot chocolate whilst he rambles on about his latest unwanted workload, or his many attempts at trying to sneak away from Ron to squeeze in a small nap into his day.
And he, in turn, doesn't mind listening to her complaints about Cul and Lui, or the loose threads on her newly-bought sweater.
He kisses Yukari often.
Just a spot peck on the cheek, innocent to all but their friends, who roll their eyes at him and make faces behind Yukari's back. They know Ppoiyo likes Yukari. Come to think of it, Yukari probably knows it, too.
When it all boils down to compatibility, Ppoiyo wagers that he and Yukari have pretty much got it down pat.
He wonders if she sees it that way, too.
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Miki's best friend is Gumi, although she has to admit that Hakupo Tsukishiro comes a close second.
Boys interest her about as much as Kiyoteru's math lectures do, but there is something about Hakupo's crooked smile and easy-going ways that invokes within her a certain fondness towards him. She'd much rather be practising volleyball, but if Miki had to take her pick of the boys - well, Hakupo Tsukishiro would be it.
She'd like to think that being his best friend, she'd be his pick of the group, too.
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He's never plucked up the courage to ask a girl out before. Honestly, he's never found the right girl to ask.
Gumi Megpoid, however, may be Yuuma Yamaha's first exception.
Whilst Yukari is vague and insipid, Miki intimidating and disinterested, Gumi is the opposite of all those things. Gumi never pokes fun at him, or at his clothes (or hair color, or his timidness, or his strange kappa obsession). Gumi always makes time to talk to him when the others are too busy doing whatever they're doing.
And, whilst certainly not the most important point - but Yuuma feels the need to mention it all the same - Gumi is genuinely, hearteningly pretty. She has soft green hair and kind green eyes and she may be no Yukari, but Yuuma will take caring smiles and green locks to bored stares and hipster lavender hair (always lavender, not purple) any day.
Gumi likes reading. She reads the VocaReader from front to back every week, and she isn't afraid to tell Yuuma her thoughts on his segments. He likes her criticisms, observant and constructive.
But, above all else, Gumi is just special. She is the sort of person that can make anyone feel welcomed and at home, the sort of person that inspires others to be better, try harder, leap higher. She is caring and honest, and the most genuine, sincere person Yuuma has ever met.
Safe to say, he has a bit of a crush on Gumi Megpoid.
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She supposes it comes with being boringly average, but Gumi Megpoid has never had much success with boys.
She liked Hakupo once; his goofy, inadvertent charm ensnaring her like she thinks it may have with Miki most recently. She doesn't know if Hakupo ever liked her back, but being boring old Gumi, she couldn't bet on it. Hakupo probably likes Miki, anyway.
So it is with a heavy heart she distances herself form him, spending her time instead with quiet, kind Yuuma. Surprisingly, she enjoys their afternoons together at work a lot more than she would have thought, and before long, she finds herself immersed in dusty tomes and newsprint more than several times a week. It was always busy at the VocaReader, and Gumi likes that. She also likes helping Yuuma research and keeping him company.
Sometimes, she catches him looking at her - he is always quick to turn away, shuffling his papers, but it makes Gumi smile. Yuuma Yamaha is quite profound; she admires his hard work and relentless dedication to his family's newspaper, the endless hours he puts in not because he has to, but because he wants to.
Ppoiyo and Yukari may not think much of him but, honestly, of all the gang, Gumi thinks that Yuuma Yamaha might be the most exceptional.
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Hakupo Tsukishiro isn't anyone's best friend.
Sure, he is close friends with Miki, but Gumi gets the official "best friend" title in her books.
Yukari has Ppoiyo, who not only doubles as her best friend, but her admirer, too. Hakupo would laugh at Ppoiyo's obvious crush on Yukari, his drawling denials and snappy retorts whenever anyone dares to broach the subject - well, he would if he too wasn't entranced by the damned bunny girl.
Miki has never shown much interest in boys, preferring sports and yoga to occupy her time. He used to have a bit of crush on Miki somewhat, some time ago; certainly, he still admires her drive and finesse. But Miki is his closest friend, and Hakupo doesn't ever want to lose that. So he decided to turn his affections elsewhere.
Unfortunately, Yukari happens to be right behind him, metaphorically speaking, at this particular turn.
Hakupo cannot, for the life of him, understand why he would come to like such a vain, totally different person to him. But there is something about Yukari, and it is not a subtle quality by far; she hits you like a freight train, all lavender hair and eyes, long legs and dazzling smile.
She leaves Hakupo winded, shell-shocked and completely, utterly screwed.
He has felt helpless many a number of times, what with her seemingly unavoidable string of adventures. But never - never has he felt it quite like this.
To complicate things, and though he is grudging to admit it, Yukari is out of his league. There is something about her that make her different to everybody else, bigger and more beautiful, certainly too much so for the small town that is Sapporo. A tall flower in a garden of weeds, she sticks out like a gleaming, first place rosette stuck on a packet of fish and chips.
Hakupo doesn't think he'll ever have a chance.
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Yukari Yuzuki is quite proud to admit that she has had her fair share of boyfriends and admirers. Not unpopular by far, Yukari likes to think that she is envied by many; after all, she is beautiful and confident and well-liked by her peers. She wears the latest fashions, has almost no freckles, and teachers let her off easily where they would usually give others detention (namely, Hakupo).
Suffice to say, Yukari has life pretty good.
If there was anything she could choose to nit-pick on, however, Hakupo Tsukishiro's presence would be it.
She doesn't know why, but whenever Hakupo is around, the air seems thicker and the room suddenly warmer. The rare occasions his smile is directed towards her makes the blood rush to Yukari's cheeks, and her heart rate pick up ever so slightly. Instead of feeling confident, Yukari feels like a shy little girl, stripped of all her makeup and jewelry and everything she adorns herself with to look "pretty". It is like Hakupo sees right through it all, to the fragile self that Yukari tries so hard to hide behind beauty and disdain.
No one else, not even Ppoiyo, with his handsome looks and smooth charm, can make her feel quite this bare.
Hakupo Tsukishiro, Yukari decides, really is something else.
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In a group of three girls and three boys, Ppoiyo supposes that a web of interlap is most likely inevitable when it comes to crushes and secret feelings between them.
Walking into town, he allows himself a small smile upon seeing the lot of them, sprawled in various positions on the yellowed grass or against the trunks of trees.
Hakupo sticks his tongue out at him, and Ppoiyo sneers back before taking his place beside Yukari at the base of the old gum tree. From the corner of his eye, he notes Yuuma and Gumi sitting together with their heads bent together over some article in the VocaReader, Yuuma's gaze straying upwards momentarily to fix upon Gumi's creased brow with a fond smile.
A few metres off, Miki hangs upside-down from a low-hanging branch, chattering to Hakupo who sits underneath her against the base of the tree. As he watches, Hakupo's eyes flicker towards him and Yukari for a second, and Ppoiyo is smug to note the hint of jealousy in Hakupo's eyes.
Yukari taps him on the arm. "Ppoiyo, lean back a bit," she complains, her lips forming their familiar and far-too-appealing pout. "You're blocking my sun."
Ppoiyo laughs and kisses her on the cheek before obliging.
"Sorry, Yukari," he says as he settles further back against the tree trunk. "I was just thinking."
Author's Notes:
Something a lot more cheerful than last time. And I've seen how some people have done some love triangles between the 'loids that I decided to try my hand at it using possibly my six top favorites. Because of that, the title probably should be changed to "In Which Everyone Likes Hakupo". He's seriously grown on me, both in voice and personality that I've put him in. He's just a very fun character for me.
Reviews are appreciated. : )
