Trust
"Mikoshiba-kun! Do you want to go with me to the new café that opened up?" "My, my. Are you sure? If I go with you, the desserts you eat may taste bitter in comparison to seeing my sweet face." "Alright! It's a date then!" The third year girl skipped off before she could see Mikoshiba's face turn a deeper shade of red than his own hair. "Not again…" he moaned. Just then, Sakura appeared. "Mikorin, are you coming to No- WHAT HAPPENED?" she asked. "Sakura… could you maybe… turn down a third year girl for me?" "Turn down- Mikorin… did you accept an offer to go on a date with someone even though you didn't want to?" Mikoshiba nodded. "Mikorin," Sakura sighed, "I know you aren't good with social situations, but you've really got to learn how to say no. Won't she be disappointed if you suddenly change your mind?" "But I didn't change my mind!" Mikoshiba interjected, "In fact, I even told her it would be a bad idea…" "I bet you did it by flirting didn't you?" Sakura asked, flatly. "Yes, but…" "Fine. I'll talk to her. What was her name?" "Yuuki from class 3-B" "Got it." Sakura said, walking quickly in the direction of the classroom. Mikoshiba gave a sigh of relief. He could depend on Sakura.
The next day, Sakura found Mikoshiba in a similar position. She sat down on the floor next to him. "What is it this time? Yuuki didn't get mad at you, did she?" she asked. Mikoshiba shook his head. "This time it was three first years. They didn't ask me to do anything, but I just kept shooting off one cheesy line after another. I'm so embarrassed with myself!" "Mikorin, you don't need to be embarrassed. There's got to be a reason why these girls keep coming to you. They must really like hearing you say those things." Mikoshiba shook his head. "What if it's just so they can laugh at me?" Sakura patted him lightly on the back. "I doubt it's that. They wouldn't keep saying you're cool if they were laughing at you about it." Mikoshiba brightened. "You… you really think so?" Sakura got up before saying, "You should still break the habit though. Just say what you really feel instead of what you think sounds cool." As she walked away Mikoshiba nodded. Once again, he thought about how dependable his friend was.
Later that day, Sakura found Mikoshiba again. This time she came to ask him for help. "Mikorin," she said, "do you remember the promise you made to the art club? We'd like you to model again for us." Mikoshiba didn't miss a beat. "No" he said, flatly rejecting her. "Awww, why not?" "Don't you remember what I said when I promised them? They're going to expect me to model in the nude!" Sakura shook her head. "I know you said that, but I don't even think the school would allow it. More importantly, you didn't mean it when you said that. We'll be happy if you just model like you did last time." "Still, I'd rather not." Mikoshiba said. "It's tiring and super embarrassing. Can't you find someone else? Why don't you ask Nozaki?" "Asking Nozaki is out of the question! If he models, the whole art club is going to fall for him!" Mikoshiba chuckled. "Maybe if he does model though, you'll finally tell him your true feelings. You almost did last time he visited, didn't you?" "MIKORIN!" Sakura yelled. "I'm kidding," Mikoshiba said, waving his hands. "But seriously, isn't there ANYONE else?" Sakura thought for a moment. "Well, I guess the president's boyfriend could come in, but he has soccer club right now. I could also ask the art club if they know any other guys…" Sakura trailed off before she thought of something else. "By the way, Mikorin, how come you have no trouble telling me how you really feel?" "Huh?" Mikoshiba blushed, "Where did that come from?" "Well, I was just thinking about the first time you modeled for our club… you turned me down but when anybody else asked, you accepted immediately, and did that flirty thing you always do. Why is that?" "The truth is…" Mikoshiba began, "ah, nevermind." "What is it?" Sakura insisted. Mikoshiba sighed. "Sakura, I trust you. I can depend on you. I know that if I say something stupid and turn red, the worst that will happen is that you will say, 'don't get embarrassed!' or something along those lines. I can afford saying 'no' to you because you don't have any high expectations about me. You already know that I'm no good around girls, that I'm an otaku, and that I draw flowers for a shoujo manga, but even so you're still my friend." Sakura's expression turned sad. "Mikorin…" she said, "Just because you are the way you are doesn't mean I think any less of you. You don't have to be someone you're not just to impress people." "What do you mean?" Mikoshiba asked, "Just say it already! I'm such a lame embarrassing guy!" "No," Sakura said gently, "You're not. It just takes you a little while to get used to people, that's all. As for your hobbies… I wouldn't say that they're the most wholesome, but you certainly aren't alone. Why do you think the anime and manga industry is doing so well? People all over Japan- no, the WORLD love the same games and manga that you do. What I don't understand is why you and Wakamatsu insist your work as an assistant to Nozaki is embarrassing. Sure, it's a shoujo manga, but the way you draw flowers and little details really speaks to girls everywhere." Mikoshiba hung his head. "This is what I mean, Sakura. On top of the fact that you don't care at all about those things, you're even dependable enough to talk me out of worrying about them so much. To be honest… modeling is nothing compared to what I've just told you." "It's alright," Sakura replied, "you said it tires you out as well as making you embarrassed, right? I think I'll be able to find someone else. You've gone through enough already these last few days." Before going back to her club she added, "I know you probably won't take my words to heart immediately, but even if you're not as cool as Nozaki-kun, just know that there's nothing you need to be embarrassed about." As she walked away Mikoshiba thought, "She's right but… why did she have to compare me to Nozaki? That guy isn't cool at all!"
