Chapter 2 - Hook, line and sinker
He may have taken the bait.
As expected, it had been a ploy. If there had been any sweets, then Mera had finished them all off before Saiki got there. The only sweet thing left seemed to be the punch. Which had obviously been spiked, judging from the burn in his throat. He had some anyway.
Yumehara's party was in full swing. There were people everywhere. It felt like one of those game shows where they try to fit as many people as possible in a tiny space. Yumehara's house wasn't even small. Saiki didn't recognize most of these people. Was the entire school here?
The dumbasses that had encouraged him to come, were nowhere to be found. He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved about that or not. Usually he would be. Still, he found himself shuffling through the masses looking for a familiar face. Ideally without anyone spilling drinks on him, but that had been too much to ask.
He had just grabbed some random clothes from his wardrobe: a thin, long-sleeved indigo V-neck sweater over a white shirt and some simple black trousers. Nice and plain, just as he liked it, and most of all: dark. The stains on his jeans were barely noticeable.
He heard some commotion coming from the next room.
"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!"
"Oh? Who's Chuck? Oh?"
Saiki recognized that voice all too well, so he hung back, staying out of sight. Nendou and Kuboyasu were sitting across from each other at a table, with each a line of filled beer glasses in front of them. Kuboyasu had started downing them while Nendou was being his idiot self, looking for Chuck. People around them were cheering them on.
"Don't give up! Give it everything you've got!" Of course, there was no motivator like Hairo. He was darting around the table like a lunatic.
Isn't it way past his bedtime anyway?
"NENDOU-KUN! Where's your willpower? Drink!" Hairo was sweating buckets.
"Oh? Oh! Cheers!" Nendou raised a glass, like he was doing a toast, and then put it to his mouth.
The audience went wild when Nendou started chugging down the beers in mere seconds, quickly catching up with Kuboyasu. The ex-delinquent only had one glass to go, but was obviously struggling to keep everything down.
Saiki figured it was probably best to get going before they noticed him and started puking all over him. Nendou was just about to gulp down his last glass as Hairo was flipping out over Kuboyasu's lack of determination.
"Oh? Partner?" Nendou corkscrewed his neck to look behind him, in Saiki's direction. Saiki managed to duck behind some people just in time.
Yikes.
The crowd cried in protest as Kuboyasu finished his last beer while Nendou was still scanning the area.
"Oh? Congrats man, you're so much better at drinking than me."
Saiki silently slid out of the kitchen. Nendou's partner radar was truly a force to be reckoned with. Maybe he was a psychic.
Saiki continued on his rather purposeless journey. This was so not his scene. Too much noise, flickering lights, drunk people. It was stuffy and hot. He felt light-headed. Maybe he should just leave.
In hind-sight, he should have left.
He eventually made it to the living room, which had what appeared to be a dance floor in the center. On the far end of the room, he spotted another one of the usual suspects: Kaidou. He was leaning against the wall, engaged in a seemingly enthralling conversation with Yumehara.
Saiki couldn't help but smile. Good for you, Kaidou. He probably shouldn't interrupt.
~ I've been alone with you inside my mind ~
~ And in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times ~
What was this sudden feeling of dread?
Although he had never been to a party like this before, he instinctively knew that slow songs were bad news.
Suddenly the crowd parted like the Red Sea. Brilliant rays of light found their way through the gaps, illuminating the room. Violet eyes locked with navy blue.
~ Hello, is it me you're looking for? ~
Oh no.
It was Teruhashi. Of course it was Teruhashi. She'd donned a white knee-length cocktail dress, radiating pure elegance. With her blue hair in a twisted half-up style, she looked angelic. Saiki had no idea how he even knew the name of that hairstyle.
She looked astonishing. No surprise there.
What did surprise him, was that he was unable to move. He was frozen, stuck. Stunned. Like a deer caught in the headlights.
She was making her way towards him. Small steps, as much as her snug dress would allow. Her cheeks had turned rosy. It was like watching a slow-motion movie scene.
He'd seen the movies. They'd meet in the middle of the room, they'd dance, they'd kiss and then they'd live happily ever after.
So naturally, Saiki was freaking out.
I need to get out of here.
There was no way he could turn her down in front of such a crowd.
He managed a step backwards. His back pressed against something warm and squishy. Saiki glanced over his shoulder. Seemed he had reversed into Aiura's chest.
"Hey Kusuo! Let's dance~!"
Aiura grabbed Saiki by the hand before he had a chance to respond, dragging him to the center of the dance floor. He had been so preoccupied with getting away from one ambush that he had run straight into the other. Typical.
Aiura was wearing a low-cut black club dress that didn't leave much to the imagination. Saiki wondered for a moment if her bling covered more skin than the fabric did. He tensed up when she draped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him way too close.
Was it just him or did the room just darken? He caught a quick glimpse of Teruhashi's shocked face before the horde of people engulfed her.
~ Are you somewhere feeling lonely? ~
~ Or is someone loving you? ~
"What are you doing?" Saiki hissed under his breath. Although Aiura made no secret of her affection for him, she would usually respect his boundaries.
Aiura winked at him. "Don't worry, Kushuo. You'll shee." A waft of alcohol trailed her slurred words. She must have had a little too much of the punch.
Out of the frying pan straight into the goddamn fire.
Aiura was clinging to him, her head now on his shoulder. He felt her massive chest push against him. His body was stiff as a board. This was so awkward.
He figured the best course of action at this point was just to let her have this dance. He'd give her a good scolding for it later.
~ Tell me how to win your heart ~
~ For I haven't got a clue ~
But then Aiura lifted her head and gave him a rueful smile.
"Forgive me," she whispered. Then she leaned in and kissed him.
Aiura kissed him.
He didn't mean to push her away like that, but he had been totally taken by surprise.
What the… she… what?
He still tasted a mix of alcohol and lipstick on his lips. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt. A deafening silence filled the room. Was the entire world looking at them?
~ But let me start by saying ~
~ I love you ~
Saiki was dumbstruck, staring with wide eyes at the tanned blonde. Aiura just stood there, watching him. He was too confused right now to figure out that wistful look on her face.
I've gotta get out of here. Now.
He stammered an apology, turned on his heel and left the room as fast as his feet could carry him. He couldn't breathe. It had been a mistake to come here.
It was as if he was plowing through quagmire, feeling the sting of the stares on his back. Finally he made it outside, finding a bench at the far end of the garden. His head was spinning, but at least the fresh air helped a bit. He slumped down onto the bench. The area was spacious and surprisingly void of people. Annoying, drunk, uninhibited people.
Saiki was shaking. What the hell, Aiura? What was she thinking? Was this what she'd meant when she had said that he wouldn't regret coming here? He'd pulled her aside after class to ask her about that, but she had refused to elaborate. She'd been really weird about it. She'd been weird ever since he'd told her he was going to seal his powers. Aiura had protested his decision, begged him not to do it, even cried over it. Eventually she had come to terms with it, though. Since then there had been this really weird vibe between them.
Everything about this feels weird.
The expression on her face was still haunting him. It hadn't been the typical, shocked, you-just-broke-my-heart look. Like the way Teruhashi had looked at him. It had been something else. Which made no sense to him at all.
Ugh. Women.
He leaned back against the bench, staring up at the starry sky. The mild early summer breeze gently picked at his pink locks. He took a deep breath to calm himself. It did not help. He was still feeling anxious.
Telepathy could have prevented this.
Saiki scowled. No. He would not go down that road. He had no regrets.
He wanted nothing more than to get away from this godforsaken place. He might punch someone if he went back into that mob right now though. Saiki decided to wait a little bit and then try to get out without being seen.
He closed his eyes. Blending into the shadows had just become his number one priority.
Ruined. Absolutely ruined.
Her entrance had been perfect. Perfectly planned and then perfectly executed. Even his response had been perfect. She had captivated the uncapturable Saiki Kusuo.
Sure, it may not have been an offu, but honestly she'd given up on that by now. Instead, it had become a desire for something else. For something more.
Of course, Saiki was even denser than your average guy when romantic advances were concerned, so she'd been working really hard towards that goal. But it had seemed that she was finally getting somewhere.
There had been something different about him since the start of this school year. For one, he'd started wearing contacts and lost those hair pins. The new look had taken some getting used to but hmm, she wasn't complaining. He looked good.
It hadn't been just his looks that changed though. Maybe he'd decided to up his social game a bit? He was still quiet and would often just stare into space with that dreamy look of his, but he did seem to hang out with his friends more now. It had also been easier to manipulate her way into his company. Of course, the Gods would usually lend her a hand, but he used to have this way of worming his way out of doing anything together. For some reason, he didn't seem as opposed to mingling as he used to be. Honestly she really hadn't expected him to show up at this party, and yet here he was. You could truly lure this guy anywhere with the promise of sweets.
It could have been so good tonight, too. She had been so close. Teruhashi still couldn't believe that gyaru had swooped in like that, taking him to the dance floor.
That was the last she had seen of them. Obviously her grand entrance had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the crowd. It had taken everything out of her to kindly reject every one of the dance invitations she had received. By the time she was done, Saiki and Aiura were gone.
The next thing she noticed was the strong buzz going on. Now that in itself wasn't anything unusual. Teruhashi Kokomi created a buzz wherever she went. The weird thing was, it didn't seem to be about her this time.
"Did you hear? They kissed."
"Yeah man, she totally trashed him!"
"I heard it was the other way around."
"They got a real groove on in the middle of the dance floor."
"What an idiot! I'd totally hit that, gyaru or not. Have you seen her knockers?"
Wait, what?
"Maybe he's gay?"
"Well the pink hair is kind of a red flag."
Suddenly Teruhashi felt sick to her stomach.
"I just don't get what she sees in him? He's so fucking plain, man."
"Takahashi said he saw them make out. He totally groped her."
What happened? Did Saiki kiss Aiura?
Teruhashi leaned into the wall, trying to keep her balance. She suddenly felt really dizzy. She half-heartedly waved away the boys that were immediately coming to her aid. Not now.
Does he like Aiura?
They hadn't been hanging out that much lately, had they? Aiura had pulled him so close for that dance. Had she finally conquered his heart? Maybe they'd been dating in secret?
She was desperately trying to keep the visions of Saiki and Aiura in the middle of the most ungodly acts out of her head. It felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.
Do I stand a chance at all?
She was losing her mind.
Air. She should get some fresh air. She took a deep breath, regained her composure somewhat and made her way towards the backyard as gracefully as she could manage.
