As promised - a quick follow up from yesterday's updates, although this one might be a bit too ecchi, and throw them both waaay off character, but well, the ideas were just flowing through, I have to write them.
Saphire Drizzle and 61wisampa - thanks for the reviews. I'll take note of the details. Too bad about the ending, though. With respect to Fujiwara Hiro, that might not have been the best, or most realistic pairing, but this is just me and my SuzunaXAoi obsession.
Disclaimer: I don't own Maid-Sama (If I did, I would end it with Suzuna and Aoi madly in love with each other _)
Chapter 4.2: Thursday's Thoughts Turned Taffy
Note: Do not be fooled at the seeming senselessness of the title. There is some depth into it... i think.
"Y-you!"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you!"
He was stomping on the sidewalk, head red with blood rush, phone pressed sharply on his ear as if it was part of him.
The grin on his face got marked and stuck there for reasons unknown while he let the excitement and joy blend wonderfully in his tummy, just by hearing her voice.
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?"
"For the past few days, yes, I have been causing you trouble. Sorry."
"Not that." He would've slapped himself if both of his hands weren't preoccupied.
"What do you mean then?"
Her voice, usually boring and rusty despite its softness, suddenly sounded sultry and fluid through the phone. His already running heartbeat just picked up a new pace.
"Never mind." he said. "You said you don't own a phone."
"Correction. I said I didn't 'have' a phone – back then, that is. I just forgot it at home."
"You're annoying." his comment didn't help the boyish grin continuously widening on his handsome features.
The other line got quiet for a moment, but he could hear her silent breathing – her warm, vanilla coated breathing. He remembered the time she breathed on his face when he was applying makeup on her.
"Hey," he said, finding the limit of his cheeks with that smile of his.
"Yeah?" she asked.
'I missed you.'
He wanted to say that, but couldn't find the right state of mind to do so. All he could think of at the moment was how happy he is, and at the same time, how foolish he felt for feeling overjoyed when she spent time with him just yesterday.
Where's my reward?
"Nothing."
"…"
He felt strange. For some reason, the silence didn't feel like it was blank. Normally, the absence of words would be uncomfortable. Now, words didn't seem relevant, even by the slightest. There's something there – just by knowing she's on the other line, hopefully smiling as he was.
"Aoi-chan."
"Nani?" he asked, regretting the leap of excitement in his boyish voice.
"Nothing."
'What the-'
That actually made him chuckle.
"Did you sell good today?" he asked, a bit too affectionately.
"Not much. I didn't need to, anyway."
"Oh?"
"Usui-oniichan helped a lot."
Happiness got drowned by that heavy feeling again. If it had any consolation, it is the fact that it also wiped his face clean of any ridiculous traces of glee.
"Takumi, huh? Bet you're having spending the day with him, rather than with me." he said dryly like a spoiled kid.
"Not really. He didn't come meet me today."
"He didn't?"
"Nope. I was actually alone at the park."
It was guilt, this. Aoi started wondering how many sentiments he could manage in a single day – better yet, how many affects can she have on him?
"I – I see."
'Sorry. I should have…'
"I didn't get to see you today." She said, voice further softening in a shy manner. "Are you okay?"
"Of course I'm fine. Why shouldn't I be?"
"You ran away last night, just before I could thank you for helping me. I want to do so in person."
"Don't be an idiot. It's raining. Do it tomorrow."
'And give me a reward while you're at it.' he said, grinning once again, the topic about Usui having been forgotten.
"I want to do it now."
"Are you stupid? Look outside. Only an idiot would go out at a whether like this." He said, realizing how uncomfortable the feeling of wetness on the length of his pants.
"I know, but -"
"But what?"
"I'm already in front of your house."
She didn't have an umbrella, or enough layers of clothes to prevent her from being completely drenched.
By the time he reached the corner of their street, Aoi was practically running, his own umbrella doing little to save him from the increasing volume of rain.
But he couldn't care less about himself. Knowing her, she'll be standing under this downpour if she has to.
He ran, and ran, until he caught sight of the tree in front of his house, hosting a familiar figure under its thin branches, the figure having a phone pinned by her ear and the same blank expression on her face. Her clothes were literally part of her body now as it clung to her skin, completely soaked.
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" he yelled while running.
The girl seemed to have heard his voice. When she turned, and caught sight of him, her world became irrelevant, as her face got lit up by a small, yet very sweet smile.
"Aoi-chan!" she called, flipping her phone closed.
"YOU – ARE – STUPID!"
Suzuna saw the boy running at reckless speed towards her.
He was panting heavily by the time he reached her, face flustered, and seemingly infuriated. There were so many words being said through his dark eyes, so many emotions being conveyed, but as soon as he caught his breath, he said them all into a single, simple statement.
"Stupid." He said softly, shoving the umbrella on her hand.
The tree did well enough to protect her phone from water damage, but it didn't do crap for her. She seemed to have gotten wet already even before she got there.
Aoi couldn't spare more time to assess. He immediately pushed Suzuna in the house before she could argue.
When they reached the dryness of the house, he noticed something else, and it wasn't something he could ignore anymore.
On the contrary, he found himself staring at it.
Staring at the white undergarment inside, exposed through the wet, thin clothing she was wearing, giving a nice, definitive shape to her.
Aoi-chan, does this look good on me?
"AAAAH! Take your clothes off now!" he said, looking away, face burning red from ear to ear.
"You want me to take my clothes off? Aoi, you're being too direct."
It was annoying how void of embarrassment she was, although he did admit it was stupid of him to say that.
"Not like that, moron! Y-y-you'll get chills." He stuttered, eyes getting blur with the excess of blood on his face.
"Okay."
"Ah, wait, hold on-"
He turned around with the intention of stopping her. Their eyes met in that moment when she was just about to pull her dripping wet shirt, but Aoi's own eyes travelled down to the meager skin she was able to expose.
'Kami-sama – tummy – smooth – ' his mind formulated.
"What? I'm taking it off just as you said." Suzuna defensively declared, wondering if she was doing something wrong again.
"Not here, dummy!"
It was painfully clear how dense she was. Either she has no clue about boys and their mindboggling hormones, or she's playing with him.
She quickly dragged him in the bathroom, shoved a robe in her arms and slammed the door behind him after stepping out.
"Put your clothes in the basket and I'll have them washed." He yelled, still trying to contain his heartbeat.
"But-"
"Just do it!" he said, before she could argue.
He heard some shuffling from inside, and then some folding.
"You done?"
"Yeah." She answered.
"You put the robe on?"
"Of course."
"Good. I don't wanna see you without clothes."
"Are you sure about that?" she asked, playful hint escaping in her tone.
Aoi almost fell from where he stood. "Of course, stupid! I'm coming in."
Very cautiously, and very slowly, he opened the door, and then peered through the small crack, just to be sure. It didn't occur to him that he looked more perverted from an objective standpoint.
The first thing he saw was the hem of the white robe, and then, when he was confident she was fully covered, he opened the door and stepped inside.
She looked content in the white, fluffy layer.
"This robe feels nice."
She looked quite adorable in the outfit; he at least had to give her that.
"Hm."
He walked towards the basket, reminding himself to wipe the smile from his face. He did so, and then lifted her clothes.
"I'll have this cleaned up. It shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes. Just use the shower as you please, there're some shampoo on the upper cabinet, feel free to use those and… what?"
"Nothing." She said, looking away and hiding her own smile. "I just, don't normally go out using other people's showers shamelessly. I'm sorry to trouble you like this."
"What are you talking about?" he declared, a bit angrily, "If it's you, it's no trouble at all!"
"Really?"
'Shot!'
"A-anyway," he stuttered, walking by the door, basket in hand, "don't be a stranger. Just do what you have to do, and relax a bit. The water's nice and hot from the heater."
He had his back turn against her when she called again.
"Aoi."
The boy stopped, and cautiously turned his head. Cautiously, because he knows he'll be smitten again by how adorable she looked, all fluffed up like that.
It didn't work. When he saw, he still felt his heart melt with this sudden desire to squeeze her cheeks. She was smiling at him in an awfully sweet manner.
"Thanks a lot."
He just looked away and didn't answer.
"Your clothes should be dried by the time you're done. My room's the first door upstairs. I'll leave your clothes there and bring up some tea."
She didn't have enough time to say anything else. He already closed the door.
Outside, Aoi took a deep breath while leaning by the threshold. That was exhausting.
But despite that, very slowly, his face was forming a grin again. He even found himself giggling like the stupid love-struck brat that he is while walking towards the cleaner.
'Hehe! Suzuna is in my house! Hehe!' his mind kept telling him.
Some high-tech workloaded machine – their washer can take up kilos of clothes, wash'em, dry'em, and have them ready for wearing in 3 minutes tops. Amazing.
It's as simple pouring the laundry in and pressing a few buttons.
But for some reason, he found himself staring at the contents of the basket, face once again free of that ridiculous smile, but still red. In fact, even redder than before. Laundry had never been this difficult, except perhaps when you have a girl's pure white panties laying bare on top of her other garments.
'Pull it together, Aoi!'
He told himself, slapping both palms on his cheeks to gather resolve and reason.
Suzuna had long finished her bath, having been done in less than a few minutes, and was currently at his room dressing. Luckily, halfway through her bath, he was able to peel his eyes from her underwear in enough timeframe as to have her clothes clean and waiting in his room.
He took a mental note to thank Satsuki-san later.
If washing her clothes was difficult, fixing tea without dazing is even more so.
Images flood his mind like a t.v. being flipped through multiple channels, only the programs are limited to what he saw in the last few minutes – her soaking wet clothes giving shape to her petite figure, her cute belly button, her adorable form coated by that fluffy robe, her sweet smile as she shyly accepts her hospitality, her white panties –
Her panties.
Her panties.
Her panties.
'Crap!'
He couldn't even hold the tray without shaking. This would very humiliating.
In order to calm himself, he decided to think of something else, so he closed his eyes and began to thoroughly examine his mind. Of course, who's to argue that the only being his mind could conjure at the moment is that darn girl?
I'll settled with that – Suzuna, in her casual clothes, never mind the panties, just plain simple clothes, they don't even have to be cute. Wait, Suzuna in clothes without panties? Focus dude, you can do this. Anyway, Suzuna, casually, and COMPLETELY clothed, sitting on a bench, biting on a croquette, and me walking towards her. She looks up, and smiles at me…
Smiles at me…
Smiles at me…
Well, that certainly took care of the shaking. If only it didn't make him blush and weak with some strange, helpless surrender his heart suddenly took over the thoughts of her.
He sighed. And then stared into nothing. A good two minutes, and he sighed again.
"Suzuna…"
Another deep-seated breath of a sigh, followed by a lazy mention of her name. The sides of his lips were curving up again.
'This is going anywhere.'
He cleared his throat, gave himself one big slap, and ensured that his scowl was back on his face.
Some other, more serious concerns were getting into him, like how the rain outside doesn't seem to be stopping, and that his stupid aunt actually forgot to bring her own umbrella, and knowing Misaki-chi, relying too much on the weather forecast, she'd make the same mistake.
He was thinking heavily on those details while walking up the stairs, tray finally steady in hand, a hot teapot and two glasses, matched by a plate of cookies in its content.
"Suzuna, are you done?" he called, reaching the door.
He was hearing mumbling sounds inside, but for certain he heard a 'yes'.
She should be done by now, anyway – he thought.
"I'm coming in."
He placed a hand in middle of the bottom of the tray, and used another to turn the knob. His ears then picked-up her voice, and then he realized her 'yes' was actually addressed in a phone conversation.
"Um, I brought tea."
He didn't have the same caution he had in the bathroom. He just went straight, not even suspecting her unconfirmed answer to his call. His eyes almost fell off at what he saw.
"Yes, I'm okay, onee-chan. I'm at Aoi's place. What? No, we're not like that. But he's a nice person, just like Usui-nichan said. What do you mean funny? No, he won't. Aoi is a decent person, who wouldn't look at me like that. Besides, he always says I'm not cute. You sometimes talk weird, ne-chan. I'll drop by Maid Late, let's go home together. Ja ne."
By the time she was done, Aoi had already been standing there for a full five minutes – more than enough time to soak up all the glory her half-naked back side has to offer.
Clad with only her white panties and a tank top, Suzuna was too busy talking to her sister that she didn't notice that someone has already been enjoying himself, and was literally mouth-gapped with droll travelling down the side of his grinning lips.
His mind has shut itself the moment he took note of those long legs of hers that went on for an eternity, marred only by pale, jagged line of a scare, but even that wasn't enough to ruin the perfection of her skin.
Her top didn't go full down her body. It left enough space at her back to see the curve of her spine, and the unreasonably slim waistline. He would actually call her thin, if he didn't find her butt so round, so finely curved, and looking oh so soft.
His eyes slowly ran up and down her body in a lecherous fashion, as if imprinting the image clearly in his head.
Suzuna blinked at him, still trying to process the situation, consequently looking cute.
And that's when Aoi noticed it – her lose hair, flowing beautifully. It's one of the Ayuzawa lures, those long silky strands that seemed as though they were actually liquid, tucked together, waving by the neck, and spreading out, just past her shoulders.
Her black hair, damp and shinning like that, looks like a gown of some sort, and it mesmerized the boy.
He had never seen her with her hair down like that. It tore away all perverted ideas in his head, and he found himself just looking at her, staring at her eyes, round, big and confused, but still lovely. The blackness of her hair seemed to have accented the color of her orbs, and like polished gems it seemed to have glistened. Aoi's mind could only make one word for it.
'Pretty.'
Unfortunately, Suzuna did not chose the same word to describe him.
Her face turned red, eyes growing narrow with embarrassment, and although it's still a far cry from what you would call a facial expression, it is in fact an expression of shyness.
"Hentai." She whispered.
That seemed to have brought him back to the real world, and when it did, the first thing he could do, out of sheer humiliation, was scream, as if he was the one being lusted over, and stumble out the room.
Remarkably, the tray remained stable in his hand even as he closed the door behind him.
His body slid down the wooden flat, tray falling on his lap. He placed a hand on his cheek, and found that grin again.
He took a few moments replaying the perverted contents, with blood gushing out of his nose.
It was too much stimulation even for a 15 year old.
Still, over all lower faculties, there was this genuine happiness inside – as if all the worries and insecurities last night and early this morning were all for naught.
He knocked, clearly letting himself be heard this time.
"It's okay, Aoi, I'm done."
Her voice, blank as a robot, still sounds so lovely – he thought.
He peaked through the door, tray still hand, tea still warm.
As understandably as it is that he is going through some radical changes, he still felt guilty for taking advantage of the situation.
"You sure?" he asked timidly.
Like a guilty puppy, his eyes turned contrite at the girl. Suzuna was standing in the middle of the room, awkwardness apparent on her crumpled face, displaying uncharacteristic discomfort.
She was fidgeting from where she stood, knees tightly pressed against each other.
'What? I haven't done anything yet!'
Then her eyes turned sharp and shot right through him.
The effect was instantaneous- a cold chill running up his spine with a looming cloud of death hanging over his head.
"Pervert." She said coldly, softly, and then turned red.
"What did you say?"
He shoved her intimidation away and stomped inside his own room, slamming the tray on a desk and rocking the contents.
"Pervert." She said again, no longer red. She seemed to have composed herself better than him, and quicker too.
Of course, he couldn't retaliate.
"Shut up!" he simply said, standing in front of her, desperately ignoring the scent of a newly bathed Suzuna.
"That's the reason why you forced me into your house, isn't it? So you can take advantage of me."
"What?! Of course not! You were the one soaking under the rain! Besides, who in his right mind would want to take advantage of such an un-cute girl like you?!"
Her face didn't change. On the contrary, he felt like hitting himself for throwing that insult he knows she doesn't deserve.
But Suzuna handles insults well, and she begins this by doing what she does best – keeping calm, cold, and apathetic.
"But you were staring at me." she said.
"No I wasn't!" he yelled back.
"Yes you were. You were even drooling."
There was no escaping that one.
"Tch, fine!"
"Then you admit you were staring?" she asked.
"Yeah, so what if I was? It's not my fault you're pretty."
That didn't sound right, but for some reason, it felt right, regardless of the aggression in his voice, and the scowl on his face.
But it didn't last long. Soon, the atmosphere became too complicated for both of them.
Her eyes, once blank and unreadable, suddenly turned wide with surprised confusion.
On the other side of the scenario, the boy, realizing what he just said, feared the worst kind of embarrassment, and was looking all over the place, but her face. He had the back of his hand cover his mouth as if he had just said something profane.
If it was, it was the most flowery, sugary kind of profanity Suzuna had heard in her life. For if she was to be truly mindful of herself, she would realize that this was the first time anyone had called her pretty.
"The tea's getting cold." He said weakly, finding no other escape from the scene, and deciding to just create a new one.
"Oh, right. Sorry for the trouble."
"I told you, it's no trouble at all."
Aoi walked towards his table where the tray was waiting, and began blending a cup for her. He turned, and saw that she was smiling at him.
For a moment, he allowed himself the luxury of staring at her again, but he didn't want to be teased a second time.
"Hey," he called, while pulling the chair for the table, "sit here, I'll dry your hair."
"Eh?"
"You'll get chills if you go out with your hair still wet." His face was blushing again, but not as volatile as before. This was a serene kind of excitement, a refreshing rush of blood of a boy who is happy beyond words, for having said the right thing, albeit unintentionally.
"Please?" he asked.
Her body passing allowed him a good waft of her scent – that body wash, she probably used the cheapest one she could find in bathroom shelves. Still, the smell is so good his face followed her body like a dog.
'I'm not a pervert! I'm not a pervert! I'm not a pervert! I'm not a pervert!'
Then, as she finally sat on the chair right in front of Aoi, Suzuna gather her hair and pulled it to the side, exposing to the boy the delicate skin on the back of her neck.
'Fine! I'm a pervert! But only a little, and only if it's her.'
He realized there's no used fighting it.
"It's, oolong." He warned, fearing that she might have preferred something else.
'Crap, I should've asked what she wanted first!'
"B-bear with it." he ordered, unable to control the quiver in his panicky voice.
"It's fine." She said, taking the cup from Aoi's hand and slowly drinking the warm, relaxing liquid. Her face turned calm and flustered from the warmth. The boy concluded she's okay with it, not that she's picky with anything at all.
'God, she smells so good.'
He was fighting the urge to just plunge his face on her head, and he was doing a poor job at it. Her hair didn't smell special, but it was a wonderful scent, with that proximity and his mind still slightly on the perverted side.
He pulled the comb out of his pocket and then started running it through her hair, careful not to let his hand linger too much on her strands. He maneuvered a blower with another hand and began to dry her hair.
Suzuna was quietly munching on the cookies and was looking at Aoi through the mirror on his desk. This the boy noticed, and it made him blush.
With the blower having serve its purpose, he extended the service by just running the comb through her hair, reaching pass her shoulders, occasionally tucking some strands behind her ear. He noticed that everytime he did so, her neck would squeeze down a bit.
'Ah, she's sensitive.' He mused happily.
"Are you mad at me?"
"…a little." He answered gently.
"Sorry, for kissing Usui-onichan."
"That's not what I'm upset about, idiot! It's you standing under the rain!"
"Oh. How's the comb?" Suzuna asked, taking in another cookie.
It was cute how she nibbled on it, Aoi thought.
"It's plain, and boring, and normal – just like you." he said strongly, "I might even consider returning it for a refund.
"No return, no exchange."
She said, and then stuck out her tongue at the boy, who in turn gave her a grin.
For a while, they stayed like that, both seemingly content.
Aoi concluded he liked Suzuna's hair better. Her hair is a bit wavier than Misaki-chi's. He secretly placed the comb back in his pocket and just let his fingers glaze through her soft cresses.
"H-hey, it's, um, getting late." He hesitated, wondering still how he was to offer it, but just said what was in character. "Stay over for dinner."
"Huh? But it's just half pass five." She said, licking her fingers of crumbs.
"Oh."
The clock on his wall showed the same. And to make matters worse, the rain has also stopped.
'Darn it.'
"And I did promise oneechan I'd pick her up from the café." She said, flipping her phone up.
He couldn't afford to ask for more. The day had been generous in its own way, and he got to see Suzuna and her hair lose. (and her body wet, and her long legs bare, and her panties, and her round butt, etc.)
But the spoiled kid felt like it's still not fair. The cloud looked like it would rain forever, but now it just stopped. He felt like throwing a tantrum in the room. Fortunately, he chose not to, and just made do with a childish pout with cheeks puffed-up.
Then he heard a click.
He looked down at the girl and found her closing her phone, apparently aimed at him a split second back. He didn't get it, because Suzuna was quick enough to take a picture of his cutely crumpled face without him noticing it.
"But maybe, some other time, we could-"
"How about this Saturday evening?" he asked, getting excited all of a sudden.
Suzuna had a slightly startled look on her otherwise blank face.
"I'm free, I guess."
"Great! Then come to Maid Late! We'll have dinner there. Better yet, I'll pick you up!" He said with a huge smile, overcome with excitement. Nervousness and hesitation has completely left him, and only an innocent longing was there.
Her own face then turned mischievous, lips slightly curving upward.
"Aoi-chan, are you asking me on a date?" she asked.
"Of course not! It's going to be a party."
"Oh, I see." Her head dropped, though her expression didn't change in the slightest, save for the lips that catered a smile a second ago, "Is it fancy?"
That struck him with an idea. "Yes it is!" he said, "It's going to be a fancy dinner, so you better dress up."
He could feel his heart racing. Everything seems to be falling into place.
"But I don't have a dress, and I don't think I'll be able to buy one."
Aoi's face was now literally just one huge grin. It was disturbing for Suzuna, mainly because she didn't understand what he was so happy about. Normally, he'd be ranting on how unfeminine she is for not having to extenuate her charm to the world, or for not being able to suit his taste of what is cute. This time, her lack of amenities seemed to have given him some sort of happiness.
"Wait here!" the boy asked, placing both hands on her shoulders, and then running off.
He went rummaging through his closet, throwing all other things and exposing all those dresses he had made.
"Um, here, I'll give this to you." he pulled out the blue dress from the closet, and showed it to Suzuna.
The girl was awed at how beautiful it was.
"Whoa!"
"You can wear it, if you think it's not horrible, or you can sell it, if you think it is."
"It's beautiful, Aoi."
"Whatever! Just take it!"
He couldn't be more happy. Everything seemed to have fallen into place, except for the part where she couldn't have dinner with him tonight.
But he couldn't afford to have her compliment the dress, or him, for that matter, otherwise he'd burst with joy. The blush on his face has already overpowered him, though, but there's nothing he can do about that.
The girl walked over, and the boy turned his head further away to hide the redness. Suzuna felt like taking his picture again, but that would be too mean of her.
She slowly traced the wonder silk feel of the dress, smiling gently as she did so, amazed at how beautiful it is, but even more amazed that it was being given to her.
"You're giving it to me?" she asked, looking up at his taller form.
"Duh."
'I made it for you.'
She blinked at him, still a bit confused, but also feeling warm inside. Aoi stared back at her, trying to understand what she was thinking right now, but failing miserably, because at that close and with her hair lose like that, he found her too adorable. (overkill?)
"Thank you." She whispered.
He smiled at her. He had to. He felt that she, standing in front of him, being her apathetic, pretty self, deserves at least that much.
"Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself?"
Suzuna suppressed a smile successful, finding it adorable how he struggles to hide his nice, worried side.
"I'll be fine, Aoi."
"Pull the coat closer. It's cold outside." He said, but he was the one who pulled the sides of the coat he lend her.
"Okay."
She just let him fix her.
"Don't stop to buy any croquettes, okay?"
"It's almost dinner time. There'd be no need for that."
"If it is, then why did you refuse to have dinner with me?!"
She didn't know if she should feel guilty, for having denied him that, or happy, that he was being unusually honest.
That childish pout on him is just too cute, she thought.
"Because we'll be having dinner on Saturday, remember?" she said.
"Oh, okay."
Suzuna secured the paper bag in her hand.
"Thank you for taking me in..."
"Hmp, maybe next time you wouldn't be dumb enough to go through the rain."
"…and for calling me pretty."
Her heart was skipping, and so was his, but the rhythm was different. She was clearly pleased, while he was completely embarrassed.
"What?! I didn't call you pretty at all. Or if I did, I just meant that, that…"
"That what?" she asked expectantly.
"Argh! Never mind! Turn around already!"
He forced her shoulders to turn until her back was on his front. Her slim, smooth-looking neck was there again, but he managed to ignore it immediately.
"What are you doing?" she asked, feeling his gentle fingers work through her hair again.
"I won't let you go out looking like that."
"Like what?"
"Like the un-cute girl that you are."
Aoi didn't bother answering anymore. He just continued returning her hair to their tied up state, afraid that others might discover how beautiful she actually is.
'Who knows what they'd do?' he asked himself.
"Thanks, I guess." She said, not really knowing what else to tell him.
Suzuna felt the breeze on his neck again, now that her hair is tied to their twin tails. Following the breeze, her skin felt a pair of careful, gentle hands, cover her ears. The world became silent, as Aoi prevented her from hearing his next few words.
"Yeah, I did say you're pretty, and that's because you are."
He rubbed his nose on the top of her head and gave her a gentle push to usher her forward down the street. They were already outside, and the only thing left to do is to simply part ways, since she insisted that he don't come with her anymore, lest the rain catch him on the way back.
Suzuna turned her head at him in question. "Did you say something?"
"Yeah, I said next time you should bring ear muffs."
Her face turned into a mild grimace, "I'm not that sensitive to the cold, you know."
"Whatever, just go home already."
He smiled at him, and she smiled back, and that was that.
She was already a block far when Aoi yelled his last instruction.
"Suzuna; don't let your hair lose like that again…"
She waived, not taking his words seriously. Good thing too, because Aoi didn't want her to hear the rest as he mellowed down his voice.
"…or other guys might end up liking you, as I have."
It took time, and a lot of stupid, awkward moments before he realized that much. He was yet to decipher the details if Usui and Misaki had a play in this, especially Usui's horrible achievement of teeding him up. But for now, it was painfully clear, that as much as he was yet to completely resign himself to how charmed he actually is towards Suzuna's beauty, he could at least admit that he likes her, perhaps beyond what he already understands.
He kept eyes on her form, fading behind the subtle blanket of fog forming all around them, giving her a watchful gaze and wishing her safety.
Unfortunately, his eyes weren't the only ones watching her. Another pair was looking far towards the same girl.
The owner, perfectly blended in the shadows of the tree in front of Aoi's house, breathes the name of its next target, salivating with hungry, hideous perversion.
"…SU-ZU-NA-CHAN…"
To be continued...
Hope you don't the last concept here too sickening