Hi there!

As i have some huge mushroom-creatures threatening to eat me alive XD here are two chapters!

I do not own Lovely Complex.

The Beginning of A Friendship

"Ha! That was really fun, Otani-kun!" the witch said out loud stretching her arms above her head.

The sun was already setting and the wind had got cooler. I felt my shirt sticking on my body and my legs felt slightly shaky, but all this felt in sum so good.

Oh yeah, that was real fun!

I had enjoyed this game!

I never would have thought that a game with that idiot witch would be so exciting. I never actually thought that I would be able to communicate with her and have such a great time like two normal people would have who share a common hobby.

All those moments I desired to the depths of my heart to destroy that street lamp, all those times she humiliated me and made me feel so little (*"don't you dare comment on this!" shows his teeth at us*)… they just faded into thin air.

I actually liked being with her like this.

"Otani?"

I looked at her.

She looked at me and widened up her eyes.

What?

"What's with this stupid grin on your face?" she commented looking disgusted.

I blinked and shook my head.

What?

I was grinning?

HUH?

Oh please let it not be like Nakao's stupid grin!

NOOOOO!

"I-was not grinning!" I said annoyed looking away. (Geez I just can't make it clearer, can I?)

Koizumi lifted an eyebrow and chuckled.

"What?"

"You look so funny when you daydream!" she said giggling.

I… what?

What was that?

"I'm not daydreaming!" I shot at her annoyed.

"Oh, never mind, midget! Even people like you can daydream!"

I growled.

"What do you mean by people like me? Huh?"

The witch pointed at me showing her wide smile.

"People who are able to look at the ground better than the rest!"

?

…

Well, is it just me or did she just say something… weird?

I brushed my face with my palm and sighed heavily.

Really, I just couldn't comment on that.

"Whatever! All I know is that you tall people all act the same when it comes to face a short one on the basketball court. You all are so used to competing with tall ones, so once a short one comes in your way you take the most logical choice; underestimate the person!" I said folding my arms behind my head.

Koizumi turned her head up gazing the orange sky.

I followed her and took a quick glance of her glowing face. She was smiling and looked strangely happy, like the way someone looks when everything fits right… I think. Or maybe it's me who looks and feels this way.

"I admit that I underestimated you in the beginning, but…" she paused and chuckled untying her hair with one hand while she was holding her black basketball with the other.

I searched her face to guess what she wanted to say, but I couldn't ask her without sounding too desperate to hear her opinion about me, could I?

Suddenly I felt such a rush of anticipation.

For what?

Whatever she thinks about me, why am I getting so nervous about it?

Like I care…

Man, I have to stop lying to myself. I'm only going to get more disappointed.

It's just that… I'm not that strong when it comes to facing difficulties, so I prefer shutting myself from everything. But maybe it's time to change this.

Yes, it's time.

And this street lamp will help me!

"You're a great player, Kotani-kun!" Koizumi said with a loud chuckle slapping me on my back.

I felt my shoulder getting dislocated and froze in my steps.

Autsh!

"Ow!" I growled at her.

"You just proved to me that strength can exist in small persons! Don't destroy your image now!" she said and shut her right eye at me with a clicking sound of her tongue.

She's driving me insane!

And my head is going to burst open here!

But if I'm going to continue standing here frozen like a statue, I'll definitely make her doubt and that's the last thing I need. I've had enough of surprises today.

"So- how long have you been playing?" is the first question that popped into my mind in order to drive away this strange atmosphere that had taken over me.

I'd honestly prefer hearing humiliating things from her than having to feel this way every time she'd make compliments. Like my head burning, and my eyes being too small for my skull, and like I was much bigger than I actually am, like this world suddenly was perfect for me… at me!

Otani Atsushi, pull yourself together!

"Ever since I entered middle school. My family used to live in Kita (northern part of Osaka city), so we came here once I entered the last grade in middle school. I would become the captain of my team, but here I was a newbie and so I lost the chance. But maybe I can make it here in Maido high school!" she said dreamily swinging her arms around her as she was having her own daydream.

So, she wanted to be a captain of a basketball team!

Well, who doesn't?

"I can't see a reason why you can't become one. Except maybe the fact that you are a racist against short people." I said.

"Oh really? And how will this take the title of the captain away from me?"

"I'll make sure of it, if you continue acting like this against me and others like me!" I assured her grabbing the ball she was holding and hit it on the street as we were walking.

"Now I feel threatened!" she said with a tone of irony making a funny face.

"I already have someone on my side!"

"You mean that guy with the red streak on his hair?"

"Kohori! He'll definitely back me up!"

"Are you challenging me again?" she asked leaning in order to look at me face to face. I could feel her next cursing spell ready to enter me through her evil eyes.

"If that's what it takes to make the world respect short people, then yeah I am!" I said confidently.

"Oh, if we continue having such games like today, in a week my legs and hands will be torn apart. How will I be able to attract fans? How will they like a girl who can't play normally without falling and is so clumsy?"

I looked at her through the corners of my eyes surprised.

How on earth could someone like her have fans?

Who does she think she is?

Maybe having her head so high in the sky makes her too aware of herself. Oh man, where am I getting myself into…

I laughed at the image of a group of guys following the witch like maniacs, shouting out her name as bubbles in the shape of hearts float above their heads. The giraffe and her fan-club of dwarves!

"What's so funny, midget?" she shot looking annoyed.

"I doubt it you are able to attract a single guy! Just your height must scare them all off, let alone your sense of humor!" I chuckled throwing her the ball.

She grabbed it with her arms tensed. She furrowed her eyebrows blowing hard from her nose like a bull.

"I'm definitely better than you!"

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?" I asked always keeping this confident smile of mischief on my face.

She pressed her lips together throwing the ball hard back at me.

I could see the irritation growing as her eyes got darker and her face redder.

I hit the ball in front of my legs, letting it move in harmony with me.

"I'll step on you and smash you like a little cockroach!" she hissed mimicking her fantasy with her hands.

"I hate cockroaches!"

"Guys are not afraid of me!"

"Doubt it!"

"You're not the perfect example of a guy!"

"I'm not afraid of you!"

"Are you not?"

"No!" I looked at her smiling. "In comparison to you!"

"Ah! You think I'm afraid of you?"

"Yup!"

"Hmph!"

"What?"

Koizumi grabbed me from my shoulders and forcefully, I mean it forcefully, she made me face her and brought her face closer to mine. Our noses were almost touching and that heat inside my head was growing dangerously. Like a volcano, hell, like hell itself!

She was too close and all we had been talking about had been erased from my memory. Everything, even my name, even the name of the city we were in…

All started abandoning me, because she was… so… close…

"What the-!"

"Are you really… not-afraid of me?" she asked sounding so serious.

I felt like drowning in her stare noticing how her pupils had widened up and how they were shining. I could swear I saw a glimpse of tear forming in them.

Suddenly, all I thought had abandoned me returned in a second and new thoughts, new worries flooded my head; what was wrong with her, what was going on inside her head, why was she suddenly so… sad?

The world had stopped turning and everything around us was nothing more than a blurry part of this darkness that had surrounded us.

I felt her grip around my shoulders losing its power, and then she let her chin fall on her collarbone and turned around.

I felt dizzy.

"I'm sorry!" she muttered and looked at her feet.

I felt strange, somehow guilty. Like I had done something wrong, though I couldn't recall what. We had said so many humiliating things to each other that I couldn't see what had actually hurt her.

I never intended to hurt her.

I never would, now that I think about it.

I barely knew her, still… I felt so attracted to her in a strange way. And this time we spent playing basketball together proved that she was an exciting and very interesting person to hang out with.

I wanted to be with her.

"Koizumi!"

She slowly turned around to look at me.

Now I had to say something to encourage her, right? Something to make her smile?

But… what?

I'm no good at this…

Grrr!

"Well… do you have a network connection at home?"

…

Koizumi's eyes went blank and her irises were now two tiny dots in her eyes.

I scratched the back of my head.

"Anyways, take this!" I searched the front pocket of my school bag and grabbed my MP3 player and gave it to her.

"Why are you giving me this?" she asked sounding tired.

I so wanted to see that crazy idiot I had known…

"When strange things blurry my mind I listen to the music I have in here. It always helps me clear my head!" I said and she took it from my hand. Her fingers brushed my palm for a brief moment, making me feel a little proud for being some kind of help in this outburst of hers.

*"Or that's what I hope at least!" mutters at us*

"Thanks, Otani!" she said looking at it with a sincere smile.

My dear heart, stop scaring me like this!

If you continue bouncing like this every time she says something I'm going to die of a heart attack, and my sister will wonder if it was Kira's* fault!

"See you tomorrow at school!" I said throwing her back her basketball and turned to take my way home.

"Kotani-kun!" Koizumi said.

I looked at her over my shoulder, seeing that blank face again.

What's wrong now?

"Tomorrow is Saturday." She muttered pointing at her head, like I was a five-year-old.

…

The wind blew through my hair and almost swept me off my feet.

"Then I'll see you around!" I corrected myself and I fought the urge not to continue my way home bouncing like a child.

"Bye!" I heard Koizumi's high-pitched voice call and I chuckled at myself with this interesting turn of things.

*Kira's fault… well it's a mention of the animation "Death Note" where Kira is the one in possession of the death note and kills people. When he doesn't mention the cause of death, then his victim is found to have died of heart attack… I know this wasn't appropriate, but it just came out as I was trying to type as fast as the scenes actually occur in my head and thought it was funny o_O