Chapter 7: Little obsession
For a couple of years now, Satoru has become extremely obvious, at least to his eyes that have become adept at analyzing him. He watches him sit, neglecting the slice of pizza that lies almost forgotten on his plate, the melted cheese beginning to cool, turning into a firm yellow mass. Strangely, he has chosen a seat by the window and looks steadily through the glass and then types a message on his cell phone.
Suguru smirks, knowing almost certainly that Satoru is waiting for Miwa-chan's arrival, beginning to worry himself as it's rather late for a girl her age to be walking down the street alone.
"Miwa-chan said she would be late?" Suguru asks Shoko. "Maybe we should go get her so she won't come alone."
"She said she had to do something before she came."
"She's being exploited at the science club," comments Satoru and takes his slice of pizza to take a bite.
"Oh, yeah. She said Muta-kun had to talk to her..." replies Shoko and pauses to think as an insightful idea enters her mind. "You think he'll tell her he likes her today?"
"Are you talking about Muta-kun?" Itadori asks with a piece of cheese dangling between his lips.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Fushiguro reprimands him, slightly disgusted.
"Yeah, he's your classmate, isn't he?" asks Shoko. "Is he a good guy? Our friend Satoru fears he's a bad influence on innocent Miwa-chan."
"I don't know, he's pretty withdrawn. I don't know him well," Megumi replies.
"He's more antisocial than Megumi," says Itadori after swallowing.
Satoru tries to ignore the comments about Kasumi's supposed suitor and looks back at the message read and still waiting for a reply, on his cell phone screen.
"Are you coming?"
Kasumi has already arrived at her front door by the time she reads Satoru's latest message, however, she chooses not to answer him. And while she' still outraged by his attitude, the anger that led her to accept Kokichi's proposal has slowly faded away leaving room for slight regret. The truth is that before this moment, she hadn't given herself a chance to think about anyone else besides Gojou and she begins to feel that her response was nothing more than an outburst to even an invisible score. Kokichi is certainly not responsible for Satoru's attitudes and doesn't deserve to have someone play with his feelings like that.
After a shower, lying on her bed, Kasumi begins to think about how she could refuse the proposal she has already accepted, but no matter how much she repeats a speech in her mind, with small variations, none of them seems gentle enough not to hurt his feelings.
In a way she admires that he had the courage to ask her out, while another part of her wishes Satoru had the same courtesy, or at least the finesse not to go over the social construct of dating.
She spends the rest of her weekend dreading Monday's arrival and when it finally does, she pauses to gather air in her lungs, puffing out her chest to cross the street and enter the school. She straightens her back and walks with her chest firm, her gaze determined. A weekend alone, out of Satoru's reach has served to cool her thoughts. His words firmly etched in her mind and involuntarily repeating themselves almost every moment to remind her that she has lived only a small adventure.
But even though she feels cheated and used, she can't help but blame herself for the situation she has gotten herself into. Satoru may be convincing, but she knows she always had the last word and that leaves little room to completely hate him.
She' relieved to walk the first few meters without running into Satoru or Kokichi, she can make it all the way to her classroom and sit at her desk without the added stress of that pair. Seeing again the face of the boy she likes, who is not really interested in her, is almost as difficult as seeing the face of the one who is, but the feeling is not reciprocated.
Unfortunately she knows that she will have to face them again, sooner or later. But as she takes out her books, her distressed face glued to the cover, a hand lands on her desk and she is forced to look up.
Shoko smiles at her, but in a lopsided, almost mischievous way. Behind her is Mei-Mei who soon sits on the desk and approaches her, watching her in a way that chills her skin.
"Well, did he asked you out?" asks Shoko.
"Did you go out with him over the weekend?"
Miwa stammers and another shiver runs down her spine as she hears the chairs behind her dragging on the floor. She glances sideways, but only catches a glimpse of Suguru's black hair as he takes a seat in the back row.
"Oh, don't be so quiet..." says Shoko and crosses her arms. "We just want to give you a couple of tips. I don't think you have much experience, do you?"
"Did Muta ask you to be his girlfriend?" Mei-Mei asks and Kasumi is surprised by the insistence in her words, since they haven't really talked much. And, as if sensing her distrust, she laughs. "Truth be told, some freshmen bet on your answer. Apparently, Muta-kun isn't very popular so most of them bet that you rejected him."
Just listening to her, knowing that Satoru is probably smiling at the expense of Kokichi's unpopularity, Kasumi frowns and answers with determination.
"Well, sorry for them, but... I agreed to go out with Kokichi."
"I'm glad," Mei-Mei replies. "Well, that's it. I'll go collect my money before the teacher gets here. It's always a good day when you put your money in the right place."
When Mei-Mei leaves, Shoko takes a seat and drags her chair over to Kasumi's.
"Don't mind her, when's your date?"
...
"D-Did you say yes?" The boy stammers, as if fully prepared to receive the opposite answer.
She nods, though she doesn't look moved. She still has her fists clenched and her brow furrowed.
"Well... Uhm..." she reluctantly blushes and scratches the back of his neck with his eyes glued to the ground. "I actually just thought I'd ask you if you'd like to go out with me, but... I haven't thought about where to take you. How about Monday we talk about this again?"
...
Kasumi remembers Kokichi's last words before leaving the school and smiles with some tenderness. The truth is that she had not stopped too much to think about him and she finds this memory certainly touching. Since, for the little she knows him, maybe he doesn't even go out enough to know a nice place to take her.
"We haven't decided yet."
"He asked you out and doesn't know where?" Satoru's voice asks her, full of irony, and she has no choice but to turn around to see his crooked smile.
"As if you know where to take a girl on a date," Suguru comments and Gojou immediately loses his smile.
"If I was going to ask one out, I would have thought about it. Doesn't it seem too impromptu?"
"Maybe so, but... well, he probably doesn't have much experience, or at least not as much as you," replies Shoko.
Kasumi takes the moment to turn back to her desk and looks up at the blackboard. The reminder of Satoru's experience unnerves her again and she comes to wonder how bad it would really be to go on a date with someone else. After all, a date is nothing more than that. And it is clear to her that Satoru doesn't care at all if she dates someone else, it is more than clear.
While she ignores him, Gojou breaks a cookie he was about to eat, hidden in the small shelf under his desk. He has thought for the rest of Sunday about writing to her again, but Shoko's comments during their last game's victory celebration were enough to put him off.
It wasn't until the first recess that he was unable to take his eyes off the two of them, when, while following her too closely without her noticing, that she ran into the boy who makes him gnash his teeth.
Unfortunately for him, he doesn't get to hear their conversation as a girl stops in front of him, though she's short enough to still see Kokichi's smiling, blushing face from across the corridor.
"Gojou-sempai," the girl says to him and he replies with a terse 'aha'. "I'm Kobayashi... from freshman year, do you remember me?"
"Yes, yes, of course," he answers stretching his neck trying to listen to Kasumi's conversation.
"We haven't talked much, but I'm in the cheerleading squad, you know? I always see you at practice..." Gojou nods, even though he's not really listening to her. "I wanted to... tell you..." she says with a lot of effort. If Satoru would turn to see her he would find her face even more flushed than Kokichi Muta's, but he doesn't, he can't shake the little jerk courting his tutor in front of his eyes from his attention. "I wanted to tell you that I... I like you a lot."
Kasumi nods and Kokichi smiles somewhat awkwardly, Gojou rests a hand on the shoulder of the young girl who waits with great anxiety for an answer, but when she looks up she finds him distracted.
"Great, I'll talk to you later, okay?" He says without much ceremony and leaves through the corridor where Kasumi left.
Stupefied, the girl turns to see Gojou disappear on the other side of a corridor. And even he doesn't know why he is behind her, wondering if they have arranged a day, time and place for their unfortunate date.
Kasumi walks completely distracted until a force pulls her behind a door and she finds herself in the dark, inside a small closet used to store cleaning supplies. She quickly turns around and despite the dim light recognizes his face straining a smile.
"Are you going out with him? Are you doing it to annoy me for what I told you on Saturday?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"It's just... it seems like such a big coincidence that we had that conversation and suddenly you're going out with someone else. Are you going to use that guy to tease me?"
Kasumi feels her skin starting to boil after every cheeky word from Satoru, her little body trembling almost as much as it did at the sight of him flirting shamelessly with another girl without knowing she was watching him.
"How self-centered do you have to be to think that my life decisions revolve around you?" she says almost spitting out the words. "I'll go out with Kokichi-kun because he's a nice guy, he's kind and good, and he's respectful, smart and many other things that you're not."
"Oh, yeah? He's all that?"
"And more!"
"Well, you know... I don't think he's as nice as you think he is. And I'm going to prove it to you."
Gojou opens the door and walks out as if nothing happened, leaving Kasumi inside, shaking with frustration and inadvertently making her desire to go on a date with someone else grow.
Meanwhile, Satoru walks purposefully to the corridor where the freshman classrooms are located and glances into each one until he finds the face he's been looking for. For someone with an ego as inflated as he is, it's hard to maneuver the dislike Kasumi seems to have for him. All the words of praise she has just professed to Kokichi serve only to stimulate that ingrained sense of competition he has, that of always being number one.
He ignores the whispers of the freshman girls as he peeks through the door and raises his hand to get Ijichi's attention, though it takes him a little while as he has his glasses perched on a book. He notices his presence as he approaches, taking an empty chair to sit in with the back turned and he smiles broadly at the sight of him.
"Gojou-sempai!" He says and the other smiles back, adjusting his dark glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"Ijichi, I need a favor," he says before turning to see that he has unnecessarily drawn the attention of everyone in the freshman classroom. "Meet me at the rear of the school during second recess."
"Huh? Yes, of course!"
Gojou smiles again and soon leaves, fulfilling his promise hours later as the sun begins to set and bathes the sky in orange hues.
Ijichi waits for him patiently in the shade of the school, smiling again in the same way he did before. He gives him a bow that Satoru finds most unnecessary and he leans against the wall with his arms crossed.
The surroundings are deserted, so he feels calmer since no one will overhear their conversation.
"Gojou-sempai," Ijichi says to him in the same broken tone in which he usually speaks to him, as if he is constantly scared. "What do you need?"
"Do you know Kokichi Muta? From first year."
"Muta-kun? Y-yes, from the science club."
"Well, Kokichi is trying to date a friend of mine, but I'm afraid he's not as good as he seems. I have a feeling he's hiding something and I need to know what it is. You know, to warn my friend. Could you find out as much as you can about him?"
Ijichi adjusts his glasses, slightly disgruntled by the request he has made.
"Remember I helped you against those bullies in the bathroom, you owe me one."
He nods, his face worried and thinks for a moment to end up nodding once more.
"Of course, Gojou-sempai. I haven't forgotten. Whatever you or Getou-sempai need, I'm at your disposal. I'll see what I can do for you, I won't let you down!"
Satoru smiles again and pats his back before starting his walk back to school.
"Thank you Ijichi, and remember... Not a word of this to anyone."
On his way back to the school, walking alongside the track where some boys are still running, Gojou hears Yuuji Itadori's distinctive voice and ends up hiding behind a tree as he notices he's heading to the showers in the company of the infamous Kokichi Muta. Behind him goes Todou, the first year mastodon who has a close relationship with Yuuji since their parents got married and are now step-siblings.
"Uh..." Todou lets out with some disgust, his face contracted as if he had just stepped in shit. "You're boring, common and ordinary like everyone else."
Kokichi tries to ignore him, although he can see on his face that he's starting to get impatient and this arouses Gojou's curiosity. Although he doesn't think he's such a jerk as to start a fight with someone Todou's size.
"Leave him alone, Todou... If Muta-kun likes Miwa-sempai, there's nothing wrong with it."
"She's skinny and small. Boring, just like him and his tastes. It was better when he said he didn't have a type of woman, but now he's finished confirming that he's a boring man, how uninteresting."
"Miwa-sempai is cute," Yuuji consoles him, although Kokichi doesn't deign to answer either of them.
"It's simple, a woman has to have wide hips, thick legs and a nice ass."
This is the first time Gojou hears someone talking this way about Miwa and he finds himself beginning to deeply detest Todou Aoi's face. Someone as ugly as he is has no right to talk about Miwa's body, which he knows so little about. He wishes he could interrupt and say that Kasumi does, in fact, have a round, smooth little ass, but to do so would sink him completely and her as well. So she bites his tongue and waits for them to get out of sight so he can come out of hiding.
"Where are you going to take her?" Itadori asks, ignoring his stepbrother's words.
"Uhm... to an ice cream parlor nearby," he answers shyly. "Next Saturday afternoon."
Once they are out of sight and having heard the designated location for their date, Gojou takes his cell phone and Googles the closest ice cream parlors to the school. There are four within a ten-block radius, nine within a twenty-block radius.
He wanders through the corridors looking at each ice cream shop, thinking about how to rule out the options, which one seems more Kasumi's style, what the price ranges are, and ends up weighing the certainty that it will be impossible for him to decipher which one will he take her. He doesn't even know why he needs to know, as much as he needs a sweet after training, almost as anxiously.
He has been so distracted all day that, when Kasumi turns over her desk and looks into his eyes with slight resentment, he realizes what day it is.
"Shall we go to your home together to study, or would you rather we do it here?"
Gojou hesitates, only now remembering that, in fact, he still has classes with Kasumi.
"As you wish," he replies, trying to sound disinterested.
Everyone in the classroom picks up their things, Suguru and Shoko say goodbye to them. Today it's Satoru's turn to clean the classroom so he stands up and starts to turn over the chairs as everyone leaves.
"We could study here, maybe I can take the last bus home."
"I told you, whatever."
Kasumi is so good-natured that she can't resist and gets up to clean the blackboard and then grabs a broom from the small piece of furniture in the corner of the classroom. For some reason this bothers him, he finds it unnecessary to be such a goody, so helpful, so much so that any cretin could take advantage of her if she doesn't open her eyes once and for all and realize that Kokichi Muta is not for her.
"You don't have to do that," he tells her as he picks up another broom and starts sweeping. "It's not your job, not today."
"The sooner we finish, the sooner I can go home."
So that's what it was all about, Gojou thinks as he sweeps. It's not that Kasumi is so overly kind, it's just that she can't stand sharing her time with him anymore.
"You know, if you don't want to tutor me anymore, you don't have to."
"Are you firing me?" she asks, coming to a complete stop.
"N-no, I didn't say that. Since you're in such a hurry to leave I guess it's because you don't want to teach me anymore. And you know, it's okay, I think I'm on track and I can handle this on my own."
"Oh..." Kasumi mutters, immediately afraid that her only source of income will vanish. "I see..."
Putting the broom aside, Kasumi retraces her steps to grab her briefcase. Gojou sees her out of the corner of his eye, she doesn't look happy at all and suddenly remembers the reason why she agreed to this tutoring in the first place. It doesn't take long for the guilt to sink in, though he doesn't know how to undo what he's just done. He stammers awkwardly as she arranges the straps of her briefcase over her back and begins a narrow walk to the door, until she feels Satoru's hand on hers and turns to see him.
"S-sorry..." he murmurs, averting his gaze. "I still need help, could you stay?"
Those simple words are enough for Kasumi to regain her smile, she stops in her tracks and turns around as Gojou lets go of her hand.
"Sure, shall we finish cleaning up?"
Satoru nods and it is strange that this little interaction has served to take away some of the bitterness that has accompanied him throughout the day.
After cleaning the classroom, they both lower the chairs from each desk, Satoru turns Kasumi's bench to face his. She picks up her biology books and they begin a light review to which, strangely enough, Satoru pays more attention than usual.
Perhaps it is because, in this environment, without a bed so close and with Kasumi wearing her school uniform, he is not as inclined to seduce her as he usually does. Or perhaps it is because, despite their goodwill, they are still displeased with each other. Whatever it is, it's enough to get through their afternoon of studies in peace, and after an hour alone, they decide to call it a day.
"The school corridors are spooky at this hour," says Kasumi, her voice bouncing off the walls as they descend the stairs.
"There's a group that started a club, they usually get together at this hour to discuss paranormal events."
"Scary..."
"Are you a scaredy-cat, Kasumi-chan?"
"Maybe a little," she replies, smiling softly.
As they reach the outskirts of the school, when the street lights have already been turned on and the streets are dark, Gojou starts to feel something strange inside him again. The truth is that he has never been too worried about others, he doesn't usually stop to think about everything that can happen to a girl in a dark alley and now that he does, he finds it creepy.
"Well, have a good night Gojou-kun. See you tomorrow."
"Wait..." he says, again trying to sound disinterested. "I'll go with you to the bus stop," Kasumi looks surprised, her big eyes so fixed on him that they make him feel uncomfortable. "Don't look at me like that, I'm a gentleman. If anything happens to you on the way it will be my fault for not accompanying you."
She nods, unable to contain a certain emotion born inside her. Her cheeks softly flushing as she begins a short walk to the bus stop.
Awkwardly, they talk about the weather and Satoru's next match, a week from now. Completely ignoring the topic that has been on Gojou's mind for most of the day, that terrible date she will have with Kokichi. And, even though he has thought a couple of times to bring the subject up, Satoru decides to ignore it until they take a seat on a small bench at the bus stop.
Kasumi sits quietly, with both hands in her lap, clasped together. Satoru watches out of the corner of his eye Miwa's white skin starting to redden from the cold and without a moment's thought takes off his jacket to leave it on her shoulders.
The blush on Kasumi's face grows as she feels the scent of Gojou's perfume tucked into the fibers of his jacket. She turns around without saying anything and finds his cheeks barely turning pink as he averts his gaze with some annoyance.
"If we're going to study at school you should bring a coat, it's cold at this hour."
Kasumi smiles, grabbing the edges of the jacket to cover herself. This may be the first time Satoru is so kind to her and she can't hold back the intense beating of her teenage heart, nor the uncomfortable feeling on her abdomen, as if there was something fluttering in there.
"Aren't you cold?" she asks him quietly.
"No," he answers and places a hand on Miwa's, letting her feel the warmth of his skin. "You see? I think it's because my metabolism is fast. I'm never cold." He spreads his smile as he sees the way Miwa's cheeks light up. "You on the other hand..." he whispers, raising his hand to lightly caress her face, "you're freezing."
Satoru's thumb pauses, slowly stroking Kasumi's soft skin as she keeps her big blue eyes locked on him. She doesn't flinch an inch when he gently leans over her and with slight hesitation kisses her tenderly on the lips.
Bewitched by him again, she closes her eyes and kisses his warm lips until her skin tingles and heat grows from her belly to her face, reciprocating that furtive kiss until he stops and directs his gaze to the street.
Breathless, Kasumi opens her eyes again, but the sky of his gaze is not on her, but on the bus that has just arrived.
"Good night, Kasumi-chan."
A/N: I plan to make this fic not too long, there are still a few things to happen but I plan to keep the pace of the story light to read. After this fic there is another gojomiwa that I'm dying to write so I'll try to finish it as soon as possible, if work and life itself allow me to do so. I hope you liked it and a thousand thanks to those who take a few minutes to comment!