"I'll give you this Garigari-kun, so please go out with me!"
Never, in her sixteen years of life, had Fukumoto Hitomi ever been proposed to with a popsicle stick.
No, not the popsicle. It was the stick from which the ice cream came from. So, just a plain, wooden stick.
She thought she had seen it all, but apparently, she hadn't.
Flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and any other material object one could think of. Heck, one guy even genuinely proposed with a diamond ring.
…But a popsicle stick?
Hitomi was floored. She just stared at the stick, processing what just happened. She had just walked out of the convenience store, only to be in this situation. She was too surprised to even have her normal cold glare.
Regaining her senses, her eyes travelled from the stick to the hand holding it out to her and to the face of the daring boy.
He had sparkling, hopeful eyes paired with a large grin.
Well, that probably wouldn't last for long.
She noticed that she had to look down at him. For a Japanese female, Hitomi was quite tall, standing at 5' 8''. Coupled with her slender build and pretty face, many people were led to believe that she was a model or could at least become one.
Most boys her age were either around her height or taller. Since it was the late afternoon, he had no uniform on. He was in simple black shorts and a bright red T-shirt. Perhaps this boy was younger? Middle school? Maybe even elementary?
Regardless, she would reject him. Especially after a confession like that.
Hitomi gave the most minimalist bow. "No, thank you. I have no need for other people's trash."
The boy audibly gasped with a horrified expression. "It's not trash! It's the winner!" He flipped the popsicle stick straight up, revealing some writing on it. Winner! It was the type of brand that would let one claim a free ice cream if they got lucky. Apparently, he was one of those lucky winners.
The boy gasped again, this time in realization. "Could it be…you don't like Garigari-kun? But how could anybody not like Garigari-kun! They have the best ice cream! The best popsicles! Especially the soda flavor!"
Hitomi blinked. "It's not so much me not liking the ice cream as it is just me not wanting to date a complete stranger. Pardon me." She gave a minimalist bow again, quickly trying to walk past him.
Unfortunately, the boy quickly recovered. He turned around and dashed in front of her, blocking her path. He gave an overly eager ninety-degree bow, in which Hitomi had to hastily back away a little so that his head wouldn't bump into her. "My name is Nishinoya Yuu! I'm a second-year at Karasuno High School! Nice to meet you!"
Her eyes widened a little. He was the same year as her? Then he really was just rather short. Not that she really had anything against short people. She was once that height, too. Well, that really didn't change anything. She would still reject him.
"I can't say the feeling is mutual. Good day." She curtly responded, walking around him again. She felt a tug on her wrist. His hand was thin, almost bony.
"Wait! Maybe you're just not in the mood for ice cream? I have other stuff too! Hang on!" He let go of her wrist to dig into the shopping bag. He pulled out several items from the bag, inspecting them as if even he, himself, was unsure of what he bought. The bag contained several cooking ingredients and miscellaneous items. His mother probably sent him out on an errand.
With each new item he pulled out, he would mumble to himself, saying that it 'wasn't right,' or something along those lines. While he was distracted, Hitomi tried leaving again. "Wait!" He called out again, eliciting an annoyed sigh from her.
"I don't have anything else for you now, but I promise I'll have something better next time! So, tell me your name!" He pleaded.
Hitomi frowned. "I'd really rather not." She used her extra cold voice this time, forgoing her previous attempts at being polite.
The boy flinched, but his face was anything but scared. "So cold…! Ahh, it's just like Kiyoko-san!" He mumbled to himself, a strange amount of excitement in his voice.
Kiyoko-san? She was being compared? Was that some girl he was trying to get over or something? Did that mean Hitomi was just a rebound for him then? That's even worse.
She turned around to walk away yet again, but Nishinoya just followed her, walking by her side. Hitomi immediately stopped, realizing that he was the persistent type. "Please stop before I call the police." She made a show of pulling her phone out of her pocket, making it known that her threat was very much real.
The boy raised his hands up in a surrender. "Hold on, there's no need for the police! I just want to know your name!"
Hitomi sighed. "I already said I don't want to tell you. Why are you not taking the hint?"
"Because it was love at first sight!" He declared, the large grin on his face never leaving.
Ugh. That phrase again.
What was with people believing in such a thing? Sure, it may seem romantic, but it's actually just an extremely superficial and shallow concept.
Hitomi shook her head in disapproval. "You're not the first person who's said that to me today, but I'll give you the same answer that I gave to him. The only thing you like about me is my appearance. I don't know anything about you, and you don't know anything about me. There's no way I would go out with someone under those circumstances."
Nishinoya was still smiling, unrelenting. "That's why I introduced myself! I want to get to know you! We can even start off as friends if you want!"
She had met dense people before. People who went at their own pace. It didn't mean she was any less annoyed at him though. "I really don't think we can be friends, let alone boyfriend and girlfriend. Please leave me alone." She walked off again.
He was about to chase after her once more before being stopped by his phone's ringtone. Hitomi heard a shrill voice as he answered the call. "Yuu! Where are you!? It's already been over half an hour, and I need those ingredients for dinner!"
"Sorry, mom! I'll be right back!" The boy frantically responded, quickly ending the call. He turned back to Hitomi. "Sorry! I have to go, but I'll see you again!"
"I highly doubt that." She responded, but Nishinoya had already dashed off in the opposite direction, presumably in the direction of his house.
Hitomi's eyes followed him. For such a short boy, he could run rather fast.
Just as he turned the corner, he saw in his peripheral vision that she still stood in the same spot, staring after him. He skid to a halt, popping his head back to look at her. He happily waved at her while giving her a closed-eye grin, fully bearing his pearly whites. Hitomi promptly turned around, not reciprocating.
With her shopping bag in hand, she walked the short distance back home. Upon arrival, she was greeted by two lines of servants. They parted, making a pathway for her. "Welcome back, madam." They all greeted in unison.
A greeting that most heard with warmth, Hitomi heard with only formalities. It made this big house all the lonelier.
"I'm back." She listlessly responded, making a beeline for the stairs to her room. One maid in particular, her personal one, walked with her.
Hitomi dropped the shopping bag into the maid's hands. "Today took you a bit longer than usual, Hitomi-sama. Did you happen to come across a friend?" She asked.
The young girl scoffed. "You know I don't have any friends." The maid turned the knob, opening the door for her. "Another confession then?" She inquired.
"What else is new." Hitomi asked rhetorically. Taking a couple notebooks and pens from her bag, she walked out again. "If you need me, I'll be in my study."
The maid bowed while holding open the shopping bag. Hitomi shuffled through it, pulling out one of the snacks she bought.
A Garigari-kun popsicle. Soda flavor.
Reaching her study, Hitomi sat down at the large desk in the center. She opened her notes, studying them as she nibbled on the popsicle.
Huh. He was right. The soda flavor is good.
Normally, she went for the Calpis Ice Bar, a sweet yet somewhat acidic popsicle. Similar to the company's yogurt flavor-like soft drink. Today, however, she decided to try one of the many flavors of Garigari-kun.
After she finished the popsicle, she went to throw out the stick but stopped after seeing some writing on it.
Winner!
How lucky. Well, it's not like she would go back to the store today, and she most certainly wouldn't save the stick until she went back next week. It was a bit of a waste, but she didn't mind. It's wasn't like she was short of money.
Her mind went back to the boy at the convenience store.
She had met boys like him before. The overly eager and overly cheerful type. The ones that didn't take her warnings the first time and kept going. They were persistent. Although, they all eventually broke after a few more times.
Honestly, she kind of admired them. To be able to persist in such adversity and after being shown such hostility.
She didn't know if it was because they were truly determined, or if it was because they were just plain stupid. Perhaps it was a combination of both.
She didn't exactly hate those types, but they tended to be much more annoying than the rest. Boys usually chose one of two options: Forget about her, or hate her. She didn't particularly care for either, but the persistent ones took far too long choosing which one to do.
Oh well, at least they were just persistent. Persistent ones were annoying for sure, but they weren't the worst. The worst were the persistent ones that turned into stalkers. Those were the ones she had to look out for, but those types were often very obvious. Hitomi could usually tell from the first interaction whether or not she'd have to deal with a potential stalker.
Nishinoya Yuu didn't seem like one of those.
Then again, Hitomi had been wrong before.
Because one week later, he was waiting outside the convenience store, his eyes lighting up when he saw her.