ii. two; reverse
The next morning, things are the same: she still sits in his car when he picks her up and he still drives them to work together. It's normal for them, and Judai thinks this normalcy is what he likes the best to get his day started.
In the passenger seat, he sees Asuka shift and adjust her arm sling. She seems to be getting used to having it on because she doesn't frown as much about it anymore. Judai thinks this is good progress, because it helps him see that she's recovering.
"You're getting better," he comments, and she looks up bemusedly. "I'm surprised, since I expected more than eight weeks for you."
Amused, she replies, "I can't be sure if you want me to recover quicker or slower when you tell me that."
She says this to him even though he's been nagging her about healthier eating and less overworking? He almost rolls his eyes at the irony.
"Well, I can't be sure if you want to recover quicker or slower when you overwork," he says casually. Unlike him, she actually rolls her eyes. Gosh, it's like she's in denial about her own overworking habits. He jabs lightly, "Everyone else that I know works a lot, but they also know how to spend their breaks by taking it easy. What about you?"
Undeterred, she dully tells him, "I sit and eat," and she rolls her eyes again to make a point, probably in response to his nagging. In his defense, she needs this nagging or she really will shrivel up. "On your orders, I might add."
On his orders… Yes. True. And it's thanks to him that she's been able to eat real food lately and she's been having less to do because he helps her with her paper sorting and presentation slides. And he doesn't even get anything in return or asks for anything either. Really, she should be thanking him because he's using the goodness of his heart for her.
"You're doing good," he blithely says, beaming with smugness. She looks unamused. "Sooner or later, you won't have to wear that sling anymore and you'll be healthier. Kill two birds with one stone, y'know?"
Oddly, she doesn't respond to him. He glances at her briefly, and sees her appearing dimmed. "If I don't have to wear this anymore, that means I can use both hands again."
When they stop at a red light, he tilts his head. "Yeah?" he replies confusedly, because he's pretty sure that this is what he's been trying to stress to her about by emphasizing on her recovery.
But it seems that this isn't really what Asuka wants to tell him. "I… could cook properly again."
Quietly, he nods with a raised eyebrow. He remembers that her culinary skills are restaurant-quality because he sometimes asked to try out something from her lunch back in high school, or she'd have him taste test. But, he doesn't see what her cooking has to do with anything right now about her recovery.
She looks like she's struggling. He's about to ask what—
"I… wouldn't have to worry about getting rides anymore."
Judai stops. He blinks and stops. He stares at the red light and simply continues staring. She is merely quiet next to him as she awaits his response that he doesn't seem to have because his mind is suddenly blank.
He takes a self-soothing exhale to cast away this unpleasantness building up inside of himself because he's a person of habit and not seeing Asuka in his car anymore every morning and afternoon for five days a week is something he isn't accustomed to anymore. "I see," he says, finally. It's a bit empty and bland, but still a response while he thinks of something else to say.
He resumes the car at the green light and Asuka is still tentatively quiet, unable to say anything back as well.
Contrary to what most people say about Asuka being strict or responsible, Judai thinks those people aren't really seeing the whole picture of her. She's a rather thoughtful, caring girl. She is strict, but that is because she cares about others finding success. She is responsible because she wants to prove that she is capable of running her life in the way that she wants. She has an independent streak and shows it.
But even so, Asuka is also someone who cares so much for a person that she has to ask them if it's okay to let change happen between them even though it sounds like she doesn't want those changes to happen herself, because she cares too much for the other person's feelings than to consider her own.
So, Judai simply focuses his eyes on the road and asks her, "Is that what you want?" He asks this because he wants to know if this is really what she wants for the two of them. He asks her this because he knows that she wouldn't have said this to him if she didn't have an opinion of her own about it.
Her answer is rather fast: "No."
So, the conclusion is pretty obvious to Judai. Casually, he replies, "Then I don't see what's the problem." He makes a turn with the wheel.
"You… don't mind?" she asks tentatively, like he would actually get mad at her for voluntarily wanting to drive her.
Geez, she worries about the weirdest things sometimes.
He adamantly keeps his eyes on the road because he doesn't want to see his face in the reflection of his car window right now. "If I did, would we really be here right now?" he mutters, embarrassed.
Asuka gives a laugh, no longer sounding burdened. He's glad that his embarrassment cheered her up at least. "Talking buddies are most convenient in the same car then."
He fakes a cough once, face warmed because this isn't his strong suit at all. Johan would laugh at him if he saw him right now. "Glad you finally understand that."
They say nothing for the rest of the ride—which is strange because they're supposed to be talking buddies—but he thinks there can be exceptions sometimes because he probably wouldn't know what to even talk about anyway as he tries not to let his embarrassment get the best of him while he focuses on the road and she sits there smiling.
.
.
This is probably the first lunch Judai's had by himself in years. No Johan or Asuka around. Just himself.
Having Johan or Asuka around gives him this feeling of familiarity that he is very comfortable with because he's known them for so long. So, it feels very weird if either Johan or Asuka aren't around for something that Judai's used to seeing them for. Johan's club keeps him busy and Judai understands that, which is why he tells himself to get used to not seeing Johan anymore for lunch.
But not seeing Asuka around for lunch, now that's just something he's not used to seeing at all. They spend lunch in her classroom, after all.
She had told him that she is needed in the teacher's lounge today for lunch to help with advising for future career plans. Future career plans are pretty important, so Judai understood and volunteered to wait for her in her classroom. As a P.E teacher, he's only in charge of instructing people to exercise during class and he does not actually have to involve himself in things like future career planning at school. So, he has the luxury of having some time off.
But maybe, Judai should not have said that he'd wait in Asuka's classroom to spend his time because he can feel the stares again. And it's very uncomfortable. Not even playing with his phone districts him from the stares. And Asuka is not here to share the burden with. Which makes it worse.
So the moment he sees Kenzan step through the door with a thick stack of workbooks, Judai calmly somehow takes the stack himself, sets it on Asuka's desk, and proceeds to casually take Kenzan by the sleeve before dragging both of them out of the door with blessed speed he never knew he could have.
He's never felt so free before as they walk down the corridor far away from Asuka's classroom.
"Judai-san?" asks Kenzan from behind him, tentative and still following him.
In response, he lets go of Kenzan's sleeve and stops walking once they turn a corner into an empty hallway and Judai sighs really loudly in relief. "Thank you, Kenzan," he dramatically says, slumping his shoulders exhaustedly. "I was about to suffocate in there."
With a sympathetic smile, he replies, "Er, this is about the rumors, isn't it-don?"
He doesn't know how Kenzan easily understood his plight, but Judai will not overlook this miracle. So he nods and replies, "They've been getting worse." Those vultures. "Asuka's helping out students with future career planning in the lounge, so I thought I'd wait for her in her classroom—" He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "—but I guess that's too dangerous." Judai approaches an open window and folds his arms over the sill tiredly.
He feels a comforting pat on his back. "Well, you've been spending a lot of time with her, so high schoolers will be high schoolers-saurus…" Kenzan also stands with him next to the window. "If it makes you feel better, Judai-san, there are other rumors about Manjoume being a gang leader-don." Judai is about to burst laughing because he seriously needs a pick-me-up until: "Although, the rumors about you and Asuka-san are still more popular right now-don."
Judai dramatically slumps down against the window sill, letting his arms limply dangle and head droop. Depressing P.E Teacher returns again.
Kenzan cringes apologetically. "M-My bad-don…" He clears his throat, probably trying to rectify things. "On the bright side, at least your rumors are positive. Manjoume's been fed up with his-saurus."
"Both are equally bad at this point," he sighs, still slumped over the sill.
"This reminds me—" Kenzan starts chuckling as he says this. "—what's this I've been hearing about how you got knocked out by a basketball, Judai-san?"
Immediately, with widening eyes, Judai straightens himself up to a point where he thinks he might have cracked his back. Kenzan is startled by how fast he is. "Who told you that, Kenzan?" he asks calmly, smile twitchy and strained.
The prehistoric teacher coughs into his fist, probably hiding a laugh. "I heard it in the hallways from students-saurus."
Those minions. Judai forces himself to remain calm. "Did you hear why I was hit with the ball?"
Another fake cough and betraying laugh. "Yes-don."
Maybe he should really just quit his job and leave school in the near future. "It's not what you think."
"What am I thinking about, Judai-san?" Oh, now Kenzan is pulling a Johan on him by stifling his laughter to spare his feelings. Judai thinks he's miserable enough to not mind the laughter at this point.
He balls a fistful of his hair, wondering how it would feel like if he jumped from this second story window and fell into the pointy bushes below. "I would react that way to any of my friends if I knew they were in dan—"
Kenzan abruptly stops him by setting a hand on his shoulder, eyes watery as he tries very hard to keep his laughter in check. "The teacher's lounge is open to all teachers right now if you feel like visiting her-don." With another fake cough into his fist, he clears his throat and straightens his tie before smiling in amusement. "I need to ask Jim something, so I'll see you another time, Judai-san. Good talkin' to you-saurus."
As his friend walks away, Judai sighs and covers his burning face with a hand as he follows the path to the teacher's lounge. Maybe his soft spot for Asuka really is that obvious because he certainly never mentioned it to Kenzan, yet he still knew.
And Johan understands that too because the first thing Johan does when Judai enters the lounge is gesture to a cubicle near the other end of the room with a bright smile. Judai is about to ask—
"Lunch time is your time," Johan simply says, shrugging cheerfully. He seems to be taking a small break himself by getting water because Judai knows Johan's cubicle is also near that end of the room too. "She's in the middle of talking with a student, but you can wait nearby if you'd like."
Oh c'mon, how obvious is he?!
Judai stiffly nods and walks over to Asuka's cubicle so that he can salvage his sanity because he's tired of everyone reading too much into him without him telling anyone.
Asuka is talking by the time he reaches there: "I'm not privy to your family situation and I will never ask about it. But, I think the first step to having the courage that you want begins with telling your father about your future." Judai leans himself against the wall and stares out the window across from him idly as he listens. "He will probably be sad, but he's still your parent. A parent's job is to guide, not to dictate. Success has many roads; there can't be just one. A historian is one of those many paths that you must decide if you want to take or not. Same goes for doctor or engineer."
"Sounds tough," a male student murmurs.
"It's always tough," Asuka placatingly says. "But if you pursued a doctor or engineer's path, you could be a hero. You could save lives with medical knowledge or invent something that could save lives instead. It sounds like you want to be a hero, don't you?"
Judai perks a bit in nostalgia, mildly surprised. Wow, she actually remembers all of those hero talks they had? This brings him back some memories. It makes him feel embarrassed at how idealistic he used to be over heroes.
The male student replies, "I just want to help." Whoever this student is, he sounds very sincere. Judai thinks that behavior is already pretty hero-like.
"Do you think your father loves you, Martin-kun?" A brief pause. "Then the first thing you need to do is to tell him," Asuka says supportively. He hears paper rustling. "I know you'll find your answer soon."
"I'll do my best, Asuka-sensei. Thank you. Also, I hope your arm gets better."
Very casually, Judai pretends he is studying a potted plant nearby (because he is not going to pretend-study a poster about STEM classes with his brain capacity, even if it's much closer than the plant) as the male student exits Asuka's cubicle. He feigns ignorance about the conversation by politely nodding when the student looks at him.
He's still a bit taken aback that Asuka would really use him as an example to help that student out, and he could have laughed because she really pulled out the you-can-be-a-hero card after all these years. It makes him smile a bit because he didn't think she would remember this. He hardly talks about heroes anymore, if at all.
But she still bothers to remember.
Happily, he hums aloud for her to hear, "Hero, hm? I wonder where you got that from."
Asuka's face is red by the time he saunters into her cubicle. "The situation was similar, okay?"
Stifling his laughter, Judai plops himself sideways on a chair in front of her and gives her a lazy smile. "I didn't have to go through that with my dad." His jaw hurts from smiling.
She spends a while thinking of a good response. "But you did struggle choosing a path," she mutters, finally.
He did. But she and their friends helped him, and he made it. That's all that matters to him. Judai grandly spreads his arms in front of him, amused. "And look at me now! A P.E teacher!"
Asuka shakes her head, like it's incomprehensible to her. "I'm still surprised."
"Me too!" he grins cheekily, leaning back to cross his arms over his chest and prop a leg up on his knee. "But you know what? I don't regret it." She arches an eyebrow at him. His expression softens, eyes drifting a bit in nostalgia. It seems so long ago that he was always screaming about how he would be a hero when he grew up. "I did become a hero, y'know. If you stay healthy, you can be strong. Heroes are strong."
His words make her smile for some reason. "Then your job is really important, since you need to guide so many heroes-in-training."
He really does. He may have been ruthlessly bullied by his class with a basketball (and humiliation) and calls them minions and he jokes about quitting his job, but he likes his class and he thinks that things like these are what makes high school so memorable. He along with the other teachers get to watch all these students graduate and make a life for themselves, and he's happy with that. (And besides, he never meant to quit his job for real anyway.)
He gives her a glance, soft. "I do, don't I?" They sit like that for a while in the silence until he says, "And you know what else?" Asuka looks at him, and he wonders where did his courage go this time because he averts his eyes. "Some heroes also have a partner with them," he murmurs, avoiding her wide stare. "I'm glad, because even heroes need some help too once in a while."
She's red. "Well… Talking buddies are already partners in a way," she says, embarrassedly.
He blinks at her. It reminds him of that time in the classroom where she had been holding his face after he tried to dry her hair off with his jacket. Knowing Asuka, she has a difficult time trying to say what she really means. So she sends out messages instead. Messages that he had picked up on. Messages that he is still getting now. Messages that she is scared or embarrassed to admit, but still sent them to him anyway.
Tenderly, Judai smiles and replies, "Then we've been partners for a long time, since we've talked for so long." He might've been calling her his talking buddy since her arm injury, but technically they've been talking buddies for years since they first met.
She hums. "How did you get in here anyway?"
Awkwardly, he clears his throat. "Johan said I could wait here."
The mention of Johan's name makes her darken and Judai regrets mentioning him. He sends Johan a mental apology. "I thought you were going to wait inside my classroom?" she asks, sighing.
He blanches on the inside. There is no way that he is going to tell Asuka what had happened to him today in her classroom or about the new conversation with Kenzan. He doubts she'd appreciate him calling her students 'vultures' too.
He intensely stares at the plain wall in front of him. "I got bored." He pauses, then says, "It didn't feel the same, so I left." It was uncomfortable, stuffy, and suffocating without her in there. It's her classroom, so obviously he's used to seeing her in there.
But she wasn't in there today. And that just bothers him.
Saying nothing, Asuka is once again red. "Stay if you want—" she sighs in defeat, glancing at the clock. "—but classes start again in fifteen minutes."
This isn't her classroom, but she is here and it's still lunchtime and he thinks that's what matters the most to him because that means they can still have their time until those fifteen minutes are up.
He brightly smiles at her and stays.
.
.
The next day as he eats his lunch, Judai curiously watches as the male student from yesterday sets a paper on Asuka's desk.
"Martin-kun?" Asuka voices, questioningly.
Martin smiles timidly and nods at her and Judai next to her, bowing in respect. "I talked it out with my father yesterday just like what you told me and I think everything's okay now, Asuka-sensei."
Asuka abandons her laptop to read over Martin's paper. "How did he take it?" she asks, looking proud.
With a bright smile, Martin tells her, "He was a bit disappointed that I wanted to be something else, but he said that he's willing to support me all the way. That's all I ever wanted from him: his support. I'm glad that he thinks I have what it takes to pursue this."
There is something very sincere in Asuka's eyes as she responds kindly, "That's good! I knew it'd be fine. If he loves you, then he'll always be willing to support you. I know you'll do great things when you graduate." Judai watches as she takes a nearby pen and writes a big check mark on the corner of the paper. "You're all clear now for this, Martin-kun. Enjoy your lunch!"
The boy nods and bows again in respect with a thankful smile before leaving the classroom, probably to go get his lunch.
Judai thinks Martin looked very reassured and relieved after talking with Asuka; it amazes him to know how much she cares about her students to a point where she'd taken their situations into consideration and offered advice to help. He always knew she's a nice person, but the fact that Martin looks so reassured says a lot about Asuka's ability to empathize with others and it makes him think that being a teacher is definitely meant for her because, like him, she can guide people.
When she sets Martin's paper next to her laptop, Judai makes it a point to let her know that: "You know, you're a hero too, Asuka."
Raising an eyebrow, she gives him an odd look. "What do you mean?"
He swallows the meatball he's eating, tapping his chopsticks into his rice. "You just helped him decide his future. That's a pretty admirable thing, y'know."
"I'm just doing what any teacher would do," she mumbles, modest.
Judai hums, considering her words. She has a point; every teacher has that responsibility. But that's not what he wants her to know. "Okay, then I guess all teachers are heroes. I'm a hero and you're a hero. We're all important." He shoves some rice into his mouth, chewing.
Blinking, she asks, "What brought this up, Judai?"
He swallows his rice and stares at his lunch.
He doesn't know why either. He just feels like Asuka doesn't get as much credit as she deserves. She's always overworking herself and doing things for her class, for her students, and it just feels like she doesn't get enough acknowledgement for it. Judai hardly does more than what he has to do, usually meeting the minimum, but he doesn't mind not having the acknowledgement because he knows he's pretty lazy about it.
But Asuka. She's always trying hard. To see her actually giving in effort to help and not seeing her get some acknowledgement, it sort of bothers him.
And as her talking buddy, he volunteers to be the one to tell her these things—because she deserves it.
"You said talking buddies are partners." He shakes his leg absently. "And partners are usually equals. Just thought you should know that." He goes back to his rice and also busies himself with his fried shrimp.
Asuka doesn't respond back, but he hopes that his words were enough to let her know that she is important.
Because sometimes, the true heroes are the ones who help guide others from the sidelines and he knows that she is too modest to realize that.
.
.
Judai's aware that his class (of minions) definitely know about his soft spot for Asuka, and had let him realize it when he figured out how hard basketballs can be on the day of their prank. To his dismay, it's no secret to anyone in his class that he is fond of Asuka. It sort of became some inside joke to them since he always sees them for most of his time, and some of them also take Asuka and Johan's classes.
After the basketball incident, no one decided to pull anymore pranks on him and life in his class was back to normal for the most part. He liked and preferred that. They're teenagers, so they have some self-control in front of him.
But it would be even better for him if his minions would actually use that self-control of theirs to last the whole day.
Because it's not amusing to him at all to find his and Asuka's names sketched in the sand outside the gym with a bunch of hearts around it like this is elementary school because it's totally not elementary school and he's tired. They even left behind the sticks they probably used to draw their names and the hearts, lying around like a pile of evidence in plain sight. Well... High schoolers will be high schoolers, right?
As Judai sighs while erasing the incriminating graffiti with his foot, he wonders if this is the reason why he saw a bunch of his students grouped together at this location during free play today. It looked like they were having a passionate debate about something, but he didn't approach and ask because heavens forbid that he gets tackled by another basketball in the chest.
He's glad that he always dismisses everyone ten minutes early so that he can use the free time to relax—
"You missed one over there, and another one over there."
Heart thundering, Judai turns around and almost stumbles to the floor as he finds Johan leaning against the wall of the gym. Judai thinks it's a miracle that he didn't go into cardiac arrest because if anyone else besides Johan saw these dirt graffitis, Judai doesn't think he can handle it because, according to Johan, he missed erasing two—
He awkwardly coughs, not wanting to continue the thought. "There's more...?" Those minions drew more?
Gesturing to a spot on the ground a few feet away and then to another spot that's at the other side of the gym entrance, Johan simpers angelically at him. "Found them on my way here!"
Judai feels haggard again. "You didn't erase them for me?"
When Johan smiles wider, Judai knows he was betrayed. "I thought Depressing P.E Teacher should do it himself since it's about you and A—"
Strained, he says, "Okay." Did Johan come over to make fun of him or to hang out? Because he's having a tough time determining this. "Don't you have to help her carry stuff?"
Judai drags himself over to one of the spots his best friend had gestured to, and starts erasing this new graffiti that also says his and Asuka's names. (Johan follows him, probably to find entertainment.)
"I have ten minutes before I do, so why not visit first?"
"Ten minutes of making fun of me?"
Wisely, his best friend shakes his head with an amused smile. "No. Ten minutes of making sure that everything is okay."
He raises an eyebrow, dragging himself to erase the last graffiti at the other end of the gym. Johan, of course, follows again. "Why wouldn't everything be okay?"
A simple answer: "Because I'm starting to notice changes for you two."
He stops erasing the last graffiti, the heel of his shoe midway erasing his name in the dirt while Asuka's name is left untouched. Judai blinks, staring at Asuka's name for a moment. "That so?" He resumes erasing his name.
Casually, Johan replies, "Yeah. I'm glad to see that you're adjusting to these changes."
A shrug, awkward. "It's not really a change if I see her often."
"Change can be in the way you see people," Johan kindly replies, patient.
Judai absently stares at the ground as he erases Asuka's name, and still stares at the spot after the graffiti is completely gone. For a few seconds, he stands there in silence. "Even if there is some change, she'll always be a talking buddy."
By now, he would think she's more than a talking buddy—but he isn't sure if he wants to tell people that yet. Not with these rumors around.
"Talking buddy?" Piqued, Johan raises an eyebrow.
To Judai, he isn't sure how to sum this up. Talking buddy was originally just something he said as a joke to lighten the mood for Asuka because that was the first time he had driven her. But now, it seems to hold onto a lot of significance for both him and her. Honestly, he can't seem to give a concrete definition for it because it just means too much.
"Yeah," replies Judai, finally. Even though he feels terribly exhausted right now, he speaks with tenderness as he smiles and says, "She's my talking buddy."
This seems to be an acceptable answer for Johan because he smiles and nods like he seems to know that this term is something special. "Well, I think I'll go help her now." He stops leaning against the gym wall and stands up, smiling. "I'll see you in a bit when she and I come back."
As he waves Johan off, Judai thinks maybe it's a good idea to rest his eyes a bit when he gets to Asuka's classroom because he's just so tired.
.
.
Sitting in his chair next to her, he watches patiently as she slowly wakes up and observes the empty classroom soaked in the sunset by the large windows.
Arms and legs crossed, Judai sits himself up stiffly because he had been sitting like this for about a while after he woke up and found Asuka asleep in the chair next to him. He also gave her his tracksuit jacket for a blanket, so he sat here for a while in the cold. Luckily, he's built up an endurance towards cold weather.
Asuka sits up in her chair, blinking her drowsiness away. "What time is it?"
Judai has been awake since 4:10, so he glances at the window and tries to determine the time manually because he's used to looking at the sky to tell time since he's always outdoors. "Five o'clock, I think."
She rubs her eyes with her good hand. He's a bit tempted to stop her because that's bad for her eyes, but he figures he should cut her some slack since she apparently slept longer than him. "You didn't wake me up?"
He shrugs. "You needed sleep," he points out, pointing to the underneath of his eyes for emphasis. Obviously, her overworking deprived her of rest. Judai thought that he'd be the one to have slept longer because he had endured more humiliation today (and it's also tiring being outside all day), but Asuka and her overworking habits made him reconsider that today. "If I moved you, you could've woken up. We both live alone, so it's not like anyone would worry anyway."
"Johan would," she mutters, sitting up again. His jacket falls to her lap.
Grinning, Judai laughs, "He checked in earlier when you were asleep, but I told him to go home."
School lets out at 3:15 and he had started napping since 3:30 till 4:10. When he woke up, Johan came in and told him that he and Asuka came back around 3:35, so Judai figured that she had been more tired than him. Johan wanted to stay in case Asuka needed help later, but Judai insisted he should go home since Johan has his own things to do.
"You didn't go home either?" she asks, stifling a yawn.
Who else would drive you home?
He replies with a soft tone, "Can't abandon my talking buddy, y'know." It's sort of their thing now for him to drive her home. He's used to waiting for her since she and Johan bring stuff back to her classroom a lot, so he doesn't really mind waiting anyway. He likes driving her.
Smiling, she slowly goes to take his jacket off her lap to return to him. It lets him realize that her short sleeves are not a good combination with the coldness at this time of the day.
He leans forward and stops her, taking his jacket to put around her shoulders. "It's cold at five o'clock," he chides, feeling silly because he normally doesn't nag people about coldness, yet Asuka's managed to get him to nag her on healthy eating, overworking, and now coldness.
Asuka's eyebrow raises at him as she inspects his own shirt. "Then why did you wear short sleeves?"
"I'm more durable!" he whines, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. Sometimes, he jogs outside when it's cold and he's usually fine! She's the one who needs to be careful because she has a broken arm! "You're wearing short sleeves too!"
Averting her eyes to her arm sling, she murmurs, "Not because I want to."
He uncrosses his arms and goes to pull his jacket closer around her. "See? You're not used to it. You need it more than I do," Judai says sternly.
It would not be good on his conscience if she got sick with a broken arm. She's been doing great for the past few days and nothing happened to her for a while, and he hopes it'll stay that way.
She just lets him, rolling her eyes. Well, at least she isn't complaining. He'll take that.
He sees her eyes roll and is tempted to roll his own eyes at her, but he scoots his chair forward to flick her forehead softly instead. "Trust me. I'm a P.E teacher—I've seen and been in bad weather before."
"Hm," she hums absently, leaning forward to grab her bag from her desk until he snatches it first. She gives him a look.
He smiles casually, victoriously putting her bag on his lap. "How else will you be able to hold my jacket?" It would also not be good on his conscience if his jacket flew off her because she's using her sole hand to hold onto her bag and she would get exposed to the cold air and she would get sick. He has to consider all the possibilities here!
She just shakes her head, like she gives up. Good.
.
.
The moment they step outside the school building, she shivers.
Judai doesn't bother stifling his laugh, one hand in his pocket while the other holds her bag. "I don't think I need to say 'I told you so,' right?" Smug, he smiles obnoxiously at her.
She probably noticed that he hasn't shown a single shiver since they stepped outside because she starts averting her eyes, looking grumpy. She's pulling the quiet card on him again.
Wisely, Judai nods. "Ah, silent treatment. Johan told me about that." He still isn't sure what sorts of conversations Johan and Asuka have, but Johan sometimes told him that Asuka gives him the silent treatment a lot if something doesn't go her way. Johan would merrily laugh about it, but Judai would like to assume that Asuka's silent treatment is pretty icy to endure.
She sulks: "I'm not your form of entertainment." He stifles a laugh as she stubbornly walks off from him, clutching at his jacket as she briskly walks. He follows, amused.
Snickering behind her, he says placatingly, "No, you aren't."
Asuka says nothing. (He should tell Johan that her silent treatment is just her being a grouch.)
"You're my talking buddy!" Judai whines, more amused than actually whining. "You're supposed to talk, Asuka!"
He catches up to her, and he hears her utters, "And I said I didn't talk much for a talking buddy, Judai." Grouch.
"Oh, c'mon—you talk plenty," he consolingly says, lightly smiling because he thinks she's a good talking buddy. She pointed it out and asked him that day in his car, and he remembers nodding to everything she had asked him because he thinks she's a good talking buddy. "I did indicate that I didn't mind when you mentioned it a while back."
Distractedly, she says as they round a corner into the parking lot, "When was that?"
Casually, he answers, "That time in the car, when I mentioned Johan's trip to Europe to you after you got splashed with Misawa's experiment."
At his answer, Asuka starts looking nervous. He would ask why she feels that way because she should know that they would not be here right now if he didn't feel something for her.
"And what did I say?" she asks, brave.
He can tell that she wants to know something from him this time. "You asked me a lot of stuff that time, so you need to be more clear," he nonchalantly replies, looking at the row of cars for his own car.
For a while, he listens to their footsteps against the cement as they walk under the streetlamps. She exhales to herself. "What did I say that made you keep me around?"
He thinks it's pretty obvious by now, so he responds, "That my talking buddy loves me." His heart is very steady right now, because he doesn't see why it wouldn't be because he's so used to her being around. He has never really felt the opposite around her before, and this level of comfort he feels around her says a lot about how he feels about her company.
They stop walking because they reach his car. He does not make a move to grab his keys yet. She doesn't point it out either.
It sounds like she is trying her hardest to be brave: "And what did you do about it?" Asuka leans her back against the car for support and she stares at the ground.
He looks at her for a moment.
If Johan, Kenzan, and his whole class can see his soft spot for her, then how can he even hide it anymore?
Slowly, he also leans himself next to her and he stares up at the sky. "I said that I'll be happy as long as my talking buddy is there with me." He turns his head to her and he hopes that she can understand the message in his eyes because, like her, he's not good at conveying himself either. "Wanna know what she said back?"
She looks up, pale moonlight hitting them both. "What?"
It's reserved just for her and they're the only ones here, so Judai flicks her forehead softly with a smile on his lips. "She said she would like that."
And he thinks she still would, because they would not be here if she didn't.
She kisses him.
It's a tentative, shy one—but it's also a very real kiss because he knows that she does a lot of things with a purpose and it takes a lot of courage for her to pull them off.
He lets her kiss him, not really backing up or holding onto her because even though Judai is still not good at interaction, he thinks it's okay to let her kiss him since he has long acknowledged that there is only one Asuka that he will accept in his life and she is right here.
The kiss lasts for a few seconds, and he opens his eyes when she disconnects. For it to last that long, she must've gathered a lot of bravery for herself. She tried that hard for him.
When Asuka opens her eyes to him, he tenderly smiles at her because they would not be here if he didn't receive the message that she had been trying very bravely to show him.
He thinks her efforts paid off because he definitely got her message.
And he feels the same.
.
.
"Can I come by?" he asks her about five minutes into the ride back to her apartment. He awkwardly mumbles, "For summer, I mean."
He wonders how other people can ask these things without sounding lame, because he thinks he definitely sounds lame right now. Feels lame too. Probably everything about him is lame right now, like his self-esteem. This is still not his strong suit, but he's trying anyway because he wants her to know that this between them also means something to him like it does with her.
But gosh, he feels lame.
Asuka's eyebrow raises. "Why?" It makes him feel even more awkward and lame because he thought that was enough to give her a hint because she's supposed to be the smart one.
Still, Judai has salvaged enough courage to mutter, "Talking buddies should see each other at least once outside of school. I remember I used to visit you before, but it was usually for school help." Why can't he stop mentioning school? This is getting embarrassing. "So, uh— Just normal visits."
Asuka has the audacity to look amused. He isn't sure how lame he can feel right now. "I live alone, so it's not like you need to ask." She pauses, and reconsiders: "Though, I suppose you'd have to explain things to Nii-san if he drops by."
At this, he painstakingly wonders if he had kicked a puppy by accident in a previous life. If he thought Johan, Kenzan, and his whole class was bad, then Fubuki is worse because Fubuki is her brother and Judai has been a witness to the extents this man would do for his sister. Not to mention, the rumors must have reached Fubuki at some point since they're so popular. Judai's actually pretty surprised that Fubuki never came up to him and squealed his mouth off at him about it.
He lets out a miserable sigh. Maybe he accidentally kicked two puppies in that previous life of his to deserve this.
"I could visit you instead," she offers, sympathetic yet amused. It's nice to know that one of them in this car is finding the situation humorous.
He stays quiet for a while, looking at the moonlit road. With Johan gone for the upcoming summer to Europe, he knows he will not be getting any visitors to his apartment because only Johan ever visits him. It's been so long since Judai's let another person into his apartment.
But maybe, that can be changed this time.
So, he laughs and smiles and tells her, "I live alone, so it's not like you need to ask."
.
.
fin