I need to stop leaving y'all in the dark, sorry bout that fellas.
Tuesday
Today, I decided to wake up earlier than usual so that I could stop by the gift shop and find some interesting stuff for courting session later. I did the normal routine everyone does every morning. Take a bath, brush my teeth, put my clothes on and eat whatever I deem delicious for breakfast. To my surprise, my brother was already up and running as well.
"Thought you won an achievement for waking up before me? Ha!" Flavio mocked, making me grit my teeth.
Just stay calm... I thought to myself, resisting the urge to sucker punch him in the face.
"Anyways, you really got up early. Did you plan something for this hour?" He later asked.
"Gift shop." I simply answered, checking in my wallet to see if I had any leftovers from saving the week before school started. I tilted it to try and spill out any loose money and all that came out was a coin with the value of 1 yen. "Ah jeez..." I mumbled, remembering that I spent them on toys to decorate my room.
Flavio shook his head in obvious disappointment at the current state of my wallet. "You should really start learning how to save and not keep spending them on those little toys in your room."
I opened my mouth to say something about it and closed it, quietly accepting the fact that I do need to learn. Flavio went back upstairs to wake Andres up so that all three of us can walk together when we leave. Ever since they became close, our walks together made me feel like I'm just an audience to them. N-Not that I'm jealous or anything! They can go eat out each other's faces in front of me and I wouldn't move an inch.
As soon as I saw the two go back down to the living room, I stood up and dragged them outside just so we could have a headstart already. "Slow down, baby bro. It's not like we're gonna get sidetracked to buy ice cream." My brother teased.
That's what I was thinking... I thought in my head. As soon as I saw the gift shop, I went inside and was greeted with a sight of colorful trinkents.
"Irrashaimase~! (Welcome)" Two pairs of voices greeted us as we entered the shop. The owners were a pair of twins who looked like they could still be in middle school or something. Both of them had smiles on their faces as they watched us browse for selections.
I found a bunch of expensive-looking jewelry and went for them, thinking that Lovino would have a knack for them. One particular thing caught my eye and it was a tomato ring in a little box. You're probably laughing right now but this has to be enough and I really gotta start saving now. I showed the ring to Flavio and I could've sworn he almost dropped whatever the hell he was holding right now.
"Gahahahaha! I didn't even know today is April 1!" He laughed, a few tears already forming in his eyes from how obviously funny this was.
"S-Stop laughing! It's the best I could think of to match his interests!" I countered, already noticing that the twin owners were looking at us. "Keep it down! They're turned this way!"
Flavio managed to quiet down and straightened up his back. "Alright, alright. I'm cool now. Is that what you currently need for later?"
I nodded and we made our way to the counter to pay for the ring. The male twin scanned the jewelry and looked at us. "Truly a nice ring for tomato lovers here." He commented as he passed it to his sister.
"Who's the ring for? Your best friend in school?" She joked, giggling a little.
I was caught off guard by the question and tried to make up my best lie to answer it. "I-It's a special gift for a special someone..."
My answer made the twins burst into uncontrollable laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Special someone? You mean your boyfriend? How will he even react to such a joke?" The sister commented while the brother wheezed.
I felt shame creep up in my body while the two just casually wrapped the ring in a package. I wanted to speak up but decided to stay quiet instead.
Flavio gave them the exact amount of money to pay for the ring and the brother gave me the package. "Thank you for shopping with us!" The sister said, acting as if she and her brother weren't laughing at me seconds ago.
I stuffed the little box in my pocket and all three of us left the gift shop and went on with our way to school. It was still early so there was still a small amount of students present in the school gorunds. Along the way, I heard a familiar voice on the sides. I hid behind a bush and let my brother and his lover go on ahead to the gates.
"Ugh, I can't believe you did it again!"
"I know, I'm sorry..."
"That doesn't excuse the fact I heard you masturbating that time!"
"I know that, I'll try to stop that habit of mine..."
"You've been saying that ever since we became neighbors, you seriously need help!"
After that tiny exchange, Lovino and my future husband walked to the gates and I trailed behind them. This may sound like a dumb question but what even is "masturbating"? All I can assume is that it involves making a lot of noises (VR games, anyone?). I caught up to my brother and glued myself to his side.
"Oh! My wonderful little brother is right here! I was wondering where you suddenly went!" He commented as he ruffled my hair.
"Just listening..." I muttered, trying not to make it obvious that I just eavesdropped on a private conversation earlier. I let go of Flavio's arm and went to the fountain area to find Lovino and his brothers chatting in their usual spot. Judging from his posture, he looked really pissed from earlier so I decided to offer some help to elevate his mood.
"Hey." I called. Lovino turned to me and breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's you. Luciano was it? Could you help me? I'm really getting tired of my neighbor now..." There was a hint of irritation in his voice and I could tell that he's really desparate.
"What do you need?" I asked, deciding to take the opportunity to earn more of his trust.
"I have to get him to stop watching p...p..." Lovino was stuttering, as if he was having trouble saying the word. "...porn."
I tilted my head, obviously not knowing what that is. "What's porn?" I asked.
Two of his brothers widened their eyes, as if they caught me doing something unlawful. "Oh grazie al Signore (Oh thank the lord), you don't know..." Lovino sighed, relieved. "Please, you have to help me find a recommendation that can get him to forget that it ever existed. N-Not like I'm worried for his mental being..." He pleaded.
As much as I'm in a competition to steal my senior away from him, I took pity on him so I accepted the offer. "Thank you, you're a lifesaver." He said, giving me a hug which gave me a really awkward feeling in my body. Is this what people call making friends? Sensing my discomfort, Lovino quickly let me go. "Sorry..." He apologized, which I brushed off.
I left the three of them and went back inside the school. I figured that I decided to give myself a little tour so I walked around inside the campus. Not much interesting stuff besides classrooms, vending machines and the usual things. What did catch my eye, however, was a gray metal door near the staircase that lead to the second floor. Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I turned the handle and was greeted by various things inside.
There were boxes everywhere filled with stuff like screwdrivers, tools and glassware. The shelves, not so much interesting for now. What stood out was a black case in the center of the room that was made to store instruments in it. I opened it and inspected the insides. It was made with something soft, as if you could literally sleep inside it like a baby with no problems. I experimented a little by lifting it and had no problems with the weight, although it might be changed if someone was inside it.
"Uh, excusez-moi (excuse me)..." A lazy voice behind me said. I jumped, nearly screeching and looked behind me to see who it was. It was a tall dude with messed up blonde hair that was tied up and he looked like he hasn't shaved a while, making him look older than he is. He had a white lab coat wrapped around his body, making it clear that he was part of the science club.
"You're blocking the chemicals..." He calmly said. Realizing where I was standing, I carefully placed the instrument box back on the ground and stepped aside. I watched as he gathered the items he needed for his work. As if noticing how awkward it quickly became, he decided to break the silence.
"Name's Francois. Why were you messing with something meant for the musicians..." I gulped nervously. I had to make up a lie on the spot or he's surely gonna get my tongue out of my mouth.
"I-I was...looking for a place to store my art materials! Yeah!" That was a bad one but I was literally under pressure! What else can I do besides run out of the room? That's pretty rude you know.
"Uh huh, why don't you go to the art club if that's what your after..." He commented, eyes focused on the glassware and safely stored dangerous chemicals. Thank the heavens that he believed my lie.
I uttered a quick "goodbye" and left the room. That was so awkward! I can't believe I outed myself as a weirdo! I ran like a shy schoolgirl who got caught by her senpai to my classroom and quickly sat down, waiting for the time class starts so that I can forget this encounter already...
