Oh no, I've gotten inspiration for a fanfic. Whatever shall I do?
[Raku x Onodera]
Spinoff from chapter 123
"For... For example, Ichijou-kun... If I were a bride... What do you think about that?"
"...Huh? Are you... saying... mine..?" Raku asked tentatively, a small flower of hope blooming in his heart. Maybe, just maybe..? He couldn't help himself from squeaking at the end a bit, nervous and excited and embarrassed all at once.
Onodera was blushing so hard that she felt lightheaded. She wanted to deny it, there was no way he would like her back, after all, but... She couldn't hold it in anymore, she just couldn't. Her heart hurt every time she looked at him, and more than anything else she just wanted to be with him. When she saw him with Chitoge, she imagined herself in Chitoge's place, and had to squish down jealousy whenever they did "couple" things, no matter if it was real or not. She couldn't hide it anymore, not after this long.
Onodera squeezed her eyes shut and nodded with an anxious shudder.
There was a long pause of silence as Raku took in her response. He went over the context of their conversation in his head, making sure he wasn't mistaken. So then..! Onodera really..?!
Onodera started shaking, tears gently falling down her cheeks, and wept.
"I-I'm sorry that this is so abrupt but I just couldn't hold it in any longer and I know you probably don't like me back... So I'd appreciate it if we could still continue being friends and if you could just pretend this conversation never happened!
"I'm sorry, Ichijou-kun, but... well... I've been in love with you since middle school! At first it was just that I'd notice you whenever I saw you and I became happy whenever we talked and I thought it wasn't anything special until Ruri-chan told me it sounded like l-love and I realized that I was, well, head over heels for you!
"Then I became self-conscious around you and I've been encouraged by Ruri-chan all this time and with all the beautiful girls around you you're probably in love with Marika or Chitoge or Tsugumi or maybe someone else altogether! But I'd really really appreciate if you'd give it some thought! Us as a c-couple, I mean..."
Onodera was left breathing heavily from spouting her thoughts all at once, and her tears were still falling freely. She couldn't even bring herself to look Ichijou-kun in the face. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as she waited for him to respond.
Raku put his face in his hands, in shock. Then his arms fell limp at his sides as he stared at Onodera.
"Wow... I... I don't know what to say, Onodera-chan. Except for, well, I like you, too! I've also been in l-love with you since middle school, and, well, yeah." Raku sarcastically congratulated himself in his head for his wonderful speech. But... Onodera liked him back. Onodera liked him back! He wasn't sure what to do. Wasn't this when they had a passionate kiss, like in anime?! Well, he wasn't really interested in kissing and sex and the like, but he figured he'd grow into it. So instead, he hugged her.
On the other side of things, Onodera felt the same as Raku, simply in disbelief. She'd never been happier and more relieved in her entire life. Ichijou-kun was in love with her. They could be together. It felt almost surreal to her, the fact swirling around in her head. They could date and hold hands and kiss and... Well, they'd cross those bridges when they came to them.
Onodera hugged Raku back, squeezing tightly as tears filled her eyes again. Raku patted her back softly as happiness swelled in his heart. He felt lighter than he had in a long, long time. It was as if his problems no longer existed.
They separated, holding hands.
"So," Onodera started timidly, "Are we... d-dating, now?" Her heart hadn't stopped its fast pace, in fact only becoming faster since her confession. Raku stared at her, wide-eyed, as the revelation hit him.
"...We are, aren't we? I mean, that's what people do when they like each other, right?" Raku said. Onodera nodded, a wide grin spreading on her face.
"I really love you, Ichijou-kun," Onodera exclaimed with a soft smile.
"I... I love you, too, Onodera," Raku responded, flushing. Onodera had a sudden idea and her face became redder.
"C-couples aren't so formal, are they? Why don't we regard each other by our f-first names..? I mean, only if it's alright with you!" Onodera offered, hoping for a positive answer. Raku nodded.
"I'd, uh, I'd like that. We are dating, after all. ...K-kousaki." Just saying her first name had left him breathless, since he had gotten permission to do so from her. It was different from calling her Kousaki in his head, which he had long done. Onodera - Kousaki - had given explicit permission. It felt so... personal. It dug the fact that they would be a couple deeper into his skull.
"R-right! Raku..." Onodera blushed, putting her hands behind her back as she looked at the ground, smiling.
But then a horrible, horrible dilemma introduced itself to Onodera's mind.
"O-oh no! What about you and Chitoge's relationship? I can't believe it didn't occur to me!" She put her hands to her cheeks, stress once again falling upon her.
"Oh... I guess you're right, huh... Ah, fuck this stupid fake dating! I wish I'd never gotten into it in the first place..." Raku rubbed his head as he thought, searching for a way to work it out, but coming to no conclusion.
"Augh, I can't think of anything right now. What about you, Kosaki?" he asked, turning to her. Fucking Chitoge, fucking gangs! If only they'd never met! Onodera shook her head sadly, her happy mood quickly dampened. They both thought for a moment, but shook their heads when no light bulbs came.
"Well... If you don't mind, I guess we can hold off on announcing our... relationship... publicly until we can figure this out. We'll keep it a secret!" Onodera suggested. She could do it for him, since they would know they were dating. Raku nodded, crossing his arms with scrunched eyebrows and a frown.
"I guess that's how we'll have to handle it, then. I'm really sorry about this, Kousaki. I'll try to think of something as soon as possible." Raku wasn't really satisfied with their solution but he honestly couldn't think of anything else.
"Hey, um, do you want to go on a d-date..?" Onodera stared at the ground intensely, as if it was telling the most interesting story in the world. It was better than looking at Raku's face, which would ultimately lead to her blushing and being self-conscious again.
"S-seriously?!"
"Ah! It's okay if you don't want to, I'll respect your wishes, but since we're a couple now and all, I thought maybe..." Onodera shook her hands wildly as she spoke, scolding herself for being too forward.
"No no no, I'd love to!" Raku exclaimed, shaking her by the shoulders to get her attention. Be more sure of yourself! Raku warned himself. No one likes hesitant men!
"There's a new movie that just came out, how about that?" Onodera said.
"Ah, The Lost Puppy? I heard it was got five star ratings! It also sounded really cute!" Raku replied excitedly. Onodera nodded happily, and they got to talking about their favorite animals. Raku liked dogs best, but Onodera preferred cats, so they got into a detailed discussion on the pros and cons of having either as pets. They walked to the movie theater together as they chatted, both of their earlier self-consciousness now nonexistent. After about ten minutes, they arrived at the theater, and agreed to pause their discussion for later, neither convinced of the other's side.
The theater was a local one, so it wasn't too big but it still held plenty of space. Red carpeting and black painted walls, with movie posters all over. Onodera and Raku were arguing over the fee.
"Let me at least pay half!" Onodera insisted, thrusting her wallet at Raku.
"No way! I'm the guy, and I can't let you pay anything! C'mon, please?" Raku argued, pushing away her wallet. She pouted, but then giggled.
"That's just like you, Raku, to be so chivalrous. But I still think I should pay half, we're only in high school, after all..." Onodera said, putting away her money.
Raku payed for their tickets, and they went on their way to their seats, only to bump into some people they recognized in the dark theater.
"Eh? Kousaki-chan! ...Beansprout?" The delicate voice of a gorilla.
"Kousaki Onodera-sama! ...Ichijou Raku, may I ask what you are doing with a woman that is not Ojou..?" The rough voice of a beautiful bodyguard.
"Raku-sama~!" The happy voice of a girl openly in love.
"Oh, Kousaki and Ichijou-kun." A slightly monotone murmur from a glasses girl.
Raku and Onodera squeezed their held hands, tense and nervous. Uh oh. They had bumped into Chitoge, Tsugumi, Marika, and Ruri, before they'd even started the movie.
They stared at each other and simultaneously thought, What do we do now?!