Kido picks a moment when no one else is around to confront Seto.
"Where are you going?" she asks, stepping out of seemingly nowhere and blocking the door with one thin arm. Seto freezes.
"Out," he replies, his voice quiet. His eyes keep darting up to make sure she's still there, though she's gotten better at controlling her ability much faster than either of the boys out of necessity. She wishes he would just pick one spot to look and stick with it. His inability to make eye contact is making her nervous.
"You're meeting one of those bullies, aren't you?" She finally puts words to what she'd long suspected; that he's being teased, that the other kids are tormenting him just for being different. She'd idly thought it before, but the day he came home without the white jacket Ayano gave him is when she knew for sure.
He hadn't seemed heartbroken about the loss of the jacket, but all the same, the older girl had pulled him into her room, chosen a hairpin from her dresser. 'Here you go,' she'd promised, pressing the little piece of plastic into his small palm, 'it's good luck. and you can attach to things, so it'll be harder to lose.' Her gentle voice allows a charade that he'd lost the jacket, as if any of them would lose something so precious as the hoodies Ayano gave them. He'd clipped the small yellow pin to the edge of his shirt, not brave enough to wear something so feminine it more visibly, where it'd give the bullies more ammunition against him.
Now Kido felt her eyes stray to the clip on his shirt hem, a frown appearing on her face. It didn't matter that the three of them didn't always get along. Messing with Seto was the same as messing with her or Kano, and in the end it was an insult on Ayano and her family. And Kido would let no insult against Ayano stand.
"I'm not," he said finally, shaking his head. "I'm going to play in the forest."
She stared at him, not sure if she could believe him. Time spent with Kano taught her to take everything with a grain of salt.
"Trust me," he begged, finally looking her in the eyes.
How can I trust you when you have no need to trust anyone, with your ability— The words appeared in her mind before she could stop them, and she saw him flinch. She took a deep breath.
"Who gave you that black eye?" His hand shot up to cover his eye, though it would do him no good now. The words hung between them for a moment— give me this and I'll let you go, no questions asked— and then he shoved his hands in his pockets, meeting her eyes with as much courage as he could muster.
"The boy who sits behind Kano in class," he replied, his voice small but clear. She nodded, and stepped away from the door to let him through.
The next day class began, and that person had a black eye to match Seto's, and he never saw it coming.
Kido picks a moment when no one else is around to confront Seto.
"Where are you going?" she asks, stepping out of seemingly nowhere and blocking the door with one thin arm. Seto freezes.
"Out," he replies, his voice quiet. His eyes keep darting up to make sure she's still there, though she's gotten better at controlling her ability much faster than either of the boys out of necessity. She wishes he would just pick one spot to look and stick with it. His inability to make eye contact is making her nervous.
"You're meeting one of those bullies, aren't you?" She finally puts words to what she'd long suspected; that he's being teased, that the other kids are tormenting him just for being different. She'd idly thought it before, but the day he came home without the white jacket Ayano gave him is when she knew for sure.
He hadn't seemed heartbroken about the loss of the jacket, but all the same, the older girl had pulled him into her room, chosen a hairpin from her dresser. 'Here you go,' she'd promised, pressing the little piece of plastic into his small palm, 'it's good luck. and you can attach to things, so it'll be harder to lose.' Her gentle voice allows a charade that he'd lost the jacket, as if any of them would lose something so precious as the hoodies Ayano gave them. He'd clipped the small yellow pin to the edge of his shirt, not brave enough to wear something so feminine it more visibly, where it'd give the bullies more ammunition against him.
Now Kido felt her eyes stray to the clip on his shirt hem, a frown appearing on her face. It didn't matter that the three of them didn't always get along. Messing with Seto was the same as messing with her or Kano, and in the end it was an insult on Ayano and her family. And Kido would let no insult against Ayano stand.
"I'm not," he said finally, shaking his head. "I'm going to play in the forest."
She stared at him, not sure if she could believe him. Time spent with Kano taught her to take everything with a grain of salt.
"Trust me," he begged, finally looking her in the eyes.
How can I trust you when you have no need to trust anyone, with your ability— The words appeared in her mind before she could stop them, and she saw him flinch. She took a deep breath.
"Who gave you that black eye?" His hand shot up to cover his eye, though it would do him no good now. The words hung between them for a moment— give me this and I'll let you go, no questions asked— and then he shoved his hands in his pockets, meeting her eyes with as much courage as he could muster.
"The boy who sits behind Kano in class," he replied, his voice small but clear. She nodded, and stepped away from the door to let him through.
The next day class began, and that person had a black eye to match Seto's, and he never saw it coming.