When lunch break arrived, Sakuma tagged alongside me to the cafeteria.
“Hey Onoda, you heard it earlier, right?”
“What?”
“She said confess. Could it be she knew?”
“What?”
This guy. He also never changes. I’m already tired at giving advices to him.
“What the hell? Answer me properly.”
“What?”
“Hey, don’t be like that. Help me.”
“This is why she keeps on calling you idiot. You never picked up anything about the way she acted around you.”
Hearing that, he became speechless once again.
“What do you mean?”
“You honestly don’t know?”
“No. Tell me.”
“Idiot. Figure it out yourself. You at least need to do that.”
Should I really let my Satsuki date this guy? He might be better off to someone else. He’s this dumb even after all that.
Haa. He’s a friend, right? He’s just an inherent idiot. Now I really wonder what’s that thing about their past.
After getting our lunch, he pulled me to a free table.
“I won’t be eating here, I have to go somewhere. You should think it through. And plan what you will do.”
“Alright. I’ll think about what you said. Man. I really love that girl.”
Satisfy her wish, right. Do that soon. If I get more fond of Satsuki, I might just have her fall for me and not let you date her.
I left the cafeteria and set my destination to that empty clubroom. Next class will be PE, I’m not expecting anything there, unlike last week with that Ojou-sama type. It’s still unclear if she will be a target. There’s her older sister too at Haruko’s side.
Arriving at the empty clubroom, Andou was already here, eating her lunch. She took a side glance at me before continuing on.
“What took you so long?”
“I got held off by an idiot.”
“That sounds like the guy seated behind you.”
“Yes. That’s him.”
I took the chair next to her just like yesterday. She’s about to finish her lunch, what’s the rush? And well, isn’t it strange for her to be here instead of eating with her group? Not that I mind, but I’m wondering what excuse did she use.
“His issue was with that girl at your right, correct?”
“What? You love gossip now?”
“I’m trying to make a conversation, idiot.”
“Really? Sounds like you wanted to know more about those around me.”
Finishing her lunch, she put it inside a bag she prepared.
“I already know. That girl, you’re trying to put your hands on her too.”
“Don’t make things up.”
“You don’t have to hide it, I can see her glances at you.”
“What the hell Andou, are you my stalker?”
She smirked at me then she opened her bottled water and drank it. This scary girl. She’s wrong though, I already put it inside her and it’s not my hand.
“Maybe? I told you. I know more about you.”
“I’m not admitting to anything.”
“Don’t you think you’re just digging a deeper hole like that?”
“What do you want?”
Alright, let’s act like she got a dirt on me. This scary girl might be terrifying now but she had that kindness and pureness. Corrupting her would be the way to deal with her. Err. That sounds bad? Nah, just dirtying her mind is enough.
“Give up on stealing me.”
“No. Can’t you feel my sincerity? Anything but that.”
“I don’t need your sincerity. I just need your cooperation.”
“I’m already cooperating.”
I only bought a bread so it doesn’t matter if we talk while I eat. I need to use this time to at least get a hold on her before they start dating.
“Then, you don’t care about what I know?”
“Do what you want with that. I still won’t give up on you.”
“This guy, I would’ve admired your persistence if your reason is because you love me.”
“Can’t feel that emotion but my desire to steal you is genuine.”
Andou released a long sigh. Is she maybe giving up on telling me to give up on stealing her?
“And that desire is too nasty.”
“You don’t have to tell me, I knew that all along.”
“You’re unbelievable. Let’s just do that and be done with it.”
“Do what?”
Realizing that what she said can be interpreted differently, her faced turned red from embarrassment.
“Practice! What else do you think?!”
“Why are you shouting?”
“Idiot. I’m getting swept by your pace again.”
“Not my fault. Here let’s start with our hands again.” .
I held out my hand to her. She only stared at it then she looked at me. After a while she put her hand on top of it.
“Do we really need this practice?”
“There you go again. We could stop if you want. And you can stop our plan to pretend.”
“You’re fine with us stopping?”
“I can’t force you to do things you don’t want. I’ll just look for another way to steal you.”
Her hand clasped tightly and she even fit her fingers on the gaps of my fingers on her own.
“This much. I can do. Don’t look down on me.”
“If only you’re that determined and you don’t mind what they will think, we will not be here doing this.”
She didn’t answer and just like yesterday she let our hands like that.
Ah. We won’t progress like this. This girl planned to pass the time just doing this.
I stood up moved my chair closer to her. She felt it and turned her face to me.
“What are you doing?”
“This is better, right? We’ll be as close as this when you started dating.”
“Suit yourself.”
“Here. Put your head on my shoulder.”
I reached for her head but she put up a resistance.
“Why do I need to do that?”
“Practice. Andou. Ah. Should we practice changing what we call each other too?”
She finally put off her resistance after hearing practice and let her head rest on my shoulder. She even reposition it to be more comfortable for her.
“Isn’t it still fine to call you Onoda?”
“They’ll find that weird. We’re dating but we still call each other by last names while you guys call yourselves by first names.”
“That makes sense. But I don’t want to call you by your first name.”
“I also don’t want to call you like how they call you.”
She kept on repositioning her head, this scary girl. I can smell the scent of her hair and it smells good. She kept great care for it since it’s too long now.
“Can I call you Pervert? That suits you.”
“That’s not unique, you know?”
“You’re no fun. Then, Ruu”
“Sounds like you just shorten my already short name. I’ll call you Nami then.”
She didn’t reject it. Then no one spoke after that. Few minutes were spent just holding hands while her head rested on my shoulder. I wonder what she’s thinking right now? Probably organizing the info she got from me to use it when needed.
“Hey, Ruu. Remember when I first approached you?”
“Of course, it’s not even a week since then. You suddenly accused me of being a stalker.”
“Just like Harada, I found you interesting at first sight. It’s like seeing myself in another person.”
“Just so you know, I found you scary back then. If you didn’t approach me last Friday, I already decided not to deal with your troublesome group.”
Well, not their group, but she’s already on my list back then. Just that, I couldn’t find a point of entry.
“Am I scary? To call this beautiful girl scary, aren’t you afraid I’ll slap you?”
“Just stating the truth, Nami.”
“Hearing Nami from your mouth, it feels strange.”
“You’ll get used to it. Should we step up on our practice?”
She flinched a bit when she heard me say step up. What was she thinking?
“There’s more?”
“Of course. We have to get used to be close to each other so by then it will come off as natural.”
“I can’t help but think you’re just saying that to continue being this close to me.”
“I won’t deny that. I want to steal you after all. Look at our hands, it felt natural now right? Our hands fit perfectly to each other.”
She raised our joined hands and she blushed again. Then she put her free hand on top of it.
“I really got swept by your pace. I should’ve done this first with Kazuo. Also this, resting my head on you.”
“Don’t think too much about it. In the end, he’ll be the one you will date. Let me use this chance to be this close to you.”
“You kept saying that. Maybe if I met you first before Kazuo, there’s that little chance I would’ve gone for you instead.”
“Ah. If that really did happen, you wouldn’t ignite my desire.”
Right. Like if we met at middle school and her affection were instead directed to me. That time when I was just focused on my desire, she wouldn’t enter my eyes.
And it’s still early for her to think of doing what she did. That thing where she had Ogawa panic using me.
“I kept hearing that desire of yours.”
“That’s what made me to who I am today. If not for that, I’ll probably be just a normal guy, loving one girl.”
“I thought you couldn’t feel that emotion?”
“Maybe I could back then before I had this desire.”
This time she also pushed her chair closer, now our legs were touching each other and I could just reach out to put her in my embrace.
“What about this? Is this close enough?”
“You surprisingly took initiative.”
“Well, your tone sounds sad enough. It made me want to comfort you.”
“Then can I hug you?”
She didn’t answer me, she just stared at our hands.. Silence means yes right?
I turned my body to her and using my free hand, I pull her into a hug. She didn’t put any resistance, letting herself be hugged by me.
Ah. It’s a success. I finally got a hold of her. Well, this is just the start. Ogawa should stall for more time so Nami and I could have more practice like this.
“You persistent guy.”
“You’re surprisingly soft, Nami.”
“Don’t talk about useless things.”
“Right. Lunchbreak is about to end. I better savor this.”
After that no more words were exchanged between us. Just two person hugging inside the empty clubroom. Ah wrong, I’m the only one hugging her, her hand was still holding my hand while the other was just hanging there.