Outsider Syndrome | ✓

Chapter 3 - "Both Tall and Sweet Kamakiri"

Opposite to the offhanded stares of my classmates, Kamakiri laughed, pearly teeth visible. "That's a relief. I wouldn't know what to do if you turned me down."

Watching him chuckle so freely allowed me to digest exactly how embarrassing I was being. Flushing hard, I ducked my head. Fortunately, as he was taller than me, it was pretty easy to hide my face. Mortal Mania was one thing. . . but this would count as a date, right? My first ever date, and at a Mortal Mania concert to boot?

There was no way this could be happening. It was only yesterday it felt as if my entire life had fallen apart, and yet upon meeting him. . .

"Here you go," Kamakiri said, snapping me from my thoughts.

He plopped the tickets onto my outstretched palms.

I barely missed him turn around.

Stunned, I stared at my hands and at the two tickets resting within them. Then, blinking once, twice, I reluctantly picked up my head. "Um. . . why are you giving me both of them?"

"You said you'd go, didn't you?" Kamakiri merely replied, pausing to glance over his shoulder. Securing his bag, he waved. "Just bring one of your friends with you. Thanks, Kisaragi. You're the best!"

With another heart-stopping smile, Kamakiri exited and made his way toward his homeroom class down the hall.

"Did she get turned down?"

"Friend-zoned without a second thought."

"Talk about awkward."

My face scorched with insurmountable heat. I couldn't bear to turn from the open doorway and face my classmates. All I wanted was to bash my forehead against the wall—do anything to knock my brain back to its senses and put me out of my misery.

I was an idiot, getting my hopes up like that. We met yesterday. Obviously this wasn't a fairy tale where he'd sweep me off my feet and carry me on his white steed into the sunset.

Why did I let my fantasies get ahead of me? And in front of my classmates to boot.

Where was a hole to crawl into when you needed one?

By the time I'd made it back to my desk, casting my head in shame, a particular somebody was snickering like mad.

Head buried into his elbow, free hand smacking the surface of his desk, he cackled in between wheezing gasps of air.

Exasperation seared through me. Popping a nerve, I snapped, "Who are you laughing at?"

"N-not you." Igarashi guffawed, slapping his desk with more force. "N-not you at a-all."

This guy irritated me so much!

"So?" Igarashi's sudden inquiry caught me off guard. Wiping at his eyes to rid them of tears, he stifled an upcoming chuckle. "Do you even have a friend to take with you?"

"Of course I do," I said.

"Really now?"

"Yes, really! Unlike you, I'm very popular."

He slammed his fist onto his desk, erupting into another fit of snickers.

"Stop laughing, you jerk!"

Bolting to my feet, I resisted the urge to smack him a billion times over. Like a predator to its prey, I zeroed in on Tsumugi at the far end of the class chatting with Kiharu. Whether it be the anger in me or not I swallowed all my nerves and stomped my way over.

I whacked the tickets onto Tsumugi's desk as hard as I could, jolting the two of them from their conversation.

"Which one of you would like to come to a Mortal Mania concert with me? Speak now or forever hold your regret."