Not My Type

二

 "That girl is a genius—she's an artist known throughout Japan."

Akane almost fell off his chair. He adjusted his glasses, eyes narrowing slightly. "Her? A genius? How? What? Why?" His reaction made Teru chuckle. "Is she really that commendable?"

Teru remained silent. After rummaging through his drawer, he pulled out a picture and gestured for Akane to take it. 

"Here's one of her paintings. Look for a nearby art museum and you'll find others there."

Akane gasped upon seeing the picture. [Surname]'s talent was no joke.

 "If she's so talented, why did she choose to study here?" With this level of skill, she would've had no problem of getting into a prestigious art school in Tokyo.

 "To put it simply, she's in a bit of a slump," Teru replied.

This only piqued Akane's curiosity. "Why?"

It seemed like Teru had reached the end of his patience. He flashed a smile to Akane, who immediately understood that it was a sign for him to stop asking and continue working. Well, not that the whole situation with [Surname] mattered. He just met her anyway (and never wanted to meet her again).

By the time Akane finished his student council duties, he immediately made his way back to his classroom. Ao-chan had hinted earlier that she would walk home with him today!

 "Ao-chan, I'm here—"

 "—Akane-kun, I'm sorry but Nene-chan and I are going out on a date!" Aoi had her arms linked with a nervous Nene. "I'm sure you know that it's been a while since I've spent time with her!"

Akane swore he could hear his heart breaking. The excitement he felt had disappeared as fast as he ran to the classroom. Nene was avoiding his gaze, which he was sure looked absolutely ruthless to her.

Well, it's not like he could do anything about this.

 "U-Uh, Akane-kun, maybe you'd like to go with us?"

Scratch that, maybe he could do something after all!

 "Sure, Yashiro-san!"

❀❀❀

Were Nene and Aoi actually going to tell him where they're heading to? Knowing them, they were probably going to eat at a newly-opened café nearby. It was only when they boarded a train that Akane made a move to voice his thoughts.

 "Where exactly are we going, Ao-chan?"

Aoi pulled out a pamphlet from her bag and wasted no time flaunting it to Akane. "Ta-dah! Surely you must've heard about [First Name] [Surname]! She's a famous artist from our school!"

Yashiro and Aoi merely stared at Akane as his expression of curiosity formed into that of distaste.

 "Oh."

 "What's with the scowl, Akane-kun? Do you know her?" Yashiro asked.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Akane heaved a sigh. "Somewhat. I met her earlier at the Art Room."

His statement made Aoi smile. "Oh, so the rumors are true! She really does spend most of her time in the Art Room! It's sad that we don't have any chance to talk to her."

 "What? You actually want to talk to her?"

 "Why not?"

Akane's lips formed a straight line. "She... she's not exactly a friendly person."

❀❀❀

Much to Akane's surprise, the museum was filed with other students from Kamome Gakuen. Was this the influence of [Surname]? Most of them had gathered into a crowd on chosen paintings, and judging by how Yashiro and Aoi headed there as well, Akane assumed that the paintings were made by [Surname].

One painting had a spring feel to it: cherry blossoms by a lake. [Surname]'s attention to the details were what awed him, and once again, Akane was made aware of the talent she possessed.

 "A lot of people are probably going to join the Arts Club, Nene-chan," Aoi whispered.

With [Surname]'s personality, they wouldn't last a day there.

After about half an hour's worth of sightseeing, the trio had finally decided that it was time for them to go home. Akane couldn't stop the grin growing on his face. At last, he was going to be left alone with Ao-chan. Since they had traveled further away from school, that meant they would spend more time going back home. Perfect.

Aoi Akane and Akane Aoi walked through the park, casually talking about the cherry blossoms that decorated it.

 "How are student council duties, Akane-kun?" The question made him want to groan; however, since it was from Ao-chan, he had no problem responding to it.

 "It's the same as usual. Like I mentioned earlier, Minamoto-kaichou ordered me to head to the Art Room."

 "Right! So, how was [Name] [Surname] like?"

Akane remained silent for a few moments, deciding on whether to sugarcoat his answers or be blunt. Considering that he had already been blunt for the other questions regarding [Surname], Akane decided to give a straightforward answer. 

"Absolutely horrendous. I would rather not get involved with her again."

Aoi pouted at this. "Really? But I wanted to meet her!"

As much as he wanted to, Akane wasn't in a position to introduce [Surname] to other people. "No one can resist you, Ao-chan. If you go to the Art Room and talk to her, she might actually be friends with you!"

 "Who wants to meet who?" A familiar voice made Aoi and Akane stop.

The amount of prayers Akane repeated that very second was astonishing. Still, the world didn't seem keen on cooperating with him. Like he had expected, there was a girl with [hair length] [hair color] hair behind him.

Of course, she still had the face mask on. The paint she had on her hair was still there as well.

 "[Surname]-san. It's you."

 "Who else would it be, glasses?"

❀❀❀

[A/N]: I refer to the characters with a Surname, First Name format. So Aoi Akane is the boy, Akane Aoi is the girl. Edited on 11/30/2021.