WHAT'S THIS —
chapter seventy-seven
"Saito! Saitooo!" Someone called as Korei exited the classroom to head out for lunch. She was planning on meeting up with Hitoshi since he told her that he's in the 1-B classroom today with Aizawa. However, someone from her class stopped her, that person being Kiho. "I have to talk to you about something!" They shouted to her, a hand placed on Korei's shoulder once she had turned to face them. "It's important and I'd like to apologize."
"Uh...for?" She asked softly, allowing Kiho to lead her away from the large group of students in the hallway. The two were standing near the window, looking out over the school grounds. Korei was confused, especially by the words Kiho had said. There was nothing to apologize for...at least, that's how Korei saw it. Kiho didn't really do anything.
"For the way I was acting in the showers the other night. I said some things that were very inappropriate and I'm apologizing for it," Kiho smiled, nodding their head so that their fluffy neon green hair bounced. "I assumed that you and Shinsou were doing something and I made a few remarks that were totally disgusting. I just hope that you'll forgive me for them."
"Oh, yeah, of course. It's okay," Korei smiled at them, placing her own hand on their shoulder. Kiho smiled brightly in return, digging through their pockets for something they wanted Korei to have. When the item was placed in her hand, the green-haired girl stared at it in confusion. "Uh...what's this, Kiho-san?"
"Y-you don't know what this is, Saito?" Kiho asked, bewildered. How could she not know what a condom was? "I'm...shocked! Are you sure that you should be having sex if you don't know what a condom is? How could Shinsou be so stupid?" That last part was muttered more to themself than to Korei. The sweet girl just looked up at Kiho with scrunched eyebrows, as if she was trying to figure something out.
"I-i haven't..." Her eyes darted around before she leaned in closer, her cheeks flushing with a light color as the words fell from her lips. "...had sex before, Kiho-san. Why does everyone think that I have?" Korei watched as Kiho's eyes widened. Suddenly, their hands gripped her elbows and they nearly broke down into tears in front of her.
"Shit, Saito! I fucking told people that you two fucked in the showers because I thought–" their head shook and they just groaned. "Holy hell, Saito. I didn't mean to spread that rumor about you two! Listen, I was like...hella high when I saw you and pretty fucked up when I told the people. I'll try my best to clear it up, I swear. I'm so goddamn sorry, Saito."
"Oh, um..." Korei's voice faltered and she cleared her throat, looking at Kiho with wide eyes. It made a lot of sense now, why some people thought she and Shinsou had gone that far. The things she overheard...and the words whispered to her, it all made sense! "N-no, it's okay, Kiho! You didn't mean anything by it, so it's really alright. It's nothing, really. I know the truth." She tried to wave off but Kiho still held onto her so she couldn't wave.
"I really am sorry, Saito. You're way too sweet and I didn't mean anything harsh by it. I'll try to clear it up, for real!" Kiho nodded, their eyes holding contact with Korei's so she knew just how serious they were about it. "You can keep the condom too. I don't know if it'll fit Shinsou cause I'm pretty sure he's packing just by the way he walks, but if you two ever go that far then you need to wear protection. It's even lambskin too cause I'm allergic to latex," Kiho chuckled softly, trying their best to change the subject. Korei nodded along, allowing them to do just that. She really didn't want to talk about the rumors anymore, knowing that she had two people working to clear it up for her. Hopefully, they weren't lying about that. "It's just that you're both sixteen, you know? Our lives are just beginning so why put a damper on it by having kids so young? We're not Americans," the two snorted at the joke before continuing the conversation. "Seriously, though. You're the smartest girl in our class and you talked a lot about how you wanted to be some sort of fucking scientist thingy, and I don't want to hear that you had to drop out of school because you got pregnant. No way, not gonna happen on my watch."
"Well, tha-that's very...sweet of you?" She questioned softly, not sure of how to perceive this. Kiho was just trying to make sure she wasn't being reckless, and now she understood what Katsuō meant when she said to use a condom. She'd definitely have to look it up later to find out what the hell it actually does, but she appreciated the generosity of her classmate. "I don't know what else to say, Kiho-san."
"It's okay, Saito. I know it's weird as hell but I want to make sure you're okay. You might not realize it but me and a few others in this class have your back, okay? You're like the only person who actually does the work in this class and you don't mind helping a few of us out, and for that, we're forever grateful. From what I understand, this class is pretty much our class for the rest of our high school lives. We're like a family if you wanna think about it like that," Kiho assured her, smiling.
Korei's eyes widened and she got that same feeling as before. The one she got when Shinsou introduced her to Katsuō, and the same feeling that made itself at home inside her heart ever since Shinsou told her that his home was her home too. Though it's weird and sort of awkward, she had a family now.
"I've got you, Saito. Anything you need, just ask me or Tsuichō, hell, even Uta. If you need anything at all, ask us, okay?" Kiho sounded so certain that Korei couldn't stop herself. She quickly threw her arms around them and hugged them tightly. "Think of us as your older siblings or something, yeah?"
"Thank you!"
fluoxetine