"I LIKE YOU."
A shocked expression filled [Y/N]'s face. She blinked a few times, trying to process the words that just came out of Saiki's mouth, and stood up from the bench she was sitting on.
"Really?" was all that she could say before her hands started sweating. "A-as a friend?"
Are you kidding me?! [Y/N] that was a stupid question!
I'm freaking out. Don't talk to me.
You got this!
Kusuo stopped himself from becoming a statue again and shook his head, almost wordless. He ignored the absurd nature of the question [Y/N] asked and opened his mouth to answer.
"You know what I mean," he simply said.
"Okay, okay, no need to be rude."
"I wasn't being rude. I was just stating the obvious, [L/N]."
"W-well it wasn't obvious to me, Saiki Kusuo!" she raised her voice, crossing her arms. "You literally froze when I confessed to you yesterday! I went home thinking I had embarrassed myself in front of you."
Saiki looked away from [Y/N]'s face, defeated. She was right: he had been a coward. Yesterday's actions were nothing but a huge mistake he made, almost like his soul was taken over by a coward. He was not being himself: he was like a Saiki in disguise.
A fight seemed to be starting between them, so he decided to lower it down.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to react," Kusuo answered, looking back at her. "I can't say I wasn't expecting it, but I hadn't thought about how to react until you said it."
"Was I that transparent?" [Y/N] redden upon his words. "I thought I was being discreet... Did my grandma tell you? That evil old woman!"
"I told you she was evil... But no, I figured it out myself," Saiki tried not to smile, yet did it anyway. The butterflies inside his stomach now felt like mere tickles; they didn't hurt, but they still were annoying. "You weren't transparent at all. I had a lucky guess."
... Besides, I am a simple psychic who read your thoughts, but that's a story for another occasion.
A moment of silence followed the awkward situation until [Y/N] spoke. Her mind had been racing since Saiki had confessed what he felt, wondering about what to do. She had been in a situation similar before —Toritsuka had literally annoyed her with his love—. However, this was maybe the first time someone had reciprocated her feelings.
"So... you like me, I still can't wrap my head around it!" [Y/N] let out a nervous laugh. "Why?"
Another stupid question!
Stop.
"I'm sorry, but that's a stupid question," Saiki admitted, agreeing with what I've just said.
"It's not stupid to me," a serious expression appeared on [Y/N]'s face. Scary. "I was the tasteless girl with no friends a few months ago, and now you like me? It sounds very surreal, to be honest."
Saiki stared at her, wondering what she meant. Kusuo exhaled and tutted, annoyed. Who would've thought confessing was this hard?
"Remember Christmas? You got me a present. Or the day that you asked me to hang out?" Kusuo said. "Those situations have one thing in common."
"... You like me because I got you a dumb coffee jelly?" [Y/N] inquired, raising an eyebrow, not believing what Kusuo was saying. "That's ridiculous!"
"Good grief. It's not because of the coffee jelly, [L/N]. You're missing the point," Saiki stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "It's because you got me the coffee jelly even when you hate it. You understand me... and you care. That's my explanation."
"... I've never heard you speak this much before."
"I take it back."
"You can't! I've already saved it in my memory," [Y/N] giggled and smiled softly to Saiki. "Thanks for telling me. It means more than you think."
Kusuo just shrugged upon her words and hid a smile. He realized how many times he had to hide how happy he was. He was only not used to showing it. Maybe it was time for him to already do it. Because after all, he really was thrilled.
"Now... what? I'm sorry to be so direct, but I don't know what else to say. Plus, I have been thinking about this for weeks, if not months, so I might die," she admitted, shifting the weight of her body from one foot to the other. "Does this change something for us? It can all stay the same if you want. Or we could... you know."
"We could... what?"
"Good grief. You know what I mean," [Y/N] copied Saiki's earlier words and even tried to do his voice, of course, failing in the act. "Though I'm not forcing you to do anything, of course. I'm happy with whatever you decide."
"And I'm just happy to be by your side."
Saiki might not have realized the power his words held. They were so pure and sincere and could definitely make anyone melt after hearing them. [Y/N] stood overwhelmed, stopping herself from crying for the second time in two days.
"Oh, Saiki...!" with watery eyes, she jumped to Kusuo's arms, embracing him fondly for several seconds. Her face left his shoulder, facing him, and then whispered: "Thank you."
Their bodies were close, too close. Their faces were even closer. The wind blew around the two, encapsulating both of them in an invisible bubble where no one could not touch or hear them. The scenario was perfect for one thing and one thing only. And if I'm not being clear enough...
Kiss her, you fool!!!!!
And then, finally, their lips met. Once they realized what they were doing, both teenagers pressed even harder against each other.
This was meant to happen. An unforgettable moment that made them wait too long. It felt like welcoming the beautiful spring after a cruel winter filled with evil villains trying to stop it from happening. Dramatic at its finest.
[Y/N]'s knees shook from time to time, she was very nervous, and her body knew it. Her hand pressed Saiki's back firmly to not fall, and he knowingly moved both his hands and held her waist to keep her on her feet.
It was a sweet, sour, spicy kiss, maybe. Every new second, new feelings approached. There was no time to think about what each one was really feeling at that moment, though. A revolution of butterflies that flew inside their bodies distracted them.
I hope Saiki's breath does not smell like coffee, 'cause we don't want our girl to be throwing up in the middle of a kiss.
DISGUSTANG!
What a way to ruin the mood. Good grief.
And no, my breath is just fine. I hope she's okay with it, too. I wouldn't like her to be uncomfortable or unhappy around me.
[Y/N] is the first person I've ever been happy with within a long time, after all.
What an easy ending compared to the difficult path to success.
[...]
When school ended, the lovebirds agreed to go on a walk before going home. [Y/N] couldn't erase the big smile she had on her face for the entire morning. Even if her classmates asked what was going with her, she denied everything. She wouldn't jinx the start of her brand new relationship with Saiki. Besides, she wasn't sure if he was okay with her talking about it as Kusuo was a pretty reserved person. Being silent was the safest option.
Even Toritsuka noticed her cheerful mood. He knew he shouldn't approach her, though. He had certainly understood that [Y/N] did not want to be around him anymore —or at least, for a while. He kept his distance but still cared for her; at the end of it all, Reita was not a bad person. He just had shady actions... and thoughts. Finally, closure.
She happily walked to the exit where Saiki supposedly was expecting her. And just as he promised, he was there. They shared an intimate look and started pacing to wherever the destiny wanted to take them.
As most times, no one spoke during their trip. Still, it wasn't uncomfortable or anything like that. The silence was like an old memory of the previous relationship back when they were "just friends." Their hands almost touched, but none had the real guts to grab it. After all, it was too soon —though, that didn't mean that they weren't going to have fun.
Saiki stopped walking near a small park with a pair of swings in the middle. He sat in the swing by the left and looked at the other one, waiting for [Y/N] to understand the message. No words needed.
"If you want me to sit beside you, you can ask," she said after a laugh and finally sitting. "I know you are not a guy of many words, but it'd be nice if you spoke your mind from time to time... Just like you did earlier."
Saiki listened carefully to her advice. She was right again, like every time she spoke facts about him. What an admirable trait, he thought. Speaking the truth wasn't an easy task. Yet, [Y/N] always did that. Or at least, most of the time.
"All right. I'll try," Saiki stood up from the swing and went behind [Y/N].
"What are you doing?"
"Sorry, I didn't speak," he apologized, gaining a smile from the girl in front of him. "I'm going to push you. I saw it in a movie, and it looked fun. I hope it's okay."
I guess I'm so used to not speaking that I forget to actually do it... That doesn't make sense!
He is so cute!
Saiki is having a hard time hiding a flustered smile. I thought you'd like to know that.
"Okay!" she shifted her position and grabbed the handles of the swing. Once she was ready, Saiki started pushing her back. "... We really look like a couple now."
"You can say that, yes."
'Couple...' What a weird word.
Laughter and screams were heard the entire afternoon in that little park. Saiki was of great strength —obviously—, so [Y/N] seemed like floating every time the swing was suspended in the air. Her stomach felt a bit uneasy because of the great height she was reaching, but she couldn't help to imagine they were in some kind of movie. This being the final scene before the end credits. Maybe a romantic comedy where the two main characters hated each other, and now they were madly in love.
Still, that wasn't the case here, of course. If this were a movie, this would be just the beginning.