~One year later~
"Oh my God!" a girl said looking at the notice-board. "There's another 'Akashi'!"
"Really?! A freshman?"
"Yeah. Class 1-C."
"Akashi-kun's class is 2-A!"
"Damn! Why am I in class 2-C?"
"See?" Seijuro said pointing with his head at the students that were surrounding the notice-board. "When you are an 'Akashi' there's no need to walk through the crowd to know what class you are in."
Aiko laughed. The two of them talked for a while since classes would have been starting in 20 minutes. When they saw that students were walking away, they went to their own classes. Aiko sat in the third row beside the window because that was the only empty spot.
~Lunch break~
Seijuro told Aiko not to wait for him because he had something to do with the principal, so she stayed in her class to eat.
"Uhm, Akashi-san." a girl called approaching Aiko.
Aiko looked at the girl while separating her chopsticks.
"Tell me." Aiko stated placing the chopsticks on her bento and stared at the girl who had black hair and grey eyes.
"I'm... I... I'm Mitsubachi Misaki." she said. "I... I wanted to ask you if you... may I eat with you?"
"Sure." Aiko said.
"Thank you!" Misaki smiled and took her food.
"Why do you want to eat with me?" Aiko asked opening her bento. "There are lots of girls in our class."
"They are all scared of you due to the fact that you're an 'Akashi' and because you look so serious..." Misaki explained lowering her voice.
"I'm not a bad person. I'm just trying to focus." she smiled slightly. "It's not like I'm secretly planning to kill humanity."
"Good to know." Misaki though chuckling.
"Are you joing a club?" Aiko asked.
"I'll be in the music club next week! You?" Misaki answered smiling cheerfully.
"None."
"Why?"
"No reason, actually."
Misaki nodded and they ate talking about their new school and classmates.
~At home, after dinner~
"So, how was your first day?" Seijuro asked sitting on the couch.
"Good, I guess." Aiko answered sitting beside him. "A girl talked to me today. She's funny."
"What club will you join?"
"None." Aiko said placing her head on Seijuro's chest.
"Really?" he asked turning on the TV. "So you're free, right?"
Aiko nodded stealing the remote control from Seijuro's hand.
"Then you'll be our manager." he ordered taking back the remote.
"Why? You don't need one." Aiko said confused.
"We do."
"Mmh... fine." she gave up.
"I wasn't asking." Seijuro stated.
~A week later, after classes~
"Is this formula correct?" Aiko thought while tapping with a pen on her exercise book.
While she was doing her homework she felt something warm on her head. She looked up and saw Kotaro who was smiling cheerfully with his right hand resting on her head.
"Hi, Hayama-kun!" Aiko said tilting her head to the side smiling sightly.
Kotaro's smile disappeared as he lowered to Aiko's level.
"It's -'senpai' when we are at school." he said pinching her left cheek.
"That hurts, Hayama-senpai!" she said rubbing her cheek as his face got back to normal.
"What are you studying?" he asked sitting opposite from her.
"Math." she said writing.
"You should take a break sometimes. You study too much." he said placing his head on his arms that were crossed on the table.
Aiko didn't answer and kept on writing. Kotaro stared at her face smiling from time to time.
"Hayama-senpai, could you please not stare? It's distracting." Aiko said still looking at her exercise book.
"Mmh... no." he said shaking his head against his arm.
"What?" Aiko raised her head, a little irritated.
"Not until you take a break." he smiled slightly.
"Annoying." she said looking at what she wrote to check if it was correct.
Kotaro got up, his left hand landed on Aiko's head and he leaned closer. She looked right into his eyes.
"No arguing with your senpai." he said and stole her exercise book.
"Tch, fine!" she said placing her pen on the table. "What now?"
"It'll be my birthday soon!" he said sitting down.
"Really?" she asked.
"We have known each other for a year now, you should know!" he pouted.
"Oh, right. Is on the 25th, isn't it?" she asked resting her head on her left palm. "I don't know what to give you."
"What does he like? Skateboarding. A skateboard? No, he has one already." Aiko thought staring at him. "Something for summer break? Geez, I don't know!"
"Aiko-chan~!" Kotaro called blushing slightly. "Aiko-chan? Stop staring at me like that!"
"Sorry!" she said. "I didn't realize I was staring."
"Why were you so deep in thoughts?"
"I was thinking I'll go and buy your present on the 24th because anxiety and adrenalin will hit me so hard if I can't manage to find something good for you."
"What?" he chuckled. "You don't have to worry that much! Everything will be ok as long as it's from you!"
Kotaro smiled, got up and gave her her exercise book.
"See you at practice, Aiko-chan~!" he waved and run away.
"See you." she said and started to write again.
When Kotaro got out of the library, two girls approached Aiko.
"A-Akashi-san." the shorter one called.
"Uhm? What is it?" Aiko asked looking up.
"We, uhm... noticed you were talking with Hayama-senpai a while ago." the taller one said. "You're friends, right?"
"We are."
"Get straight to the point, please." Aiko thought. "I have to finish my homework and go to practice."
"Do you know what he might like to receive for his birthday?" the shorter one said. "You know, we wanted to give him something since he's turning 18."
"No." Aiko stated. "I don't know what to give him myself."
"Oh, ok. Thank you so much, Akashi-san!" they said in chorus bowing and left.
"Good. Let's finish this!" Aiko thought. "I must not think about his present now. It's June so I have a month left. Wait, why am I thinking about it?" she thought slamming her head on the table. "He said everything that I'll give him will be ok, right? Then I'll punch him right in the face." she raised her head. "It comes from me, doesn't it?"
After she finished her homework, Aiko headed to the gym.
"Why don't you just confess?" a deep voice asked. "This is getting kind of weird."
"But what if she rejects me?" Kotaro whined. "I don't want her to hate me!"
"She's not that kind of girl." another male voice stated. "She's a friend of yours."
"Try to tell her indirectly." the guy with the deep voice said. "Aiko is smart, she'll get it."
"Get what?" Aiko asked from Kotaro's back.
Kotaro jumped into a dark colored skin's arm. That guy was very tall and had an extremely muscular body. He had short black hair, that was styled with two stripes each at the sides of his head.
"Oh, don't ask me!" he said dropping Kotaro on the floor.
"Eikichi, shut up!" Kotaro exlaimed.
A guy, who had long black hair, gentle-looking green eyes, with outstandingly long eyelashes, rather slim and tall stature compared to the other players, patted Aiko's shoulder.
"What's your type of guy, Aiko?" he asked.
"What kind of question is this, Reo?" she asked walking away. "Where is Sei?"
"Here." he was behind her rubbing her hair. "Let's start practice."
~After practice~
"Aiko-chan~!" Kotaro called. "Do you want to come with me to the park? I wanna show you some new tricks with my skateboard!"
"Sure, let me finish here first." she said putting some papers in her bag. "Are those tricks new for real? Last time you said 'Look at my new tricks, Aiko-chan~!' but they were the same as the time before."
"Damn, she realized!" Kotaro thought. "Well, this means she was looking!"
"This is new!" Kotaro smiled.
"'This'?" Aiko raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips. "You said 'some new tricks'."
"Ok, ok. I have none. But, do you want to come anyways?" Kotaro asked scratching his nape.
"Fine." she sighed. "But you have to buy me an ice-cream."
"Sure!" Kotaro exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
As soon as Aiko was ready, they left the gym and headed to the park.
"I forgot to tell Sei that I'm with you!" Aiko said taking her phone.
Aiko: Sei, sorry! I should've told you before! (ｼ_ _) ｼ I'm at the park with Hayama-kun because he wants to show me his new tricks with his skateboard.
"If I tell him I'm just wandering around with him he won't accept it at all!" she thought.
Seijuro: Ok, but you're cooking Tofu soup for dinner.
Aiko: Ok, see you!
"So, what was the answer to Reo-nee's question?" Kotaro asked.
"What question? 'How long are we going to run?'?" Aiko asked confused. "He asks quite a lot."
"No, no! What's your type of guy?" he asked jumping on his skateboard.
"I've never though about it..." Aiko confessed.
"Let's make it easier then." Kotaro proposed. "What's the type of guy that you hate?"
"Uhm... hate? Two-faced ones; perverts, but not Daiki's level, he's a nice pervert. Wait, that sounded quite wrong. Anyways, I hate violent guys and those who don't listen to me while I talk." Aiko explained. "What about you?"
"I have a girl I like, so I don't like any other girl." he said smiling.
"Who is she?"
"Not telling you!" he said sticking his tongue out.
"Tch, fine!" she said looking away.
"But I can tell she's beautiful, and that I've liked her for eight months now."
"Are you that kind of guy who likes a girl because of her appearance?" Aiko asked looking at him.
"No, I'm not!" Kotaro said quickly. "It's not like I've come to like her because of her appearance! I like her because of how she talk, moves, cooks and things like this. She's very smart too." he said looking up. "And we've known each other for a year, more or less."
"Ok, then." Aiko stated. "Do I know her?"
"What kind of question is this? I'm talking about you!" Kotaro thought.
"Uhm, yes?" he answered sweatdropping. "I don't know how to answer this question."
"Describe her." she ordered.
"She's smaller and younger than me, she has beautiful golden eyes and red hair and... and I really like her!" he smiled blushing slightly.
"There are lots of redhead with golden eyes here in Kyoto." Aiko said placing her right index on her mouth. "What do you think she'll give you for your birthday?"
"That's my chance to figure out what to buy, or at least something similar." Aiko thought.
"Her love?" Kotaro said chuckling. "I know she won't because she doesn't like me at all, she thinks I'm annoying." he explained looking at his skateboard. "But I think everything she's going to give me is ok. I told her already."
"Are you saying this to everyone?"
"No." he smiled.
"Anyways, why are you saying she thinks you're annoying?"
"She calls me 'annoying' like... everyday?"
"I don't know what you did to make her call you 'annoying' but I don't think you are." Aiko admitted. "You're just hyperactive."
"Really?" Kotaro asked with sparkling eyes.
"Really." she smiled.
"What about you? Do you like someone?"
"Didn't I just tell you I don't know what kind of guy I like?" Aiko chuckled. "I don't know."
"What does this mean?"
"I'm talking in Japanese, you should've understood! I don't know means I. Don't. Know."
"Ok, ok. I was just curious!" he said running away towards the park. "Come on! I'll show you my tricks!"
Aiko rolled her eyes and followed him.
"So childish." she thought. "But that's one of the things that makes him special. Wait, what?"
Hello everyone! :)
As you can see in the media, that's the pic that made me want to write this story. I was looking for Kotaro's pics but I ended up with that so... thank (or not) that pic for this story xD
See you next chapter,
Bakashi_Naruse