"Go, Sugishitaaa!!"
"Gooo!!!!"
'The heck... What the heck...'
"I left it all...up to you!"
'You've gotta be kidding me...'
Sugishita's eyes snapped open, an irritated expression on his face as he grabbed his alarm that was going off.
"Damn it all!!" He yelled as he threw it.
✧˖*°࿐
"Kyo-chan? Good morning," an elderly woman said when she saw the raven-haired teenager.
"Good morning, Kyotaro!" An elderly man greeted, looking up from his newspaper.
The elderly woman, Kumiko Sugishita, warmly smiled at her grandson. "You're up early today," she said.
His grandfather, Shintaro Sugishita, nodded his head in agreement to hide his wife's words. "Hm! That he is!"
Sugishita walked over to the table and sat down, bowing his head to the two. "Mornin'..." He greeted.
Kumiko stood up and went to grab breakfast from the kitchen.
"Whoa, Kyotaro! There is an illegal littering problem now!" Shintaro exclaimed, "Some people're dumping them big old electronics outside other people's homes! There are some shameless people out there!!"
Kumiko softly laughed as she approached the table, sitting on her knees as she placed food on top of it.
"You can talk about the news later, dear," she said, "I made that miso-marinated recipe I told you about last time, sweetheart."
"What ya think, Kyotaro?!" Shintaro asked as he looked at his grandson, "I'd tie the bastard up and bury 'em good! Would that be illegal littering too, though?!"
"Thanks..." Sugishita replied.
Laughter escaped Shintaro's lips as he slapped Sugishita's back while the teenager ate rice. "Back in my days, those illegal dumpers would've had way more to worry about! They'd be thrown into a river or sunk into the ocean!"
"Dear. Kyo-chan can't eat like this," Kumiko says as she pours tea into the cups.
"Kyotaro! You can learn a thing or two from his old grandad!" Shintaro chuckled.
"Tsk," Sugishita tsked.
"Dears...how...does it taste?" Kumiko asked.
Shintaro and Sugishita jolted when they saw the expression on the other's face.
"It's... Good!"
"Is it, now? Wonderful."
✧˖*°࿐
The raven-haired teenager could be seen walking up the staircase inside the school.
"Ah! S-Sugishita-san!" A familiar voice called out, causing Sugishita to look over his shoulder.
Sugishita's eyes landed on Nirei and Suo, noticing how they were just a few steps behind him.
"G-Good morning! Are you tending the garden again?" Nirei greeted.
"Good morning," Suo greeted, "Watch your health. It's hot out."
"Eep!" Nirei squeaked when Sugishita shot them a glare before turning away and walking away.
"Sugishita-san's been looking a lot scarier... Since that war ended," the blonde-haired teenager said.
"Hmm, yeah," Suo agreed, "A lot happened, after all."
"R... Right, yeah," Nirei agreed.
"I left it all...up to you!"
"At any rate..." Suo trailed off, "...Sugishita-kun...has a lot to think about too."
✧˖*°࿐
Twisting the door's knob to the rooftop, Sugishita pushed it open just for a familiar third-year to notice him.
"Oh? Ah. It's Sugishita!" Tsubaki exclaimed when he saw the raven-haired teenager, "Good morning."
"Sugishita?" Hiragi questioned, "Mornin'," he greeted.
"Good morning!" Momose greeted with a smile.
"Good morning," Mizuki greeted.
"Good... Morning," Sugishita replied, a scowl being seen on his face.
Tsubaki laughed. "You look so unhappy!"
"I'm going to the garden. Don't mind me..." Sugishita says as he starts to walk by just for Tsubaki to grab his shoulder.
"Now hold on a second!" Tsubaki exclaimed, "Join us for a little chat! I want to talk with youuu!" He beamed as he led Sugishita to where the others were.
"But..." Sugishita trailed off.
"How did that hair treatment I told you about go? Did you like it? You've been doing it regularly, right? I can tell with just one look!" Tsubaki exclaimed before having Sugishita sit, "Come, sit!"
"Guh!" Sugishita grunted out as he was forced to sit down with the other leaders.
"No one can win against Tsubaki-chan. You even managed to tame Sugi-chan," Momose states.
"Always so pushy," Mizuki added in.
Hiragi had a smile on his lips, already used to the situation.
"We're all here because Ume said he wanted to have breakfast together again! But he and (N/n) still aren't here yet," Tsubaki explained, "Mizuki! Can you get him a cup of coffee?"
"Roger that," Mizuki replied as he started pouring a cup of coffee for the raven-haired teenager, "Hiragi-shi suddenly got into the coffee bean fad... You should give it a try t–"
"No thank you. It's too hot out," Sugishita denied.
"Tsk!" Mizuki tsked in response.
"Do you want a bite of my sandwich?" Momose asked.
"No thank you. I'm not hungry," Sugishita denied once more.
"You're like an open book, you know that?" Hiragi pointed out with a teasing smile on his lips.
Sugishita turned his head, saying nothing.
"Hey, morning everyone!" Umemiya greeted as he and (Y/n) approached the group.
"Morning," (Y/n) says as he gives a small head nod.
"Sorry 'bout that!" Umemiya apologized, "The little ones didn't want to go to school. They just wouldn't stop whining and clinging onto (Y/n)..."
Sugishita quickly stood up, looking over at Umemiya and (Y/n) who were approaching.
"Oh!"
"Despite all the times I asked for help," the (H/c)-haired teenager deadpanned.
"But you looked cute," Umemiya replied.
(Y/n) gave an unimpressed look before looking back at the others.
"Sugishita! Did you come to check on the garden?" The white-haired teenager asked, "Thanks for all the help!"
"Good morning, sir," Sugishita greeted, "It's not a problem at all!"
(Y/n) and Umemiya approached the table, sitting down near each other.
"While you're here, why don't you join us for breakfast?" Umemiya asked, "The more the merrier! And the better the food tastes!"
"Thank you, sir!" Sugishita exclaimed.
"You are so easy to read..." Hiragi piped in.
"Hey, Momose's got sandwiches too!" Umemiya exclaimed when he saw the sandwiches.
"Yup," Momose answered, "Because I heard there's coffee."
"Hiragi-shi's coffee is pretty good," Mizuki states.
"Yeah! So yummy!" Tsubaki agreed, "Here you are, Ume, (N/n)!"
"Thanks!" Umemiya beamed.
"Thanks, Tsubaki," (Y/n) thanked.
"Oh, right! I wanted to ask! How're things going with Sakura?" Umemiya asked.
Getting shocked by the question, coffee went flying out of Sugishita's cup.
"Did you seriously have to catch him off guard?" (Y/n) asked, sighing behind his cup as he took a small sip from it.
"Wow, what a waste," Mizuki states.
"A-Are you okay?!" Momose asked worriedly.
Sugishita had a shocked expression on his face, coffee running out of his nose as he stared at Umemiya.
"Oh my gosh! Here, tissue!" Tsubaki panicked as he handed over a tissue.
"Ah, man..." Hiragi trailed off.
"Wh... Wh... What do you mean... How...?" Sugishita asked as he used the tissue to wipe his nose.
(Y/n) sweatdropped but said nothing as he listened to the others talk, unbothered by the fact that Umemiya leaned his head on the (H/c)-haired teenager's shoulder.
"I've been curious, too!" Tsubaki states, "Hiragi told us. During the war... You voluntarily stayed behind in the town...so Sakura could make it to the school."
"It's unthinkable, considering how you would've been the first to go charging after Umemiya-shi and (L/n)-shi," Mizuki points out.
"Did something change?" Momose asked as he ate a sandwich.
"You've had that scowl on your face... Since we started repairing the town, too!" Tsubaki smiled.
"You look like you've lost a bet or somethin'," Hiragi added.
"But since it's you..." Tsubaki trailed off as he refilled his cup, "...we know how tight-lipped you can be."
"Yup," Hiragi agreed as he took a bite out of his sandwich.
"Having worries isn't exactly a bad thing. Worry away!" Umemiya states.
"Agreed," Mizuki replied as he and Momose nodded their heads.
"If something is causing you to worry, we're here to listen," (Y/n) says while taking a bite from a sandwich Umemiya had handed him.
"I...don't really understand..." Sugishita began.
Tsubaki, Hiragi, Mizuki, Momose, Umemiya, and (Y/n) gazed at their underclassman.
"What is it...that you don't understand?" Umemiya asked, a smile making its way onto his lips.
"When we were fighting...I thought he was kinda..." Sugishita trailed off, squeezing his hands together, "...C...C..."
"Cuh"?" Tsubaki questioned before realizing what Sugishita was trying to say, "Oh! Cool!!"
The raven-haired teenager gritted his teeth. "Why would I... Ever... I just... Don't understand!" He shouted.
"W... Wow, this is amazing!" Tsubaki exclaimed, "Sugishita only ever cared about Ume and (N/n), but look at him now!"
"And he feels this way for Sakura-shi, of all people," Mizuki states as he pushes his glasses up.
"He thinks he's cool!" Momose gasped.
"Guys, quit pressin' the poor kid's buttons," Hiragi says as he sees the irritated expression on Sugishita's face, imagining steam coming off his head, "Just look at him."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Tsubaki apologized, "It's a first for you, so you must be really confused!"
"Apologies. We weren't trying to tease you," Mizuki apologized.
"Yeah! We're happy about it," Momose states.
"Mhm," Umemiya hummed out, grabbing Sugishita's attention, "Mhm!" He hummed out again, a wide smile being seen on his lips.
"There's nothing wrong with looking up to someone else," (Y/n) states as he takes a sip from his cup, "So, it's nice seeing you looking up to someone you consider a rival, Sugishita."
Sugishita's eyes widened slightly before he shifted them to the side, glancing over at the garden.