chapter 8 Sonzoned
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dear soulmate,
Rei and Pink salmon are acting too weird. they keep appearing whenever i don't want them to appear. can't they just leave me alone!?
i need to find someone sane to talk to or else, i'll get dragged in by the two's shenanigans.
i hope you meet me soon so i can hide behind you and then i can stick my tongue out at them.
xoxo
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"Do you regret being here?"
"Even if I do, it's not like I can do anything about it, right?"
"..."
"Come on! Don't look so guilty! Besides, The sun sets in the west to rise in the east. My mother would always tell me that. It means that all things happen for a reason... I do know that the reason I'm here is because I need to do something. And that may be me meeting you."
"... What do you feel about being here, then?"
"... It's such a pain but I can get through it because I have you, my precious friend."
"..."
"I don't mind getting married if it's you."
"W-what!?"
"I'm not kidding! I don't really mind it. I know that you'll keep me safe if it's you."
And she smiled the sweetest smile the world could offer.
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It was a peaceful night. Stars were shining brightly— almost as bright as the crescent moon. The Sakamaki brothers as well as their sacrificial bride were attending their classes as they normally do.
In the third year room was Shuu and the girl, as well as a few number of students having their lunch.
"Psst. Shuu." the girl whispered, poking the blonde male's cheek.
Shuu ignored her, continuing to sleep while his head was nestled on his arms.
"Shuu. Shuu. Shuu." she repeatedly said, poking his cheek every now and then.
"Mhm." He replied, swatting her hand away.
"Come on, man. I just need to ask you something important." she lightly whined as she dodged the Sakamaki's assault. "... I'll give you something in return."
This caught his attention. Shuu opened one of his eyes, peeking at the girl's earnest expression. He then released a sigh, sitting up as he unplugged one of his earbuds.
He just can't resist that look.
"What do you want from me, Kiyoko? You keep bothering my sleep." He asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.
The girl's smile faded as her eyes slowly widened. "... W-what?"
She knows that name very much. How does he know that name?
Both stared at each other in silence, the chatter of their classmates dissipating to nothingness. Right now, there was just the two of them.
Shuu was the first to flinch, cursing him and his dazed mind. "I mean... what?" he asked back. He then rubbed his temples, giving a small growl of dissatisfaction. "I'm still feeling a bit tired. Can you ask me later?"
This brought the girl back to her original agenda. "This won't take a while, I swear!" she cheerfully rebutted, pulling out a messily wrapped packaging from her bag and settling it on top of the male's desk. "And this... is the payment."
Shuu curiously looked at the object presented in front of him.
"I just want to ask about the concept of sacrificial brides." she said, getting straight to the point.
The girl sat on the desk adjacent from the male, seriousness present on her small face.
The question took Shuu by surprise, his forehead creasing by the tiniest of fraction. "Why would you want to know about that?"
"Your brothers call me that and I do have a feeling that Rei did explain the whole mechanics but I wasn't listening?"
"... Who's Rei?"
"I mean Reiji."
Shuu squinted his cerulean eyes. When did they get so close? And if they did get close,
"Why don't you ask him instead?"
The girl looked at him as if he grew sharp fangs and that he sucks blood. Oh wait. He does have sharp fangs! And he sucks blood!
"Your brother is acting weird. Him and Pink salmon." she leaned closer to the male, and said in a hushed tone, "I think they're gay for each other and they're using me as some sort of reason for them to meet."
...
"... You're wasting my time." Shuu went back to his sleeping position, eyes drooping close as he proceeded to plug his earbuds once again. "If you want answers, you should ask the others..."
"Hey, wait—!"
"One thing's for sure though; that's the most unpleasant title a woman can get." with that, the male was back in his slumber.
The girl sighed, biting her lower lip in frustration. There goes the safest Sakamaki she could ask.
She couldn't ask Laito nor Reiji; both were acting so weird that she feels so awkward being with then. There's no way in hell that Kanato will give her answers without burning him alive. Ayato is a shlut— he'll probably try to bite her literally. There's only one Sakamaki left. His wrath is supreme and she'll probably hear a lot of curses. However, he's better than nothing.
With another sigh, she hopped off the desk she was sitting on, leaving Shuu and the package meant for him.
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Under the moonlight was the girl, sitting down under a tree that was slowly turning brown.
"Can't even find his shadow..." the girl muttered to herself as she continuously write on her journal meant only for her soulmate to see. She chewed on her sandwich, taking occasional bites.
"Dear soulmate, I still don't know what a sacrificial bride is. I can't find Suba—"
"Smoked salmon, what are you writing?" A warm breath suddenly whispered near her ear.
"Rudolph the red nose reindeer, has a very shiny nose!!!" she exclaimed in surprise, shutting the journal quickly and stuffing Laito's face with the sandwich she was eating. "Pink salmon! I d-didn't see you there!" she stuttered out loud, hoping to divert the vampire's attention.
"Nfu. Is that a diary?" the redhead asked, holding onto the girl's hand that she freely offered to him.
The green-eyed male took the sandwich from her her left hand that was in his mercy, eating its remains as his right hand interlocked with hers.
"Stop using your parasitic acts against me — it won't work." she chastised, trying to pull her hand away.
"Does it still hurt?" Laito asked, eyes on the bandages wrapped around the girl's left wrist.
"It never hurt in the first place." was the girl's quick answer, giving up once she realized that Laito's hold was basically a vise grip. "But if you're concerned about its current state, it's healing now. Seems like your saliva has some vampire magic that makes wounds heal faster. It's only been a week and the cut is closing up."
Vampire magic.
The girl never failed to amuse him. He couldn't help but smile, bringing her hand close to his lips before giving a chaste kiss on her bandage.
His eyes stared at hers, hoping to see some sort of reaction from her.
...
Instead of giving a face of a flustered high school girl, her expression turned to that of someone who ate something sour while trying to play the guitar for the first time.
"Please don't do that again. It felt weird." she begged, cringing as she tried to pull her hand away from him once again.
What did he even expect? He chuckled at her annoyed reaction.
"Aren't you supposed to be flustered?" he flirtatiously asked, fanning his long eyelashes to piss the girl further.
"You're such an annoying— hnghhhhh." the girl gave him a constipated face. "Imma bite your hand off." she threatened.
"I'll let it go if you answer my question." Laito playfully said, toying with her small finger with both of his hands.
"What?" she asked.
"Why did you kiss my forehead back then?" he earnestly asked, tilting his head to the side.
His forest green eyes were sparkling with life as he awaited the girl's confession. It was a beautiful night. They were under the tree, brown leaves swaying against the wind.
If he was right, this situation is the ideal time to tell what she wants to tell him.
He was still feeling nothing towards the girl. However, he couldn't help but feel a little bit interested towards her. Making her fall for him would be a fun game to play. Leading her on with this sign of affection from him would really boost his ego.
"It's because..." she paused for a bit, "My mother would kiss my forehead when she tries to comfort me. You looked like a child that day so I automatically thought of you as my nonexistent son."
...
Laito was once again, surprised by her answer which led him to loosening his grip against her.
"So yeah, bye!" the girl said, standing up and running away from Laito.
'They're so weird.'
As if she had the right to actually call someone that is not her weird.
The auburn-haired male on the other hand was stuck replaying her answer to his question. It was absurd. It was annoying.
"... Did she just sonzoned me?" he finally asked himself, a slight frown forming on his porcelain face.
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Sonzoned
It has almost the same context with friendzoned which means being considered a friend when you're actually asking for something more romantic. Sonzoned, on the other hand, means being treated as a son when you actually want some romantic affection.
QED.