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'I thought Valentine's day already passed,' [Y/N] thought, staring at all the couples walking past her with a blank expression. 'So why do I feel even lonelier than before?'
She wanted to go around the city for a walk, but she couldn't help but notice everyone around her. It was a lovely day, sure, but she wanted to go back home once she realized how depressing it was for her to go alone when everyone else was spending their day wonderfully.
'I should go back,' She sighed, putting her hands in her pockets, and looked at the ground with a saddened expression. 'Maybe I should've invited someone to hang out with, like Teruー'
''Eh? [L/N]?''
'...hashi.'
Speak of the devil. The blue-haired girl stared at [Y/N] with bewilderment, with [Y/N] staring back at her confused as well. Teruhashi almost sighed in annoyance, untilー
''Kokomi?''
''Huh?'' [Y/N] turned around, spotting an orange-brown haired girl tied with a pink hairband. [Y/N] looked back at Teruhashi, before looking back at the other girl. ''You both know each other?''
''O-Oh, well,'' The girl stuttered, her hand scratching the back of her head. ''We do, but we haven't met outside of the school.''
''That's right,'' Teruhashi agreed, nodding, before awkwardly looking around and setting her eyes on the shop next to them. ''How about we talk inside? I'm quite in the need of a drink.''
''Good idea, Kokomi!''
''Oh?'' [Y/N] looked at the shop. She looked back at them, ''I'mー''
''Oh, that's a wonderful idea!'' The other girl interrupted [Y/N].
'If another person interrupts me one more time...'
. . .
''I'm Yumehara Chiyo,'' Yumehara introduced herself, putting a strand of hair behind her ear. She set down her drink, ''Nice to meet you, [L/N]!''
''Y-Yeah,'' [Y/N] replied nervously, shifting on the chair uncomfortably. ''Nice to meet youー.''
''ーCall me Chiyo!''
''...too.''
''Glad to see you're both getting along,'' Teruhashi interrupted that god awkward moment, smiling at them with her angelic smile. ''Speaking of which, this is the first time we actually met outside of school, right, Yumehara?'' She looked at Chiyo with a curious look.
''Oh, right!'' YumeーChiyo agreed, nodding. ''Now that you mention it, you're right! By the looks of it, this isn't the first time you and [Y/N] have hung out, right?''
''Yeahー''
''ーNot exactly,'' Teruhashi interrupted [Y/N], resting her face on her palm. ''We weren't actually hanging out. We ran into each other, before you ran into us.'' She twirled the straw.
''Oh, is that it?''
'I was about to say that,' [Y/N] might've stared at Teruhashi for too long, but it can almost be considered a glare. 'What is up with people interrupting me? Is it a habit?' She set down her drink, staring at the table with furrowed eyebrows. 'Is it because of New Years?'
While [Y/N] was deep in her thoughts, trying to find out the meaning of people interrupting her, the air between Teruhashi and Chiyo turned incredibly awkward.
''ーUhm...''
''ーSay...'' Teruhashi and Chiyo said at the same time, before pausing.
''Ah, come to think of it, our school trip is coming up soon, huh?'' Chiyo spoke up, as [Y/N]'s face scrunched up in confusion.
''School Trip?''
''You haven't heard, [L/N]?'' Teruhashi looked at her with a surprised expression, blinking a few times, before smiling. ''Our school is planning a trip to Okinawa. It's exciting, isn't it?'' She said dreamly, as she started imagining a certain someone.
''Really? Then yeah, that is exciting. How did I not know that....'' [Y/N] mumbled the last part, pouting at the table. But now that she thinks about it, she barely speaks to her classmates...
..She doesn't even remember their names, oh god.
Chiyo looked up at them with a glint in her eye, ''Yeah, a trip to Okinawa... I heard there's a beautiful beach there,'' A smirk appeared on her face, ''A three-day trip and a beach...'' She trailed off, entering a day dream.
''Yeah, a three-day trip...'' Teruhashi mumbled, also entering a day dream.
'...With Saiki!' Both of them simultaneously thought.
LOVE FANTASY.
'Who's going to pay the bill?' [Y/N] thought, awkwardly staring at them. 'I didn't bring any money.'
While Chiyo's and Teruhashi's imagination was going wild, someone in both of them, [Y/N] nervously looked around. Both of them suddenly turned quiet, and it made [Y/N] feel uninvited.
''Are you both daydreaming?'' They both snapped out of it once [Y/N] spoke up, catching their attention. ''Did something happen?''
''O-Oh, it was nothing!'' Chiyo waved her hand around, dismissing it, before realizing [Y/N]'s words, ''Wait, Kokomi, were you thinking of something just now?''
''What? No, nothing. What about you, Yumehara?''
''I-I wasn't thinking about anything,'' Chiyo let out a stutter, a blush on her cheeks. Then, her eyes were set on [Y/N]. ''Wait, were you thinking of someone, [Y/N]?''
''Huh? No.''
Chiyo pouted at the immediate response, unsatisfied, and leaned on her seat. She looked at Teruhashi, and an idea suddenly popped up in her head.
''Do you have someone you like, Kokomi?''
Teruhashi almost spat out her drink in surprise, Chiyo knowing exactly what that meant, ''What? You do?!''
''Wait, you do?'' [Y/N] reacted with shock as well, trying to confirm what she heard was right. [Y/N] couldn't imagine how Teruhashi's fan club would react to all this. They'd probably murder the guy.
''N-No, I don't!'' Teruhashi stuttered out a response, ''You suddenly asked that question, so I was surprised. That's all!''
''Well, I guess you wouldn't, right? It seems love worries are foreign to you.'' Chiyo sighed, leaning on the table with a disappointed posture.
However, [Y/N] stared at Teruhashi, noticing how a blush was visible on Teruhashi's face, but decided to stay quiet.
''What about you, Yumehara? Do you like someone?'' Teruhashi asked, seemingly out of spite.
''Y-Yeah.''
''Wow! who is it?''
''Come on, we should really leave this topic alone,'' [Y/N] spoke up, starting to get a bit annoyed by it. ''If we don't want to tell, then we shouldn't force anyone.''
''Aw, I suppose you're right.''
''I-It's fine! Only if you don't tell anyone!'' Chiyo interrupted, waving her arms around with a large blush, before scratching her cheek in embarrassment. ''It's, uh.. someone in our class.''
'And all my efforts go to waste.' [Y/N] looked at the blushing Chiyo with disappointment.
''Ahh, now I'm curious!'' Teruhashi replied with excitement.
'It can't be Saiki, right? I wonder who it is...' Teruhashi thought, before taking a glance at [Y/N], 'As for [L/N]... I can't really tell, but it's most likely Saiki. She has terrible luck, as I'm definitely not going to give up!'
''My psychー'' Teruhashi eyes widened in horror.
''What'd you just say?!''
''O-Oh, I said my psycho ex-boyfriend is finally out of the picture, so...'' Chiyo replied, a look of worry plastered all over her face, ''Are you okay?''
''Oh, psych-O... psych-O, right...''
''Are you alright?'' [Y/N] looked at Teruhashi with worry, placing her hand on Teruhashi's shoulder. ''You scared me for a moment there. What happened?''
''I-It's fine, It's fineー I'm fine!'' Teruhashi replied, waving her hand around in dismissal, ''I was just caught by surprise! I just misheard a word...''
''If you say so...'' [Y/N] mumbled, reluctantly removing her hand from Teruhashi's shoulder, not believing Teruhashi's words for a moment.
Teruhashi cleared her throat, ''So,'' She looked back at Chiyo. ''Did you start liking your Saiーpsycho ex-boyfriend again?''
''What? No!'' Chiyo quickly shook her head, waving her hand in dismissal, ''It's someone I liked before I went out with my ex-boyfriend.''
''Before?'' [Y/N] raised a brow, ''Did they reject you or something?''
''Well, no,'' Chiyo scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, a blush on her cheeks. ''It's actually because I gave up on them. My plans always failed when I tried to talk to them, as if the world wanted us apart.''
''Eh? How does that work?'' [Y/N] asked, her tone that could be mistaken for sarcasm. ''Did you suddenly get motivation to go against the world's wishes and try be with them again?''
''Yes!'' Chiyo replied with enthusiasm, a bright smile on her face. ''The world might be telling me we're not meant to be, but I think it's otherwise! I can feel it!'' She declared, standing up.
''Oh, well, good luck with that.''
'Although I don't really know if I have faith in that.'
''That's so interesting!'' Teruhashi looked at Chiyo with amazement, ''So you have experience with romance, huh?''
''Y-Yeah!''
''What about you, [L/N]?'' Teruhashi suddenly looked at [Y/N]. ''Do you have someone you like?''
''No, I don't,'' [Y/N] shook her head, although with a sad expression, her eyes darting to the table. ''I've never actually fallen in love, so I don't have experience with romance at all.''
''Aw, [Y/N]...'' Chiyo looked at [Y/N] with pity.
'If [L/N] doesn't like anyone, does that mean she doesn't like Saiki?' Teruhashi thought, a giddy feeling of relief washing over her. 'Should I just come clean and tell them who I like after all?'
''Uhm... to tell you the truth, there's someone I'm sort of interested in.'' Teruhashi spoke up, a nervous smile on her face. Everyone paused at the table, before looking at her with shock.
''What? No way! Who's that?!'' Chiyo leaned on the table, invading Teruhashi's personal bubble, a sparkle visible in Chiyo's eyes. ''In our school?! A French guy?!''
''Yumehara, don't shout! And you're drooling!''
''Sorry, sorry!'' Chiyo backed away, sitting properly in her chair, although she was almost shaking with excitement. ''But I wonder who it could be... Since so many guys hang out with you, I can't figure it out!''
''No, that's not true. The last time I went out with guy friends was when I went out to Saiki's house with [L/N] and the others on New Year's Day...''
Teruhashi trailed off, pausing once she realized the look of sheer horror that Chiyo gave her.
''S-SaiーOh, I see!'' Chiyo nervously laughed, before looking at the table with a conflicted expression.
The air around them got thicker, so thick you could cut it with a knife. As if a new rivalry had just been awakened.
And, of course, [Y/N] was probably gonna be in the middle of it.
And around that time, the man in question was unfortunately sitting right next to them.
''What's wrong? You look pale,'' Kaidou asked, looking concerned at Saiki, who was grumpily sitting and drinking his drink. ''Don't tell me you sensed Dark Reunion's presence?!''
'Of all places they could've been in,' Saiki thought, having a strong urge to teleport out of there. 'Of all the people [Y/N] could've met, it just had to be them both?'
Saiki set down his drink, leaning his forehead on his hand. 'If they become love rivals and they both approach me, not only will it be a possibility to bring [Y/N] in this mess, but the pain I'll be put through will easily surpass that of Kaidou and Nendou.'
Saiki looked at Nendou, who was playing with his straw... with his mouth.
((I don't even know how to explain it. I literally sat there for 2 minutes trying to think of a way to how to write it.))
'They're just starting to suspect that the one the other one likes might be me. I have to stop this situation without them noticing.' And as soon as Saiki thought that, Nendou blew the straw too hard and ended up on the other side.
''Oh, sorry. It went to your sideー Oh, Teruhashi!'' Nendou stood up, yelping.
'You idiot!'
''Huh? Nendou?'' Teruhashi stood up, with Chiyo following. [Y/N] almost choked on her spit in surprise when she heard the name, but nonetheless stood up with them.
The two girls blushed once they saw Nendou's companion, while [Y/N] politely greeted the three of them.
'ーOh no!'
'ーSaiki! Did he hear us?' The two girls looked at each other, noticing the blush evident on their cheeks. And just like that, they had confirmed everything.
'ーSo I was right! There's no doubt about it! Yumehara likes...'
'ーKokomi's face is brightly red! This means that she likes...'
'Saiki!'
''Oh hey, Saiki,'' [Y/N] nonchalantly greeted Saiki, ''Nice to see you again. You seem down, is everything fine?''
''Likewise,'' Saiki immediately responded, with a shockingly pleasant tone. ''Everything is...fine.''
'[Y/N] is already ahead of us!?' The two girls glared at the back of [Y/N]'s head. 'So that means she lied about...?!'
' ''I guess we're friends''?! As if! Why would she say that when she clearly likes him?!' Teruhashi was raging in her head, she felt like her head was gonna explode. 'I think! Cause if she actually does, then she has the best poker face I've ever seen!'
Teruhashi put her hands behind her back so that no one would see her clenched fists. 'Calm down, Kokomi. She just greeted him! And Saiki just ignored you because he was really nervous to see you, the perfect pretty girl!'
'Hey, don't jump to conclusions way too fast!' Saiki thought.
Magically, Kaidou ーsomehowー bumped into Chiyo.
''SorrーI mean, my apologies!''
''Y-Yeah, I'm okay.''
'She's redder than before!' Teruhashi noted, staring at both of them with a gasp, 'So she actually likes Kaidou!'
And suddenly, Nendou somehow bumped into Teruhashi.
''Oh, sorry!''
'What?! She's so red!' Chiyo was staring at reddened Teruhashi with shock. 'So the one she likes is...what?!'
'I warmed their faces using pyrokinesis,' Saiki thought, staring at them with a small, satisfied smile. 'As for [Y/N], they will most-likely realize that she harbors no feelings for meー'
And at that moment, [Y/N] had accidentally bumped into Saiki.
''Oh shoot, sorry!'' [Y/N] blushed out of embarrassment, ''I didn't watch where I was going.''
''It'sー'' Saiki paused once he looked at the two girls behind [Y/N], ''ー...Fine.''
'[Y/N] is blushing after she bumped into Saiki! That means...' Chiyo thought with widened eyes.
'[L/N] is redder than before! Not that she was red to start with, but if she's blushing at Saiki, that means...' Teruhashi glared daggers at the back of [Y/N].
'...She likes Saiki!'
'...Are you serious?' If Saiki could, he would be apologizing to [Y/N] right this moment, 'Is this karma for using my powers? Why, of all people, is [Y/N] suffering the consequences?'
Saiki exhaled, 'Good grief.'
. . .
'Good grief.' Saiki was currently walking with Nendou and Kaidou, and in front of them was [Y/N], Chiyo and Teruhashi. While [Y/N] was walking in silence, the other two girls were just staring at each other happily.
...It wasn't the same case when they looked at [Y/N], however.
'So the one that Yumehara likes is Kaidou!' Teruhashi thought.
'I would've never guessed that Teruhashi likes Nendou!' Chiyo thought fondly.
'However...' The two of them secretly looked at [Y/N], who was looking at the scenery.
'So [Y/N] actually likes Saiki... I can't believe it. She actually had the audacity to lie to someone like me! And I was so kind to her! No matter, I, the perfect pretty girl, will not lose!'
'To think that [Y/N] ended up liking the same person I like...and liked! I may have given up that one time, but I won't give up again!'
'Why do I feel like I made things even more complicated than before?' Saiki looked at the two girls with distaste, internally sighing. What a day this was for him.
'I cannot, absolutely no way, let [Y/N] know about this. If she finds out, I'll lose her as my average friend.'
...Friend.
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A/N: This is probably the chapter I hate most.
(I've re-written this so many times, and all of them are the same. Yikes.)
Anyways, the Okinawa trip is coming up, and it's one of the reasons I chose this episode so I could introduce it. I planned a lot of things for the trip.
Let's just say.. Many interesting things will happen.
(By the way, this will probably be the only Author's note I'll ever write, since we all hate those.)