I'd met a ton of weirdos in my life—and by that I meant a lot—but Banri Taniguchi definitely took the cake.
He was on a whole different level.
"Kisa, would you like me to carry your bags?"
"Kisa, I heard from your classmates about your workload, so I spoke to your teachers to extend your deadlines."
"Kisa, are you hungry? I prepared a bunch of your favourites."
Every step I took.
Every move I made.
He was there.
He was always there.
The incessant whispers that pervaded the hall were deafening. The beady eyes boring into my back from all directions as well. Oblivious to that was Banri, who innocently fluttered his eyelids the moment I twirled around to face him.
Soon, though, his confusion melted, and he gladly extended the boxed lunch in his hands.
"You like chicken cutlets, right? I also included apples since you mentioned they were your favourite fruit. Cut them up into cute slices, too."
What was going on?
I thought God was finally starting to look out for me. Then, what was this madness?
"Isn't that Banri Taniguchi?"
The whispers were ear-piercing.
"The Banri? The one apart of the Beautican Boyz? What's going on, then? Why is he with that beanstalk?"
"No way. Are they together?"
Cheeks scalding, I unintentionally frowned at him. "Is this necessary?"
Banri flinched. "Did I mess up? It's because I cut them into childish designs, isn't it? You're way cooler than that. Obviously you'd want something spiffy!"
"Not the food!"
Banri fluttered his eyelids. My frown deepened.
I clasped his wrist.
"Come with me."
I dragged him off before the whispers could dare catch up to us. Once alone beneath a nearby staircase, I folded my arms across my chest.
"What are you doing?"
"Admiring your beauty."
I was sure all inches of my skin flamed. His straightforward demeanour left me floundering for my voice. "You told me you wanted to get to know me to figure out how to style me for the show."
"I do."
"Then, what's all this? Why are you playing the role of my servant?"
His gaze never wavered or shied away.
"Because you're beautiful."
"Banri!"
He heaved a breath. Concealing the lunchbox into the bag hung over his hip, he faced me once more.
"It deserves to be admired."
Bewilderment surged through me. "What does?"
"You, Kisa!" he proclaimed, as if that was reason enough. "Your voice, eyes, nose, mouth, personality, height, existence—it's all so wonderful! It's worthy of every single thing this world has to offer!"
Oh, God. I think I broke him.
"Beauty exists to be revered," he prattled on. "Please allow me to soak it up firsthand. In return, I'll do whatever I can for you."
I veered my gaze. Here I thought the guy was somewhat cute when he said what he did yesterday, but this really was testing my patience. Being admired so forcefully wasn't what made me uncomfortable—in fact, it was flattering. But, my insecurities were continually telling me I wasn't worth such a fuss.
"Whenever Banri sees anything beautiful, person or not, he tends to go overboard."
Now I was really starting to understand what Upperclassman Miyake had meant yesterday.
Regardless. . .
"I don't want that."
Stunned into silence, Banri's jaw unhinged.
Balling my fists, I continued, "You making me lunch, following me, carrying my bags; even telling my teachers to give me special treatment. I don't need any of that! I never did! I'm glad you feel so strongly about me, Banri, but you don't have to go so far. I'm fine."
It touched me a lot when he asked me to be his model. When he said I mesmerized him. That he wanted to disprove the rumours about me—see me, the girl known as Shiina Kisaragi. It made me happy. But this. . .
Suppressing my bashfulness the best I could, I looked at him.
His lovesick stare lodged all arguments in my throat. Even without words, I knew exactly what he was thinking. Something along the lines of how "beautiful" I was, but I wasn't going to ask.
A sigh exited my mouth. I really caught the attention of someone troublesome, didn't I?
When I finally turned away from Banri, discomforted by his adoration, the first thing I noticed were familiar faces.
Tsumugi and Kiharu's.
Equal surprise coated their countenances. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Neither of us moved.
Tsumugi was the first to break the silence.
"Shiina!" She barrelled toward me at a speed I had difficulty processing, and was in my vicinity, tears in her eyelids, when I'd come to my senses. "I'm sorry!"
My eyelids had enlarged. "Wh. . ."
Burying her face into her arm, she snuffled uncontrollably. "W-we're the ones who were snooping around for the truth. We had no business doing what we did—only to become a handicap for you because of it. Yet you still came for us. And even sacrificed your hair alongside nearly missing your performance. . ."
"Tsumugi. . ." I sputtered to quell her waterworks. "I did it all of my own volition. It's nobody's fault but my own. I even got you two dragged into it—"
"That's exactly why it hurts, idiot!" This time it was Kiharu who spoke. Her head was downcast, and for the first time ever, her voice trembled. "We've been crap to you since we met. More than that. Even when Upperclassman Hanai's lackeys dragged us up there, I was cursing you a million times over in my head."
Kiharu's chin jerked up, watery eyes locking with mine.
"A normal person would've left us there to rot! After what we did to you—after what I called you—you had no business comin' to our aid! Yet you hugged us, and asked our well-being with such sincere tears in yer eyes. Why're you so nice, idiot?"
I was undeniably at a loss for words. My lungs had stalled, alongside time itself.
Kiharu was crying. Tsumugi was, too. And what they were saying. . .
"I'm sorry, all right!" Kiharu blubbered into her forearm, Tsumugi an equal mess beside her. "No amount of words can vocalize how much. I'm even willing to slit my stomach to make it up to you."
"I-I'll find us a s-suitable w-weapon," Tsumugi flubbed.
I grabbed her shoulder to stop her. "Guys. . . ! It's really not that serious. My hair will grow back."
They sobbed harder.
Feeling Banri's boring gaze from behind increased my helplessness. More than that, however, my chest was warm.
"Let us make it up to ya'," Kiharu snivelled. "I'll do anything."
"A-a-anything!" Tsumugi whimpered.
My timid smile instantly hushed their sobs. "Then," I said, it elevating into a beam. "Will you guys become my friends?"
It stole the breath from their lungs, and the tears from their eyelids. They gaped at me, at an utter loss for words.
"I don't regret a single thing I did or said," I continued, crossing my arms behind my back. "It's my fault Upperclassman Hanai got you two involved. It only makes sense you'd be angry at me. But, for a long time, I kinda always wished for it. A day we could become more than classmates. That's why. . . if you say something like that, I'll. . ."
I sheepishly flickered my focus back onto them. Waterfalls of tears streaming down their cheeks was the last I expected.
I recoiled.
Oh no. Was the idea that repulsive? I guess I was jumping to conclusions thinking to blossom a friendship despite our past. But. . . from the day I met them, and especially during the Sports Festival, I'd kept the sliver of hope in my heart for Tsumugi and Kiharu specifically. Because out of all our classmates, and the entire first year, they were the ones I felt the most at ease with. Even if Kiharu did brutally insult me more often than not. . .
"Sorry," I said, stifling the hurt in my voice. "I said it without thinking. I know—it's outrageous. F-forget it—"
My words caught in my throat. Not purposefully. Rather, I was tackled. Tsumugi and Kiharu swung their arms around me with enough force to crush my organs. Their incessant wails reverberated in my chest cavity, transforming it into a legitimate puddle.
"Just keep my entire heart, dammit!" Kiharu cried. "How can you say something so precious?"
"I-It hurts you have to ask us that after all this time," Tsumugi whimpered. "You d-deserve so much more than us, Shiina. Way more. . !"
My eyelids stung. Giggling under my breath, I gently returned their hugs, willing their tears to fade. After much needed melodrama, and a short promise to go out for crepes on our next day off, Kiharu and Tsumugi calmed down.
Upon wiping the last of their tears with their respective handkerchiefs, Kiharu tugged my sleeve. She dragged Tsumugi and I a few steps off, and, eyelids tapered, whispered, "On a more important note, what's that?"
I followed her eyes to Banri. He hadn't moved an inch—still had those imaginary hearts in replace of his eyeballs as he stared in our direction. Instead of feeling mortified that he'd witnessed this entire exchange, I deadpanned.
"A human, I think."
Kiharu frowned at my attempt at cracking a joke. "You really are in another league," she said. "Not only Hachiko and Narumi—someone as hardheaded as Banri Taniguchi is now your loyal servant. I thought nothing could startle me after you exposed Upperclassman Hanai with such a mind-blowing performance, yet here we are."
Warmth seized my face. "You watched that?"
"It was amazing!" Tsumugi exploded with a beam. "I usually don't like rock much, but it was extremely invigorating and took my breath away! Kiharu and I hurried to the gymnasium soon after you left us, and I'm so glad we did!"
She flashed her cell.
"I've made it my official ringtone."
Kiharu jostled her arm. "Stop being creepy."
"But Shiina was so breathtaking! Unbelievably so!"
"I get it, but. . ." The freckles on Kiharu's countenance seemed to multiply when she fixed her gaze to mine once more. "It's because of that she's caught the eye of some troublesome people."
"I mean," I interjected. "I wouldn't say Banri is troublesome, per se."
Smothering, and a needless perfectionist, but tolerable.
It was clear both girls did their all to ignore the fact that I'd referred to our upperclassman without honourifics.
"I don't know," Kiharu said. "He did used to be Upperclassman Hanai's stylist."
Now that she mentioned it, I remember her bringing that up before.
"You're not worried?" Tsumugi asked via doe-eyes.
"What about?"
They couldn't answer.
Grinning, I peeked back at the very guy. "I already agreed to this, so I can't exactly back out now. Besides."
"Besides?" they parroted in unison.
"I want to believe in him." My lips quirked higher. "And this beautiful world he wants to create."
—————
Hi, hi. I'm back to writing this after like, a whole month.
I'm still kinda debating how I should go about updating. I really only started this OS for fun; not as something I'd break my back working on, lol. Of course it's still fun to write. And of course if there are readers I'll still try to update for you. But yeah. I have too many books to work on and only two hands + other hobbies & life responsibilities. So, maybe I'll just do what I used to do way back when and update every time I finish a chapter. I don't like doing that anymore because usually I'll go back and change stuff in previous chapters whenever I start on a new one but,, let's hope for the best. I'll try not to change things too much if I don't have to.
Anyway, the good news is that I have the next two chapters written so I'll be updating them before the end of the year.
Can't believe it's nearly 2021 already,,, Time really flies when you're suffering-
Do Vote & Comment! <3 Even the smallest support will motivate me to keep writing for this book which in turn will = more updates.
Thanks for reading!