AKIRA'S POV
Did I sound mean?
I can't help it. Every time I see his face, it just pisses me off.
I don't even know why—he is a nice guy, I'll admit that.
But there's just something about him that irritates the hell out of me.
And yet... every time I look at him, I feel my face heating up.
Wait—could it be that I'm blushing because of him?
What?! Eww, no!
Just now, I felt it again—my cheeks getting warm.
Am I seriously blushing over my own thoughts right now?
Ugh, something feels off.
I feel... weird.
Every time I see him, it's the same thing.
This feeling... it irritates me!
I didn't even realize I was squirming.
Just thinking about him—his face, his voice—it makes my stomach feel weird.
Like there's a butterfly flapping around in there or something.
Wait, what am I even saying?!
Cringe!
Oh god, this is bad. This is so bad.
Wait, everyone calm down!
It's not like I like him, okay?!
I'm just... ugh!
I keep walking down the hallway, still totally embarrassed by my own thoughts.
My face is burning.
Hey—I'm just embarrassed, alright? That doesn't mean I like Yoshi!
I'm so deep in my thoughts, I don't even pay attention to where I'm going.
I turn the corner... and someone bumps into me.
I stumble back a little.
"I'm sorry," I mumble, staring at the floor.
What are you doing, Akira? Ugh. Get it together.
I look up—and of course.
It's Yoshi.
What the hell?!
My nerves go into full panic mode, and my face burns even hotter.
I quickly turn away to hide my expression.
This is the worst possible moment.
Why am I blushing again?!
I force myself to face him.
"Sorry!" I blurt out, and immediately turn and run off.
I'm so embarrassed I could die.
Please, someone just end me.
"Wait, Akira!"
I freeze when I hear him call my name.
"Can we... can we talk?"
Talk?
Heck no. Not now!
"Sorry, but no!" I shout back and run as fast as I can.
I turn a corner and press myself against the wall, trying to hide.
My heart's pounding, I'm sweating, and my face is still on fire.
Hah...
That was way too close.
Why do I keep feeling like this?
I mean, I've felt like this ever since the first day I saw him,
but why am I acting like such a mess now?
Ughhh, this is seriously getting on my nerves.
———
YOSHI'S POV
Burp.
Whoo, finally. I'm full.
"You should be careful with your body shape, Yoshi," Ryota says while still munching away.
Look who's talking.
"Say that to yourself. You're eating way more than I am," I reply.
Bruh, I only had a few bites—just enough to kill the hunger. But Ryota? This dude won't stop stuffing his face with everything on the table.
"This is part of my diet," he says, mouth full of food.
Seriously? I'm scared he might choke.
"That's enough, Ryota. You've eaten enough—hey... hey!"
He doesn't listen.
"I'm outta here. You're gonna blow yourself up," I say, shaking my head.
At this rate, he's gonna gain ten pounds in one sitting.
Finally, after like three whole minutes, he stops.
He's so full now—imagine a giant hog slumped over a table.
Okay, okay, that was harsh. Just kidding. Heh.
Ryota's always been like this—a heavy-duty food muncher.
But no matter how much he eats, he never gains any visible fat.
Still looks fit. I guess he's just built different. Fast metabolism, maybe.
After a few minutes, we leave the cafeteria and walk side by side down the hallway.
Lunch break's over, so it's time to head back to class.
"Wait, bro… I think nature is calling me," Ryota says, clutching his stomach.
Oh no. He's about to explode.
"Just go, man. Hurry, or you're gonna crap yourself right here," I say.
He chuckles weakly and walks off.
I keep walking, turning the corner—
and then bam, someone bumps into me.
"Sorry," she says.
I look down.
It's... Akira?
My heart skips a beat.
This—this is like the best moment ever!
Yoshi, this is your chance! Tell her you're sorry.
But... what if I mess it up?
Isn't this kinda embarrassing?
I freeze. I just stand there, staring at her like an idiot.
She looks kind of red... is she blushing?
She quickly turns away from me.
What's up with her?
She turns back, mumbles, "Sorry!" And then bolts.
Huh?! What just happened?
Wait—I need to say something!
"Wait, Akira!" I call out.
To my surprise, she stops.
"Can we... can we talk?" I ask.
"Sorry, but no!" she shouts, then takes off running again.
And there I am, left standing in the hallway like a statue.
Did I just get... rejected again?
———
RYOTA'S POV
Flush~~~
Ahh, what a relief.
I ate way too much—ended up blowing up the toilet.
How long was I in there? No clue... maybe half an hour?
I just sat there, regretting every bite as my stomach waged war against me.
Welp, now I'm late.
I walk out of the bathroom and start heading back to class.
Then, out of nowhere, I see Akira sprinting down the hallway like her life depends on it.
She's so fast, you'd think a cheetah just enrolled in our school.
"Wha—what the heck?"
She slams right into me, and I stumble back hard.
Ouch! That hurt.
What's going on with her?
Her face is red as a tomato.
She looked flustered… or maybe embarrassed?
Seriously, what happened?
Also... man, she hit me like a truck.
I get myself up and brush off my uniform. Seriously, why was she running like that? Is someone chasing her? A killer? A clown? Hanako-san? Aka Manto? Teke Teke?
Where the heck is she going anyway? She's totally skipping class. What is she even doing?
I start walking down the hallway again, still thinking about it. I gotta ask Yoshi about this—he's probably involved somehow.
After a while, I finally reach our classroom. Wait… there's no teacher? It's already been 30 minutes since lunch ended! I look around and spot Yoshi at his desk. I walk over to him. Time to ask some questions—or maybe tease him a bit too.
"What's up, Yoshi?" I say casually.
He looks up at me. "What's up? How's the battle with your stomach?"
Seriously. "I won the war, of course," I answer proudly.
"Really? I thought you already blew yourself up," he replies with a sarcastic grin.
"I didn't bloat and pop like a balloon. I told you—it's part of my diet," I say. And I'm not even joking. No matter how much I eat, I never gain any weight. I'm just built different.
"Okay, but you shouldn't eat like that. You looked like a man who hasn't eaten in a century."
I glare at him while he laughs. Alright, time to change the topic.
"So, Yoshi…" I lean in a little. "Yeah?" he replies.
"What happened to Akira?" I ask in a teasing tone.
He immediately flusters. Haha—he's turning red. Tomato alert.
"Wh-What do you mean? I don't know anything," he says, looking away.
Liar. "Did you and her run into each other by accident?"
He keeps staring off, still looking like a tomato. "Well… yeah."
"What happened?"
He clears his throat. "It's nothing special. We just bumped into each other, that's all," he says. "But I did notice she was acting weird. I don't know what's up with her."
"She looked super flustered when I saw her. Is she embarrassed or something?" I ask.
Yoshi just shrugs. "I don't know. But I missed the chance to say something to her."
Wait—was he going to try again?
"Seriously, you were gonna ask her out again?" I ask, surprised.
He shakes his head, and now I'm confused.
"I was going to apologize to her. I've been a bother in her life, you know?" He looks up at me with a serious face.
"Are you giving up?" I ask. Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that.
He looks away, and his expression darkens. "M-Maybe… I mean, I don't want to bother her anymore. All I've done is annoy her. Maybe I should give up—for her sake."
Whoa. Seriously? He's really thinking of giving up?
No way. I can't let that happen.
———
AKIRA'S POV
I finally stopped running.
I slump against the hallway wall, still panting, still red. My heart won't stop pounding, and it's not because I ran too fast.
Ugh… what is wrong with me?
Why did I run? He just wanted to talk. And I—I panicked like an idiot. Now I probably look like a crazy girl sprinting through the halls for no reason. Great job, Akira. Real mature.
I slide down to sit on the floor, burying my face in my hands.
I didn't mean to act like that. I just… couldn't take it. His eyes were so sincere, like he really wanted to say something important. And the way he looked at me… it felt like my heart was going to explode. I can't handle that. I've never had anyone look at me like that before.
Why does he even like me anyway? I've done nothing but turn him down over and over. And still… he keeps coming back. Every time. Even today.
I hug my knees and rest my chin on them.
...But this time, he didn't confess.
He looked… different. Quieter. He didn't seem as excited. He looked almost—hurt.
...Did I go too far?
I keep pushing him away, but I never thought he'd start to pull back. I thought he'd just keep trying, no matter what. That was kind of... comforting, in a weird way.
What if he gives up?
What if he's already giving up?
My chest tightens at the thought. I don't like that feeling. Not one bit.
"Ugh!" I groan and slap both cheeks lightly to snap myself out of it. "Get it together, Akira!"
I get up and dust myself off.
Maybe I should apologize for turning him down today. Maybe I should talk to him first for once.
But… not now. I'm not ready.
Soon, though.
———
YOSHI'S POV
Ugh, damn it. What should I do? I just wanted to say sorry. But why is she acting so weird? That's not like her at all. Or maybe... she's had enough of me. Maybe she's actually mad—so mad she doesn't even want to talk to me anymore. Hahhh, I really need to fix this mess.
Maybe I should stop asking her out—for now. Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up. That's just my current thought. But actually giving up? Nah. Maybe I will... someday. But not today.
I don't even know why I'm this crazy about her. Ever since the first day of school, I've been head over heels. I confessed to her that very same day. Maybe it sounds like I was just infatuated, but day by day, I kept falling harder.
I've seen her bright side—the side that made me admire her. And I've seen glimpses of her darker side, too—the one that made me want to understand her more, maybe even help her change, or heal. I've never had a crush on anyone before. Only her.
Of course, she turned me down. Every single time. Maybe she's just way out of my league. I mean, she's popular. And me? I'm just your average guy. No looks. No charm. Nothing special. She's too good for me.
But I've been persistent. I kept inviting her out. But every time, the answer was 'no.' There was even a time I bought her a huge bouquet and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. And guess what? She didn't accept it. All that effort, wasted. But I didn't mind.
Am I stupid or something? Ugh. I hate myself. She's clearly not interested, so why do I keep pushing?
But... but... I want her.
I can't give up. Not yet.
But maybe... just maybe...
I'll take things slow from now on.