Chapter 3.
It has become a habit.
I never thought that one siku this would actually happen to me. Now, every siku after school I would have a tarehe with Kurosaki-kun. Not really a date, not a proper tarehe which I used to imagine but since the real Kurosaki-kun was not exactly like what was in my mind, this kind of tarehe was zaidi than enough for me. I was grateful enough that I could spend my time with him in a game centre after school. I never saw Kurosaki-kun looked so excited like this before.
I laughed as I watched Kurosaki-kun spent his money on UFO catcher game. He spent 800 yen already but he would not give up until he got something. I always thought Kurosaki-kun was someone cool and calm. Right now, he was cursing at the machine. I liked him anyway, in my eyes he would always look perfect.
"Umm… Kurosaki-kun, why don't we play another game?"
He didn't looked at me, his cute scowl was still on his face, he looked concentrated to his target, "Not until I could catch something here…"
I sighed and chuckled. I moved closer to see which one of the plushies he targeted.
"HAH! I GOT IT!"
"You got it?"
I moved even closer to him excitedly to see what he got. After watching him playing the game for almost thirty minutes, I became as excited as him when he actually managed to catch something.
Kurosaki-kun turned and showed me what he got with a proud smirk on his handsome face.
"How cute!"
It was a cute stuffed animal. A lion?
He rubbed his nose smugly, "It's for you."
I was a surprised when he gave me the doll. My face became red and hot. I mean, I never expected that I would get something from Kurosaki-kun!
"F-for me?" I looked at him but he avoided my eyes, I saw a faint pink on his cheeks. How cute !
"You like it, don't you?"
"Yes!" I answered quickly, "Ah, but you've spent almost 1,000 yen for this…"
"Nah." He scowled again, "It doesn't matter, I want to give it to wewe since the beginning."
I opened my mouth before quickly turned around to hide my red face. I couldn't say anything. Why he did it? If he acted this nice to me, I would just fall harder for him. I squeezed my eyes. Ah, bad heart! Stop throbbing so fast! I could die! Oh this was his fault!
"You don't want this?"
"Of course I want!"
I took the plushy and hugged it tightly to my breast. I felt my face became hotter as he looked at the plushy in my hands.
"I have this weird feeling that the lion is very happy that wewe hug it like that…."
I laughed, "I didn't know Kurosaki-kun could say something silly like that."
He frowned at me but then slowly his mouth formed a smile. He put his hands inside his pocket and looked around with a satisfied look plastered on his face, "Okay, which game we haven't played?"
Kurosaki-kun and I walked to another arcade together. He walked so close to me that sometime our arms would brush each other. I tried not to look too happy. Deep inside, I kept thanking God for my Luck. Kurosaki-kun was not only the coolest guy in school but he was also really nice and kind. If not, he wouldn't accept it—to be my boyfriend—right?
We were walking out of the game centre side kwa side that evening. I wondered, if people looked at me, did we look like a real couple? I chuckled silently at the thought. Maybe he didn't like me yet now but I would try to make him really look at me.
"Maybe it's about time for me to quit."
I looked at Kurosaki-kun. I didn't understand what did he mean but I just waited for him to continue it.
"To be the discipline committee member," he alisema in a serious tone, "and to pretend to be someone who isn't me."
Is that so?
The look on his face made me realize how serious he was with his words. He wanted to quit pretending. He wanted to be himself. Wasn't that good? I mean, pretending would never bring us happiness, would it? If this was what he wanted…
Eh, wait…
"No! Don't!" I stopped walking to hug his arm, automatically stopped him, "Please don't quit!"
"Huh?" He looked at me confusedly, "Why? I thought wewe like me the way I am?"
"Of-of course I am!"
"So?"
"B-but…"
If he revealed his secret…
"S-so, Kurosaki-kun wants to moto me?" I was ready to cry when I looked at his scowling face.
He blinked eyes before then started laughing.
"What the—" he clenched his stomach, "fire you? What am I? Your employer?"
"That's just a metaphor!" I couldn't believe he laughed at me, I was serious, "If wewe quit…"
He stopped laughing when he heard my trembling voice. I looked down to hide my red face and teary eyes. I tried not to sob but I couldn't stop shaking. I didn't want to lose him.
"If wewe quit…" I started again, "…there will be no zaidi reason for me to be your girlfriend. Since the beginning, wewe let me to be your girlfriend to keep it as secret, right?"
I didn't dare to raise my face. Kurosaki-kun who stood in front of me didn't say anything. I just looked down, somehow I felt like I had just alisema something embarrassing. I wondered how Kurosaki-kun expression at the moment was.
Suddenly I heard a sigh and I felt a big hand on juu of my head and patted. I looked up and I saw his handsome face smirking smugly at me.
"I never thought it would be this fun…"
I felt my face became hotter.
"…to be your employer."
And he laughed.
I liked his laugh.
"Inoue-san, can we talk for a moment?"
Two girls came to my class during the lunch break and told me that they wanted to talk. From the beginning I knew this wouldn't be good. I knew what it was about but nevertheless I followed the girls to the school backyard, where they wanted to talk to me.
I dragged my feet as we walked. I recognized one of the girls. She was the black haired girl who was with Kurosaki-kun in the discipline committee. I didn't know her name but I knew she was from the same class with Kurosaki-kun. She had a small frowned on her face, looked like she was thinking about something as we walked. She didn't look scary but the other girl—the brown haired one—looked like I had done something terrible to her.
"Inoue, lately I saw wewe hanging around Kurosaki." The brown haired girl put her hands on her hips and looked at me angrily, "Do wewe realize where your position is? Do wewe know what people call you? wewe know what, kwa hanging around Kurosaki had ruined his image as a school discipline committee member!"
"Ah," I was startled that I didn't know how to reply that. I never thought about it that far. I never realize that my existence might do that to Kurosaki-kun, "I…"
The black haired girl sighed and looked at me but she didn't say anything. I averted my gaze onto my shoes. I felt so bad. I had done something wrong kwa forcing Kurosaki-kun to be my boyfriend? It seemed like I had done something terrible.
"You must get it wrong, huh?" the brown haired girl started again, "You think Kurosaki likes you? Don't wewe know that he likes Hitomi?"
Hitomi?
The girl with black hair touched her friend's shoulder, somehow she looked a little troubled, "Stop it, Kanako, wewe don't have to be that harsh…"
"But I just tell her the truth!" the girl named Kanako looked at me with so much hatred.
I remembered her name—the black haired girl—was Hitomi Akayama. She was from the same class with Kurosaki-kun. I saw her with Kurosaki-kun sometime, but I thought she has a boyfriend already? What had I done?
What did it mean?
Hitomi-san sighed and looked at me, "When we were in junior high school, Kurosaki-kun likes me." She alisema in a calm tone, "He was a punk back then, he fought everyday and he made nothing but trouble." I felt a thump in my chest, I knew she wasn't lying, "At our graduation day, he confessed to me, but I was scared of him, so I rejected him."
"I just want to be someone who isn't me at all…"
I remember what Kurosaki-kun had said.
"You'll be scared too…"
It made sense now.
"I just wanted to change…"
Yes, I understood.
"After we entered the same high school, I was surprised that Kurosaki changed. He dyed his hair back and became the student council member and joined the discipline committee." Hitomi-san looked so confident and it broke my heart, "Maybe, it was all because of me."
I didn't want to hear it.
No.
This was wrong…
"Now wewe get it?" Kanako scolded me, "Don't get your hope too high! Kurosaki likes someone like Hitomi, why would he looks at someone like you? Do wewe understand?"
But, Kurosaki-kun alisema he had fun when he was with me…
"Stop it, Kanako…" Hitomi-san touched Kanako's shoulder, "It's enough."
"No! This weirdo needs to be taught her position! He had ruined Kurosaki image! If she were with him for too long, he wouldn't cool anymore! Now that Hitomi has broken up with her boyfriend she has a chance to get him back."
Hitomi sighed, "It isn't too late… If I alisema I would be his girlfriend this time maybe he would try harder to change…"
"Don't say something bad about Kurosaki-kun!" Finally I snapped, I could stand it if they talked back about me but not about Kurosaki-kun, "You don't know! Kurosaki-kun is Kurosaki-kun! Maybe he changed for wewe but he is still him! Deep inside he's just Kurosaki-kun and will always be cool, that wouldn't be changed! If wewe can't accept him for who he was, wewe don't deserve him!"
Kanako snorted, "What are wewe talking about, huh!"
"I like him! For whoever he is!" I shouted before I ran away with tears blinded my eyes.
So it was her.
It was her who changed him. It was her who had made him hold back. It was that girl.
I understood why Kurosaki liked her. She was smart, she was beautiful, and she was popular. She was nothing like me. I had nothing to compare with her.
But she didn't upendo him like the way I do.
Maybe I wouldn't win but I wouldn't lose without a fight.
It has become a habit.
I never thought that one siku this would actually happen to me. Now, every siku after school I would have a tarehe with Kurosaki-kun. Not really a date, not a proper tarehe which I used to imagine but since the real Kurosaki-kun was not exactly like what was in my mind, this kind of tarehe was zaidi than enough for me. I was grateful enough that I could spend my time with him in a game centre after school. I never saw Kurosaki-kun looked so excited like this before.
I laughed as I watched Kurosaki-kun spent his money on UFO catcher game. He spent 800 yen already but he would not give up until he got something. I always thought Kurosaki-kun was someone cool and calm. Right now, he was cursing at the machine. I liked him anyway, in my eyes he would always look perfect.
"Umm… Kurosaki-kun, why don't we play another game?"
He didn't looked at me, his cute scowl was still on his face, he looked concentrated to his target, "Not until I could catch something here…"
I sighed and chuckled. I moved closer to see which one of the plushies he targeted.
"HAH! I GOT IT!"
"You got it?"
I moved even closer to him excitedly to see what he got. After watching him playing the game for almost thirty minutes, I became as excited as him when he actually managed to catch something.
Kurosaki-kun turned and showed me what he got with a proud smirk on his handsome face.
"How cute!"
It was a cute stuffed animal. A lion?
He rubbed his nose smugly, "It's for you."
I was a surprised when he gave me the doll. My face became red and hot. I mean, I never expected that I would get something from Kurosaki-kun!
"F-for me?" I looked at him but he avoided my eyes, I saw a faint pink on his cheeks. How cute !
"You like it, don't you?"
"Yes!" I answered quickly, "Ah, but you've spent almost 1,000 yen for this…"
"Nah." He scowled again, "It doesn't matter, I want to give it to wewe since the beginning."
I opened my mouth before quickly turned around to hide my red face. I couldn't say anything. Why he did it? If he acted this nice to me, I would just fall harder for him. I squeezed my eyes. Ah, bad heart! Stop throbbing so fast! I could die! Oh this was his fault!
"You don't want this?"
"Of course I want!"
I took the plushy and hugged it tightly to my breast. I felt my face became hotter as he looked at the plushy in my hands.
"I have this weird feeling that the lion is very happy that wewe hug it like that…."
I laughed, "I didn't know Kurosaki-kun could say something silly like that."
He frowned at me but then slowly his mouth formed a smile. He put his hands inside his pocket and looked around with a satisfied look plastered on his face, "Okay, which game we haven't played?"
Kurosaki-kun and I walked to another arcade together. He walked so close to me that sometime our arms would brush each other. I tried not to look too happy. Deep inside, I kept thanking God for my Luck. Kurosaki-kun was not only the coolest guy in school but he was also really nice and kind. If not, he wouldn't accept it—to be my boyfriend—right?
We were walking out of the game centre side kwa side that evening. I wondered, if people looked at me, did we look like a real couple? I chuckled silently at the thought. Maybe he didn't like me yet now but I would try to make him really look at me.
"Maybe it's about time for me to quit."
I looked at Kurosaki-kun. I didn't understand what did he mean but I just waited for him to continue it.
"To be the discipline committee member," he alisema in a serious tone, "and to pretend to be someone who isn't me."
Is that so?
The look on his face made me realize how serious he was with his words. He wanted to quit pretending. He wanted to be himself. Wasn't that good? I mean, pretending would never bring us happiness, would it? If this was what he wanted…
Eh, wait…
"No! Don't!" I stopped walking to hug his arm, automatically stopped him, "Please don't quit!"
"Huh?" He looked at me confusedly, "Why? I thought wewe like me the way I am?"
"Of-of course I am!"
"So?"
"B-but…"
If he revealed his secret…
"S-so, Kurosaki-kun wants to moto me?" I was ready to cry when I looked at his scowling face.
He blinked eyes before then started laughing.
"What the—" he clenched his stomach, "fire you? What am I? Your employer?"
"That's just a metaphor!" I couldn't believe he laughed at me, I was serious, "If wewe quit…"
He stopped laughing when he heard my trembling voice. I looked down to hide my red face and teary eyes. I tried not to sob but I couldn't stop shaking. I didn't want to lose him.
"If wewe quit…" I started again, "…there will be no zaidi reason for me to be your girlfriend. Since the beginning, wewe let me to be your girlfriend to keep it as secret, right?"
I didn't dare to raise my face. Kurosaki-kun who stood in front of me didn't say anything. I just looked down, somehow I felt like I had just alisema something embarrassing. I wondered how Kurosaki-kun expression at the moment was.
Suddenly I heard a sigh and I felt a big hand on juu of my head and patted. I looked up and I saw his handsome face smirking smugly at me.
"I never thought it would be this fun…"
I felt my face became hotter.
"…to be your employer."
And he laughed.
I liked his laugh.
"Inoue-san, can we talk for a moment?"
Two girls came to my class during the lunch break and told me that they wanted to talk. From the beginning I knew this wouldn't be good. I knew what it was about but nevertheless I followed the girls to the school backyard, where they wanted to talk to me.
I dragged my feet as we walked. I recognized one of the girls. She was the black haired girl who was with Kurosaki-kun in the discipline committee. I didn't know her name but I knew she was from the same class with Kurosaki-kun. She had a small frowned on her face, looked like she was thinking about something as we walked. She didn't look scary but the other girl—the brown haired one—looked like I had done something terrible to her.
"Inoue, lately I saw wewe hanging around Kurosaki." The brown haired girl put her hands on her hips and looked at me angrily, "Do wewe realize where your position is? Do wewe know what people call you? wewe know what, kwa hanging around Kurosaki had ruined his image as a school discipline committee member!"
"Ah," I was startled that I didn't know how to reply that. I never thought about it that far. I never realize that my existence might do that to Kurosaki-kun, "I…"
The black haired girl sighed and looked at me but she didn't say anything. I averted my gaze onto my shoes. I felt so bad. I had done something wrong kwa forcing Kurosaki-kun to be my boyfriend? It seemed like I had done something terrible.
"You must get it wrong, huh?" the brown haired girl started again, "You think Kurosaki likes you? Don't wewe know that he likes Hitomi?"
Hitomi?
The girl with black hair touched her friend's shoulder, somehow she looked a little troubled, "Stop it, Kanako, wewe don't have to be that harsh…"
"But I just tell her the truth!" the girl named Kanako looked at me with so much hatred.
I remembered her name—the black haired girl—was Hitomi Akayama. She was from the same class with Kurosaki-kun. I saw her with Kurosaki-kun sometime, but I thought she has a boyfriend already? What had I done?
What did it mean?
Hitomi-san sighed and looked at me, "When we were in junior high school, Kurosaki-kun likes me." She alisema in a calm tone, "He was a punk back then, he fought everyday and he made nothing but trouble." I felt a thump in my chest, I knew she wasn't lying, "At our graduation day, he confessed to me, but I was scared of him, so I rejected him."
"I just want to be someone who isn't me at all…"
I remember what Kurosaki-kun had said.
"You'll be scared too…"
It made sense now.
"I just wanted to change…"
Yes, I understood.
"After we entered the same high school, I was surprised that Kurosaki changed. He dyed his hair back and became the student council member and joined the discipline committee." Hitomi-san looked so confident and it broke my heart, "Maybe, it was all because of me."
I didn't want to hear it.
No.
This was wrong…
"Now wewe get it?" Kanako scolded me, "Don't get your hope too high! Kurosaki likes someone like Hitomi, why would he looks at someone like you? Do wewe understand?"
But, Kurosaki-kun alisema he had fun when he was with me…
"Stop it, Kanako…" Hitomi-san touched Kanako's shoulder, "It's enough."
"No! This weirdo needs to be taught her position! He had ruined Kurosaki image! If she were with him for too long, he wouldn't cool anymore! Now that Hitomi has broken up with her boyfriend she has a chance to get him back."
Hitomi sighed, "It isn't too late… If I alisema I would be his girlfriend this time maybe he would try harder to change…"
"Don't say something bad about Kurosaki-kun!" Finally I snapped, I could stand it if they talked back about me but not about Kurosaki-kun, "You don't know! Kurosaki-kun is Kurosaki-kun! Maybe he changed for wewe but he is still him! Deep inside he's just Kurosaki-kun and will always be cool, that wouldn't be changed! If wewe can't accept him for who he was, wewe don't deserve him!"
Kanako snorted, "What are wewe talking about, huh!"
"I like him! For whoever he is!" I shouted before I ran away with tears blinded my eyes.
So it was her.
It was her who changed him. It was her who had made him hold back. It was that girl.
I understood why Kurosaki liked her. She was smart, she was beautiful, and she was popular. She was nothing like me. I had nothing to compare with her.
But she didn't upendo him like the way I do.
Maybe I wouldn't win but I wouldn't lose without a fight.
