Chapter Text
Kusuo had always been a hardcore introvert. He didn’t like crowds, didn’t like dealing with people, didn’t like attention. It just bothered him.
With that reasoning, by extension, Teruhashi Kokomi was... A bother.
The first year he had started high school at PK Academy, Kusuo hardly knew what Teruhashi looked like. He didn’t think he could be blamed- it was hard to catch a glimpse of her face in the center of her gaggle of fans.
When he did finally get a proper look at her, he had to admit, for the trouble she caused there was no doubt that it was justified. There didn’t exist a word to describe her beauty. “Ethereal” was the closest he could probably get to paint the right picture. She was in fact a very beautiful girl, Kusuo just wasn’t as attentive to her beauty as he was to the crowd and chaos she summoned just by showing up.
She was always surrounded by boys and some girls on all sides, all vying for her attention. It had been intriguing. He had so many questions about the phenomena. However, Kusuo was not the type to comfortably or willingly approach a stranger for answers. He’d lost interest rather quickly. And he’d gone a long time without another passing thought for the girl unless it was to avoid her.
He had nothing against her. It wasn’t personal. It was just that more than once his weekend or after-school plans had been ruined by the absurd amount of people she attracted. It wasn’t fun fighting against the current of sweaty, nervous, horny men. He had to give her credit where it was due. She might really be an angel like they say, if she had enough patience to deal with the amount of bullshit she got on the daily basis. He would not have lasted the 16 years that she had.
His free, preferably alone, time was precious to him- what with Nendo, Kaido, or his family dragging him wherever they wanted to anytime else. It didn’t matter if he hid. They had ways of finding him, either by stalking, dumb luck, or by going through his mother. He just wanted to run to the store to buy barley tea and shut himself back in his room to savor the rest of his school break before they’d inevitably steal him away again. Was that too much to ask?
So, it really was just a knee-jerk reaction to pick up his pace as soon as he recognized the soft murmurings, the trail of lovelorn looking men, and the tell tale glow. He didn’t even bother looking over his shoulder.
“Offu~!”
Yikes. That one sounded far too close for comfort.
But he relaxed almost as soon as he’d heard it, because in his peripheral vision he could make out a head of brilliant blue hair. She was across the street from him and still moving, more than enough distance to beat any oncoming commotion. He had to stay vigilant, though. The range of her influence was pretty astounding if she was able to reach all the way over to the man he’d just passed. He still believed he should be able to slip away just in time.
Unless she comes straight for me! He felt a profound level of urgency when she suddenly changed direction.
“Saiki!”
It would be stupid to pretend he didn’t recognize her, huh?
“So it is you!” Teruhashi exclaimed as if pleasantly surprised. He resisted the compulsion to throw a hand in front of his face once he was enveloped in her light. She was literally blinding him.
He was pretty surprised himself that she knew his name. He couldn’t recall ever having a direct conversation with her. Maybe being the model student she was, she memorized her classmates’ names?
It didn’t seem likely. Not even Hairo did that. Perhaps it just came naturally to her.
That’s nice but, beautiful girl or not, Kusuo didn’t like running into his classmates outside of school. It led to awkward encounters where they’d approach him to say hi and have one-sided small talk before they’d finally let him go. It came to the point where, unless they were idiots like Hairo, Kaido, and Nendo, everyone just knew not to approach him. The general consensus was that Saiki Kusuo didn’t like to talk much.
If Teruhashi was as smart as people say,
“...” He gave her a polite bow, and brusquely took his leave.
-she should understand, right?
He only made it a few steps and then she was in front of him again.
“Saiki-kun! Hey, you shouldn’t ignore people you know!” she scolded him playfully.
Then again, she was also famously unaware of the effect she had on people. Was she like Nendo and Kaido? Was she dumb or something? Or was she acting? He didn’t change his expression. He gave another bow, and walked ahead again, just a little faster. Hopefully, she’d take the hint and see that he had places to be. Or that he hadn’t heard her.
He knew he was being a little reckless. It wasn’t a very smart move to be seen being rude to Teruhashi Kokomi in public.
Is she still following me?
It only took the patter of light footsteps to confirm.
Why was she still following him?
“Saiki-kun! Where are you off to?” He heard her call behind him.
She's back again!
Without warning she was flying at him.
He’d dodged on reflex.
-She just tried to grab me.
She had just tried to grab him-tried to tackle him or hug him or something.
He looked around on instinct to see if anyone else was noticing her antics, but for once, it seemed there were no other spectators.
Huh? His thoughts quickly turned wary.
Teruhashi had always been a well-mannered girl. But was she always this handsy? Was she just really friendly?
Is that what people liked?
He gave her an incredulous look.
Teruhashi recollected herself without pause as if she hadn’t just tried to body him, offering him a sweet and sheepish smile, “Where are you headed? Do you mind if I tag along?”
But why?
“I hope I’m not intruding.”
You are.
He raised a pink eyebrow in a silent question.
Maybe it was mean of him to take a bit of satisfaction in how her expression gave in slightly to embarrassment. A little more flushed than usual, she told him, “I’m going the same way, so I thought it would be nice to walk together!”
Liar. He distinctly recalled that she was heading the opposite direction, on the other side of the street before she’d seen him.
“...Sure.” Whatever. She’d find an excuse to leave him once she realized he wasn’t good company. Most people gave up when they couldn’t get a decent response out of him.
Except she stayed walking at his side for so long he wondered just where exactly she was planning on stopping. Was she intending to walk him home?
The whole walk she seemed to scramble for conversation to no avail. At one point she even gushed to him about her favorite type of asparagus.
Stubborn. He thought to himself, but with no animosity. Strangely, he thought she’d fit in seamlessly with his “friends” if she lasted any longer. But something had to give, he wasn’t sure how far she was planning on taking this and he wasn’t planning on inviting her inside his house. It’d also be a pain if his mother saw him walking alone with a girl.
“Teruhashi-san.” He finally said, admitting defeat. She jumped at the sound of his voice. “I’m in this neighborhood.”
“O-Oh! Me too!” she said.
“Bye.”
“E-eh?” Teruhashi cried, blue eyes going wide like saucers. “So soon?”
She does have really big eyes, Kusuo noted uselessly. They’re a pretty shade of sapphire, but the way they glittered like she was sad to part with some treasured friend unnerved him a little. He had no recollection of ever interacting with Teruhashi. She had no reason to act in this way.
He took a mechanical step back.
“My house isn’t far from here. I’d really appreciate the company.”
Would you, actually? He’d hardly offered a word to her.
"It can't be that far a walk. Go by yourself."
Of course he didn't say that. One doesn't just say no to Teruhashi Kokomi.
Then again, whether he blew her off or walked her home, he knew her cult fan club was coming after him.
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