The next morning, Naoya had just exited the station’s ticket gate when he happened to spot a petite figure.
“Morning, Sasahara.”
“Hey.”
It was none other than Koyuki. Naoya stood there absentmindedly for a moment, and Koyuki seemed to take this as some sort of small victory.
“Slack-jawed and lame as ever today, huh?” she teased haughtily. Her acid tongue was in prime form today. “Sorry, but you look more lifeless than the geezers strolling around the park. If you can’t shape up, don’t even think of coming anywhere near me.”
Seeing that Koyuki had slight bags under her eyes, Naoya slowly covered his mouth and whispered, “Damn, you’re seriously cute...”
Koyuki blushed and shouted, “Would you stop blurting random crap out?! What d’you mean, ‘I’m cute’?!”
“I just thought it was really adorable that you got up so early to go to school with me,” Naoya explained.
Koyuki’s face turned even redder than before, if such a thing were possible, but she fell silent instead of yelling. When he examined her closer, he noticed that she seemed even prettier than usual—she’d paid extra attention to her hair and makeup today. She’d gone through the extra effort just because she was going to school with him this morning.
The fact that Naoya could tell all this by one glance only confirmed his suspicions. “Oh, come on—you really do like me, don’t you?” he asked.
“Uh, no! Sometimes I simply happen to wake up earlier than usual, which gives me extra time to get ready. It’s got nothing to do with you, okay?!” Koyuki spat out before turning away in a huff. Naoya could tell she only did that to hide her embarrassment, though.
He found himself thinking back on what had happened the day before.
✦ ✦ ✦
After Koyuki had made her declaration, they’d spent some more time in the donut store before leaving together. The town was dyed in the red of twilight, and the streets were packed with mothers out buying groceries and students heading home.
“Wow, it’s so bright,” Koyuki murmured as she shielded her eyes from the urban glow. At that moment, her hair was tinged crimson by the reflected lights of the city.
She really is quite the beauty, Naoya couldn’t help himself from thinking.
The magical moment was quickly ruined, however, when Koyuki suddenly turned on her heel and began walking away with a short, “Okay, bye.”
Naoya stuttered a bit before he called out and stopped her. “Hey, Shirogane. Where do you live, by the way?”
“Yotsumori. Why?”
“Oh, I live in the complete opposite direction. I was just thinking about walking you home. It’s pretty far and stuff.”
“I’m good. It’s not like we’re dating or anything,” she replied.
“It’s gonna get dark soon. I mean, worrying about girls is just natural for us guys, you know?” he prodded.
“Ugh, I wish you’d stop saying embarrassing crap like that.”
Koyuki hung her head and took several long, deep breaths. She then raised her head, stared daringly into Naoya’s eyes, and declared, “You won’t be saying stuff like that for long, though! I’m launching my counterattack today. You won’t be able to live without me when I’m done with you!”
“Looking forward to it. I’ve never really liked a girl before, so yeah... I’m excited to see how it turns out,” he responded.
“Hah, that’s pretty pathet—wait, I’m your first?!” Koyuki’s eyes went wide.
“Yeah. I got this whole ‘people-reading’ skill when I was still a kid, so, you know,” Naoya explained. He had always shut down any advances he’d gotten, and he’d never been the one approaching himself. He basically had zero dating experience. His friends at school often made fun of him for it, and even he himself wasn’t exactly proud of it.
Koyuki’s smile only grew. “Oh, really? Sounds like you’ve always been a pathetic loser, then.”
“Yeah, I guess you could put it that way. Either way, guess we’re both each others’ first.”
“How did you kn—?! I mean, ugh! Just listen to me! I’ve already said I don’t like you!” she cried. Her rage was interrupted by the ringing of a phone. She reached into her bag, pulled it out, and checked it. That seemed to have curbed her temper, because she then said, “As much as I’d love to grind you into the pavement right now, I’ve gotta head on my way. My little sister’s waiting for me.”
“Oh, you have a little sister? I guess if you’re heading home with her, then I don’t have to worry as much.”
“Yep. She’s a really good girl, you know. Recently, at hom—” Koyuki’s hand suddenly froze above the phone screen. Her eyes began to flit between the screen and Naoya. A thin smile crept onto her face, making her look like a child who’d just thought of a particularly cruel prank.
In contrast, Naoya stood there, unsure what to do.
“Okay, listen up, Sasahara,” she began. “I’m going to grace you with my phone number.”
“Wait, seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. Get your phone out. Now.”
“I get it already. Jeez,” Naoya muttered as he hurriedly searched his bag for his phone.
Soon, the name “Koyuki Shirogane” appeared in Naoya’s contacts. Her icon was a white cat with a sharp glare—in a way, it reminded Naoya a lot of her. “Not that I’m trying to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but why are you giving this to me again?” he asked.
“Well, if I can message you, that means I can attack you at any time, doesn’t it?” Koyuki said, now holding her phone over her head like a weapon. “And your freaky powers can’t work through text, can they? So even if I get embarr—I mean, uh! You won’t be able to control the conversation! Yeah, that’s what I meant!”
“Ohhh, I get you. Good idea.”
“I’m full of ‘em. I won’t be on the losing end anymore, got it?”
She was right on one account—when someone was lying, Naoya could mainly tell through the movement of their eyes, their verbal tics, and their gestures. Text-based conversation limited this information, thus making it harder to read people. Aside from that, however, she had revealed something huge.
So you admit you get embarrassed around me, huh, Shirogane? Bet you didn’t mean to let that slip. Your grades are always top quality, but maybe you’re not actually the brightest tool in the shed.
“So yeah, see you later, Sasahara. Starting tomorrow, you’re so screwed.”
“Okay, stay safe.”
Koyuki didn’t notice Naoya’s eyes following her as she strutted off toward the station.
That night, they texted each other back and forth for a while and eventually ended up deciding to go to school together the next day.