XXVII. chase away the clouds

Izumi called me an asshole when I fed him, his girlfriend and Kenji during lunch, which was accurate and par for the course, yet caught me off-guard anyway. Moreover, he didn't elaborate. Hoshino must've known what prompted this based on the way she looked at him, but she said nothing. I said nothing. We ate silently for some time, and it was Kenji, of all people, who tried to chase away the clouds. "H-hey Izumi, I was looking at reviews of the manga you borrowed me earlier, and a lot of other people seem to hate the main character, so. You're not the only one."

"Knew it."

"I thought she was cute," said Hoshino.

"Sure, but she's also so annoying. Nothing is ever her fault, she keeps dragging misunderstandings on for no reason, and is too stupid to realize she has a harem even though everyone is constantly giving her stuff and being nice to her. Like, did you get to the part where the main guy confessed to her?"

Kenji shook his head. I tuned out around the time Hoshino replied. The egg rolls were a bit simple today. In order to get Kaguya to eat, I'd made a show of adding less salt than usual, yet she said it was too much anyway. The vegetable rolls weren't much better. "I'm sorry about today's food sucking," I said, "I ran out of salt."

"Huh? No, it's fine." That was Izumi. 

I noted, only then, that Hoshino ate a sandwich from the cafeteria, and it was, only then, that she went for an egg roll.  "Hmm... it's also fine to me."

"It's good," reassured Kenji. 

"If this is 'bad' to you then you should try my cooking."

"Oh, don't remind me," mumbled Izumi. Hoshino swatted his head, which made him grin. Kenji explained that she'd tried to cook while I was gone, but that it'd been an existential nightmare for everyone involved (with slightly different wording). This also earned him a swat. "Yeah, remember the—hey, what the fuck?"

Hoshino snatched the egg roll Izumi had been about to eat. "Shut up," was all she said. 

They still tasted insipid to me, but whatever. Given the weather—cloudy, but warm—the rooftop was packed today. Voices drowned voices drowned voices. 

"Saku?"

"Hm?"

Izumi looked at me, then shook his head. "No. Nothing."

I supposed I should've been speaking more. Still, it's not like I could follow their conversation back to the annoying girl from that manga again, not only because I'd never read it, but because I couldn't care less. To talk this much about someone who didn't even exist was just silly.  

When lunch ended and as we headed downstairs, he asked, "Are you okay?", which rendered the 'nothing' from earlier meaningless. 

"I mean, I hope so? Why wouldn't I be?"

Hoshino glanced at us from above her shoulder, looking away when I caught her. She walked ahead then—not too ahead. "If it's because of what I said earlier... sorry about that."

"I mean, I am an asshole."

"Yes."

"Nothing to be sorry about."

"You see, it would've been nice if you'd at least, you know. Said something? I only found out you were sick because Kenji told me. Even Yuki said that you showed up half-dead to the theater, and were so delirious you thought you were Hamlet."

It'd be pretty funny if that became the consensus. In fact, I made a note to pretend like I couldn't remember this in case anyone at the club asked me about it. 

"...see? You finally smile. Asshole." Izumi kicked me before walking ahead, the grouchy little mushroom.  

It'd been one of those days again, and I hadn't even noticed.

Happy thoughts #12:

Happy thoughts #13: 

Had I told them about the chair-kun incident? Not that I remembered. The only people who knew were my immediate family, the kid with cancer I beat the fuck out of, and his immediate family. And the doctors, I supposed. I'd tell these two about it once Hoshino unglued herself from Izumi. Seriously, what about her friends? Did she have any? 

Kenji texted almost nonstop instead of paying attention in class. Shameful. He had the worst grades in class for a reason. (I had the second worst.) This carried on to study hall, but at least then, seldom anyone used the time for its intended purpose.

stalker-chan: duck_chasing_cat.gif

me: Rapturing.

me: Does Hoshino have any friends? She's been with us nonstop since she started dating Izumi.

stalker-chan: I think so :3

stalker-chan: they were talking about that

me: ???

stalker-chan: her friends

stalker-chan: saying that she'd basically replaced them :'3

me: Why don't you try supplanting her?

stalker-chan: are you crazy :'3

me: No. It's been weeks now. Try talking to people again. I'm sure ONE of them will answer.

stalker-chan: don't need

me: Liar. Coward.

Kenji had stopped texting. He read manga instead of paying attention, so this didn't change much. Still, it'd been my fault for answering to Hanamura so fast. Her fault for answering so fast in return. Maybe she did one of those things where people ignored the other party to gauge interest. John did that often, and then he'd get pissed if the girl he currently lusted for searched greener pastures. I didn't get it, nor did I care to do so.

me: Is Okamoto Himeko in your class?

stalker-chan: who

me: She's in your same year at least. I think she's

Wait.

Did I just...?

Was I just about to suggest they talk to each other?

stalker-chan: that's the girl you were arguing with at the theater thingy right

stalker-chan: do you like her

stalker-chan: :'3

Oh, piss off. 

For the cultural festival last year, the theater thingy(TM) did this play about an evil supercomputer that took over the world and killed everyone except for five people. The club's former ace took the time to adapt it from short story to play, and it'd been, to date, my favorite role, mostly because of a... speech... soliloquy...? Wait, no, that was probably not the right way to call it. Whatever. It had a beautiful line about hatred that I'd since copied on my notes so I could send it to friends as needed. I did just that. 

stalker-chan: I read that story :3 it's one of my favorites :3

me: I played the villain :3 

stalker-chan: cat_crying_template.jpg

stalker-chan: girl_screaming_on_the_floor.gif

stalker-chan: I WISH I COULD'VE SEEN THAT

stalker-chan: I wish I could travel back in time

stalker-chan: gorilla_beating_its_chest.gif

me: calm down

stalker-chan: NO

stalker-chan: one of my favorite people + one of my favorite stories = wish come true :'3

Was she trying to be funny?

stalker-chan: please please please act it for me sometime I'm begging I'll do anything ANYTHING

me: It was just a voice-over, though.

stalker-chan: then cover your head with a box 

me: Where would I even do that?

stalker-chan: my house? :3

"Holy—"

"Huh?" That was Kenji. "Did you say something?"

'That the girl you like invited me to her place.' I couldn't even joke about it for some reason. "Uh."

"Is Hanamura texting you?"

"...yes..."

Out of all the ways to react, he chose to give me a thumbs up. What. "Tell her I say good luck."

...was he trying to be funny?

me: Kenji says good luck

stalker-chan: tell him I say thank you

"Uh. She says thank you?"

"Tell her—"

"Wait, why don't you two just talk to each other instead? I'm not your messenger."

Kenji wilted.

"...sorry."

"I-it's fine."

"But seriously, if you're the one who's interested in her, then you should be the one talking to her, too. I'm just saying."

Where I expected him to wilt more, he squinted at me instead, adjusting his glasses. "Didn't she tell you she liked you already."

"Huh? She told you that?"

He nodded.

"When? That was—she was just kidding."

He squinted more.

"What?"

"Are you kidding?"

"No?"

"...weird." He looked away after that, like he could speak. I noticed him text again after that, and his only other comment on the matter was, "So even you can be stupid with these things."

"She was kidding," I said.

 "How do you know?"

"Because I was there?"

"...like I said: weird. Do you mind if I use this for my manga?"

"Do whatever you want."

He grinned, writing something on the bottom half of his notebook. 

me: So were you actually serious when

Instead of sending that, I lay my head on the desk.