Tetsurou sighed.

He had a complete meal with fish, squid, vegetables, and rice, which he lovingly prepped the previous night. He was fairly cheery then just like any other day, well, that's what the appearance of his lunch looked like. Despite that, Tetsurou didn't have much of an appetite, especially from all his sulking. Being the typical archetype males, his friends didn't ask him what was bothering him though. 

The wooden chopsticks the boy held loosely in his fingers simply poked at the unwanted pieces of the meal. Maybe he was expecting them to complain. Tetsurou thought that he definitely would have if he was a part of someone's meal. He kept nudging them from side to side as if he was trying to convince himself to eat. Kenma and Bokuto simply stole glances at him silently, the atmosphere Tetsurou's been didn't encourage conversation. Akaashi didn't seem to mind at all and ate his bento meal. Tetsurou kept poking and nudging his food until his gray-haired friend couldn't take it anymore.

"What the hell is the matter with you," Koutarou scolded irritably at Tetsurou. "Don't abuse your food! If you don't like your food, I'll eat them myself!"

"Stay the fuck away from my food!" Tetsurou yelled and shielded his precious meal. "You got yours, let me have mine!"

"Huh?! What do you mean?! You clearly don't want your food; if you do you should've eaten it ages ago!" Bokuto yelled back while pointing his chopsticks at Tetsurou.

"Is something on your mind Kuro?" Kenma suddenly asked without bothering to lift his eyes from his phone.

The four stayed at their usual lunch spot outside the cafeteria that's airconditioned. Everyone else avoided staying outdoors, although there was a few who enjoyed the breeze. Compared to the cafeteria, the outdoors was far quieter. Tetsurou could kid around with his former rival Kotarou without needing to be so conscious about how boisterous they could be. They even had two quiet pairs to even out the chemistry, much to the former two's dismay.

But seeing Tetsurou so quiet and serious was a new sight. Maybe he was upset even as if someone popped his bubble of ego. That was the only plausible explanation.

"Did something happen with Shirai-san?" Kenma asked abruptly with a deadpan look on his face.

Of course Tetsurou wouldn't answer immediately, Kenma knew the answer even without his friend needing to reply. But he found the big dude a tad bit pathetic for sulking. He should've saw this coming, Mitsuru was simply someone who didn't interact with anyone--she was antisocial.

"Huh? What the fuck man. That wasn't even funny," Mitsuru replied with an irritated gaze in her eyes. "I'm not interested in dating with a stalker. Not ever."

The look of irk on Mitsuru's face traumatized the former volleyball captain. Her calm grateful face was completely gone, and the irritated aura Mitsuru emitted made Tetsurou sweatdrop. After she said that, she paid for the popsicles she picked and shoved one against the boy's chest and said nothing more, leaving the boy in the store. The clerk looked at Tetsurou with a sorry look on his face, but it only made the boy feel worse for his defeat.

"I saved her ass, and she said she wouldn't date a guy like me," the boy whined woefully. "And she called me a stalker!"

The sound of that immediately got Bokuto guffawing. He laughed so hard he had to hold his stomach while holding Akaashi by the shoulder to keep himself balanced. The other two couldn't help but chuckle either, and they received death glares for it.

"You are one though," Akaashi points out blatantly. "If you were more romantic and more consistent she would've bought it.

"I thought teasing the girl works best??" 

"When did this happen?" Kenma asked.

Tetsurou sulked. "Two days ago. I haven't seen her since then though!"

"Maybe she called in sick," Bokuto told him. "She's often absent anyway if you haven't noticed."

The boy didn't bother replying. He had to think of another way to get her attention. From a distance, he realized a friend was coming over. Shigeru Ueno waved at their table so eagerly and everyone, of course, were eager to have their captain over with them. Now they were a group of volleyball players. The girls around them though instantly fawned over their captain, which immediately reminded them of a certain rival from before.

Shigeru  was in his casual outfit: shorts and shirt. It wouldn't be surprising since it was already approaching summer. People around him often stared for his strange pink hair, but his warm personality made him approachable and popular. There was no surprise in seeing him greet a lot of people, at least for the second-years and above. Kenma and Keiji will have to get used to it still.

"Hey everyone!" Shigeru greeted the group so proudly.

"You sure like parading," Kotarou sneered teasingly.

"I'm just greeting acquaintances," Shigeru laughed. He turns to Tetsurou and smacked his shoulder. "Why's this chump all gloomy."

"Shirai-san rejected him," Kenma replied blatantly. "He's sulking over his defeat."

"I'm not! Don't make stuff up, Kenma!" Tetsurou yelled angrily.

"It's the truth though. ."

"I'm just thinking of other strategies! She's just a hard nut to crack!"

"Whatever. ."

Hearing this made Shigeru laugh. "Well, there's still the afternoon. Maybe you can try again?"

Tetsurou shrugged, and finally took a bite of his meal.

"Dunno. She wasn't in class since two days ago. She'll probably be absent later."

Keiji and Kotarou steal glances at each other with the same thought in their mind.

"Why are you so obsessed with Shirai-san?" Keiji asked. "I get you like her, but maybe you need to slow down a bit? I don't think she'll appreciate it if you're persistent and it rubs on her the wrong way."

Instantly Tetsurou and Kenma remembered that neither of the two boys knew about the bet. The tall boy found his heart pounding as he contemplated whether he should tell them or not. If he did, what would their reactions be? Telling Kenma was like nothing, he knew all of Tetsurou's dirty little secrets. But letting these two guys know was a gamble. They might tell Mitsuru if they get irked at the bet. They both have girlfriends anyway, though Kenma was in a relationship too he was Tetsurou's childhood friend. He won't sell him out.

As for Shigeru, he acted like it was nothing. He pretended to genuinely think over what Kotarou said. This relieved Tetsurou, but he still didn't know how he should respond.

"He's been obsessing her for over a year now, maybe he's too eager," Shigeru replied for Tetsurou. "After all, she is her kind of girl."

Tetsurou didn't know if what he saw was right. But there was a hint of mixed emotions in his senior's eyes. Was it guilt?

* * * * * * * *

The unknown reason why the white-haired girl was absent often and spontaneous was because of the deadline for her mangas, nothing more. She locked herself up in her own home with a stylus in hand with her drawing tablet in front with the screen right above it. Headphones that trapped Mitsuru's head in between echoed with epic battle music. It was her form of inspiration for the violence that drove her story. If it wasn't epic battle music, it was rap music that made her feel like some badass. It was effective.

Scrolling down, Mitsuru filled up the panels with the scenes of the story plot she had in mind. The wall in front of her had a board that lined up the scene sequences, including a pile of sketches she had come up with earlier on. A shelf close by was filled with her works such as the earlier volumes of Code:RED and Dogs of the Underground, and even one-shots and others. To Mitsuru, they were trophies of her accomplishments.

The past two days were productive for her. Not that she had a choice; it was a deadline she chased. The publishing company has been insisting that she released the next volume a little earlier than she had anticipated. And that fact in itself was annoying. Mitsuru understood that she needed to update, but not this quickly! The story needed finalizing first, and now it was being rushed by some old farts who only thought of the money pouring into their pockets. The girl was getting rich too from her hard work, but she wished she could be her own boss.

A persistent vibration from beside her drew a loud exasperated sigh. It was her manager again, and it was already the sixth call of the hour. All missed though. Mitsuru wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, especially the one who disrupted her schedule. But she finally picked up on the tenth, only to receive an angry yell from the other line. Immediately Mitsuru regretted picking up at all, however, she was thankful for the habit of putting the call on loudspeaker mode when she's at work.

"You're disturbing me," she drawled out lazily without even bothering to glance at her phone. "If you want this shit done it's better if I do the phone calls."

"Shirai-chan, didn't I tell you that we needed to meet by tomorrow??" An exasperated Amano-san exhaled.

". . no need to remind me. I'm finishing the last five pages. I'll be finished in an hour or two."

"You could've reassured me on the phone."

"There was no need. Just trust me. I'm never late for a deadline anyway"

Silence came over the phone. Soon after, a long sigh exhaled over the phone. This was Mitsuru's victory! She did not need to hear her manager's yapping right now. Of course, the girl knew the man worried for her, but she was nineteen and is a fully functioning human. She hated being fussed over, especially over little things. She was grateful that she was fast in doing her work.

"Anyways, let me do my stuff. I'd like to chill once I'm done. I had to skip classes again. At this rate, I probably should just drop out," Mitsuru told her manager frankly.

Immediately he panicked.

"Don't even think about that! You're already in your second year! It'll be a waste if you suddenly dropped out. Plus, your parents wouldn't like to hear that kind of news," Amano-san told her. "Remember, they may be supporting your dreams, but you have to respect their wishes as well."

"Fine, fine. But I'm telling you if I keep skipping classes like this I'm gonna get dropped from my subjects."

"It couldn't be helped."

This time, it was Mitsuru that sighed. And it was a long exasperated one as well. They didn't bid each other farewell and simply hung up.

Glad that's over, she thought. The thought of finishing another part of the story arc was a big motivation for Mitsuru. This was the secret to her speed in finishing projects like these. So from lyricless epic battle music, Mitsuru shifted to rap music. It immediately shifted her mood and urged her on.

The scene she was working on had the protagonist save someone he cared for. None of their feelings were conveyed to each other yet, but as the story had been progressing the hints were clearly shone. The two cared for each other, and the current panels Mitsuru was drawing was the scene where the hero finally asks the girl of his dreams out on their first date.

Now a thought flashed through Mitsuru's mind. And she was instantly reminded of the incident with Tetsurou. "I saved you from those thugs. You wouldn't mind repaying me with a date would you?" The boy's voice echoed in her head.

Now that Mitsuru thought about it, her initial response was defensive. But she realized her reply was unfair to the boy. Mitsuru didn't know what his objectives were, but recalling all the past incidents with him made her realize how often he tried to snag her attention. Even if he was stalking her, he seemed pretty genuine. The thought made the girl's cheeks heat up. No way was he thinking of her romantically.

Then why would he bother asking her on a date?

Don't be an idiot. Mitsuru thought. Why would anyone want to go on a date with a girl like you? 

The idea of dating herself was irksome. It forcibly caused her to remember her experiences in high school, and a sweep of bitterness washed over the girl. "He's not him goddamit," Mitsuru cursed. The look on his face gave Mitsuru a small stab in the side, seeing how devastated he looked. Her answer was quite cold too after all. She couldn't help it. If it would help to discourage Tetsurou from annoying her, it was good measure. But it still made Mitsuru feel guilty for being mean.

The clock read one in the afternoon. It was close to the witching hour of the afternoon, where it was most hot. Though the AC was working perfectly, Mitsuru could feel the heat if she didn't turn the temperature low enough. She donned a think sweater and tight leggings to keep herself warm. Her toes were protected from the cold with gray ankle-length socks.

Even for the next couple of hours, the thought of Tetsurou's face bugged her mind as she finished the final panels finally. The boy was giving flowers to the girl to show his sincere feelings for her. Even if he was the tsundere type and the girl felt hesitant, he told her, "So. . . are you coming on a date with me or not" with an embarrassed look on his face. The girl simply smiled, tucked her hair behind her ear and said yes. It was weird because earlier on, it was the girl who teased the boy on going on a date with her. Now it donned on Mitsuru.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Mitsuru cursed herself and saved her files before getting herself ready to go out. She didn't take too long and simply took out whatever seemed bright and colorful, places them on impatiently and heads out. What she did next was buying flowers from a local florist. 

The massive array of flowers dazzled Mitsuru. There were choices of bouquets already made, wrapped in foil and fancily designed plastic wraps. There were roses, lilies, chrysanthemums, tulips, peonies, and others. Mitsuru's mint eyes stared a while, wondering what was appropriate and appealing. She had no knowledge, after all, she never needed the research.

"Hello dear!" A foreigner suddenly emerged from the backroom of the shop. Mitsuru found herself surprised, the blonde in front of her spoke so fluently.

". . I. . I need bouquet for. . friend," Mitsuru replied in English, fiddling with her fingers nervously.

Chuckling, the old lady grabbed the Mitsuru's hands which sent chills up the spine.

"No need to speak sweetie, I could pick out one for you."

But panic zapped through Mitsuru and she grabbed the closest bunch to her. She breaks away from the lady and shoved the bouquet into the florist's hands with a forced smile on her face.

"I'll buy these."

* * * * * * * *

Mitsuru knew she was crazy to wait by the gate with a bouquet in her hands. But she hoped not to meet anyone than Tetsurou; it would be embarrassing and the news of her might circulate around campus. The thought was terrifying.

The gate she stood by was closest to the volleyball court. It was more efficient to make gates around campus instead of making just one for the sake of strict entrance rules. But despite that, it was a gamble Mitsuru decided to take. There were five gates, it would only be a one in five chance that the boy would pass through the gate. Not that it really bothered the girl, what happens happens. If Tetsurou doesn't pass through, then Mitsuru would be chilling in a cafe alone, which she preferred.

Students were passing by Mitsuru, proving that classes were over. She kept a straight face on while acting as casually as possible. If there was anything she hated, it was unwanted attention. The feeling of eyes stuck on her was a terrible terror. Mitsuru bit her lip and fumbled with her fingers just to calm herself. Seeing Tetsurou made her anxious, but she fought to be brave. 

"He's still not here. ." Mitsuru mumbled under her breath after fifteen minutes. Sighing exasperatedly, she whirls on her heels to leave. But a voice halts her on her tracks, revealing a surprised Tetsurou.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with a nervous smile on his face. Tetsurou tilts his head when he sees the flowers in her hands, and a teasing grin grows on his lips.

But the girl stops him.

"Here," said a clearly flustered Mitsuru, though she fought to keep a deadpan face even with her mask on. She held out a bouquet of assorted flowers. Obviously, she didn't care what flowers were chosen as long as she had something to give Tetsurou. This was nothing the latter had expected. Isn't it supposed to be the guy who'll give the flowers and not the other way around?

The girl eyed him as if to silently command him to accept the flowers she bought. And the boy accepted it; he shouldn't be impolite after all. But he was baffled about Mitsuru's most unusual behavior. She was even not in her usual style which was practically boots, jeans, shirt, and a big jacket. Today, she was in wore a red skirt and green-striped blouse with matching brown shoe-laced boots and leather backpack. It was as if the girl tried to look girly for him! But before Tetsurou could ask, the white-haired girl suddenly turned on her heels and began walking off.

Tetsurou found himself speechless. His hopes to speak to the girl were crushed mercilessly, and who knows how he'll be able to do the bet now that they were in non-speaking terms. He turns to leave since there was no volleyball practice, but the sound of her voice halted the volleyball player in his tracks.

"Are you coming on a date with me or not?"

~~~

Number of words: 3143

This chapter is dedicated to mangogoddess! :D Sorry that I took so long to update. I'll try to finish this book this year :)