Since that idiot Kaito likes to talk about his rules for life and whatnot all the time, I guess I’ll throw in my opinion on the matter…
These are my rules for dealing with people.
Don’t get too close.
Don’t let them get comfortable.
And if they annoy you, push them away before they can leave on their own.
Hikari Tachibana kicked a pebble down the sidewalk.
Hard.
Like I was attempting to kick the rock into space.
“…Idiot.”
I couldn’t believe that guy.
I offer him some perfectly good shoes and of course he can’t offend his precious Akane so…
“Buying both.”
Kick.
Another pebble goes flying into nonexistence from the force of the impact.
“That’s… that’s not even a decision.”
Kick.
That pebble bounced off a signpost and vanished.
“It’s just running away! Why is he such a coward?”
I curled my hands into fists.
I swear I’m going to burst a blood vessel just thinking about all this.
“And the worst part? She was smiling about it…”
Akane.
Always calm.
Always patient.
Always…
“…clingy.”
I crossed my arms tighter.
Any tighter and I would have lost the air in my lungs.
“Why does she get to act like that with him?”
No hesitation.
No embarrassment.
No…
“…Shame. I bet he likes her so much because she’s such a hussy.”
I looked away in a huff.
Wait, why am I thinking about this so much?
It’s not like I care if he likes her or not.
They could date and it wouldn’t matter to me one bit.
Besides, that idiot always takes her side.
Always.
“It’s… it’s not like I want to act like that. People are just so frustrating. Especially him.”
I arrived at my house.
On the way upstairs to my room, I passed my mother sitting on the couch scrolling through her phone.
“I’m home,” I muttered.
No response.
She never looked up.
Maybe she didn’t hear me.
I didn’t bother saying it again.
I ran upstairs to my room and slammed the door so hard I’m surprised it didn’t fall off its hinges.
I jumped into bed face first and began hitting my pillow.
“WHY IS HE SUCH AN IDIOT!”
The sound of my voice reverberated around the room even though I was screaming into my pillow.
It was the playground.
A group of kids stood a few feet away.
Watching me.
Not approaching.
You could see the apprehension on their faces.
“You always yell at people,” one of them said to me.
“That’s because they’re annoying,” I retorted.
“You hit people too.”
“I don’t hit people!”
“You… you kicked Kenji yesterday!”
“He deserved it!”
I positioned myself like I was about to strike them at any moment.
They stepped back slightly.
“…See?” The fear in the kid’s eyes as he said that was palpable.
I clicked my tongue.
Staring daggers at the gaggle of morons in front of me.
“…Whatever.”
I turned and walked away.
Didn’t stop walking until those lower life forms were out of my sight.
“…I don’t need them anyway.”
That’s what I told myself.
Those people are a waste of space.
A waste of time.
They would just drag me down to their level.
I was sitting in class.
Fuming over whatever imbecile had crossed my path earlier that day.
“Calm down.” My seatmate said to me.
The look on my face gave away that I was having a Chernobyl style meltdown inside.
“I AM CALM!” I replied calmly.
“You’re yelling.”
“I’M NOT YELLING!”
“You are.”
“Shut up!”
They always said that.
Teachers.
Classmates.
Random people who thought they knew better.
“Tone it down,” they would say.
“Be more ladylike,” the girls would say.
“Why are you so aggressive?” One of the boys in my class said to me as he was with his group of friends.
“Why do you care?” I sneered back.
“Because it’s annoying.”
“Then don’t talk to me.”
“We won’t.”
And they didn’t.
That was the pattern.
Say something.
Push too hard.
Watch people leave.
“Whatever. They don’t matter…”
It didn’t matter.
It never mattered.
Nobody could handle the real me.
And I wasn’t about to change for their precious sensibilities.
Ever since I could remember I was alone.
They all avoided me.
Except…
“You’re loud.” He said to me as though he was pointing out the secret to the universe.
The classroom was filled with noise but for some reason I could only hear his voice at that moment.
“What?!”
I turned to him.
Kaito Sakamori was just standing there.
Looking at me.
Like nothing was wrong.
“Your voice carries. It’s useful.”
“…Useful?”
“Yeah. If you ever get lost, people will find you fast.” He had such a derpy look on his face when he said that.
“That’s your takeaway?”
“Seems practical.”
“You’re… you’re an idiot!”
“Probably.”
No judgment.
No hesitation.
No reaction.
No negativity.
Like he was a newscaster from the 60s just plainly stating the facts.
“You’re not going to tell me to calm down?” I said to him with a puzzled look on my face.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You seem fine.”
“I’m yelling.”
“Yeah. But that’s just how you talk.”
I stared at him like he was an alien life form.
“That doesn’t bother you?”
“Should it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because it bothers everyone.”
“I’m not everyone.”
That was it.
That was the moment I met Kaito Sakamori.
Not anything dramatic.
Not anything special.
Just simple.
I sat by myself once school was over.
Normally I walked straight home right after school but something kept me rooted to one of the school benches that particular afternoon.
Some kids had walked over to tease me.
I tried to ignore them but ended up giving them a scowl and a deadly glare.
After the idiots got their laughs, they left in a hurry.
Kaito then walked over to me.
“You’re alone again.”
I stopped.
“What do you want, Kaito?” I shot back at him.
Kaito stood in front of me.
Hands in his pockets.
He had a calm demeanor for somebody making that pose.
“You’re not friends with them?”
“No. Why would I be?”
“Makes sense. I overheard them talking as they left. They said you’re scary.”
“Good.”
“That doesn’t bother you?”
“…No.”
Pause.
That awkward silence felt like an eternity.
“…You’re lying,” he said bluntly.
“I’m not lying!”
“You are.”
“Shut up! You don’t know me!”
I turned to face him, ready to snap.
But before I could say anything, he blindsighted me.
“Do you want to come over?”
I blinked.
“Wh-what?”
“I have a new game.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you asking?”
“You’re alone. And I thought you might like to play it.”
Simple.
Yet, it was also incredibly confusing to me.
“You’re weird,” I shot back at him.
“Okay.”
“You’re not even gonna argue?”
“Nah. You’re calling me weird.”
“Yeah. I am.”
“That’s accurate.”
I frowned.
How is he so calm?
So unphased?
This didn’t make any sense…
“You’re supposed to get mad!” I yelled at him.
“Why?”
“Because I insulted you!”
“You do that a lot.”
“That doesn’t make it okay!”
“I didn’t say it was okay.”
He started walking.
“Are you coming or not?”
I hesitated.
“…Tch.”
Then I followed him as he walked away.
“Just this once…”
I proceeded to kick his ass repeatedly at his new game.
It was some fighting game whose name escapes me right now.
That was the day I learned I was really good at that genre of video games and found a new love.
I would only get better with time.
From that day on, we talked virtually every day.
We were just kids in our first year of elementary school and we slowly became inseparable.
He was an idiot, but an idiot that didn’t judge me.
An idiot I could have fun with.
That was also the year I met Akane, and unfortunately, we became inseparable as well since she was always glued to Kaito.
I don’t know why, but I couldn’t stand her for that.
The outdoor court sat between a row of apartment buildings and a tiny park that smelled vaguely like freshly cut grass and convenience store ramen.
The chain nets rattled every time the wind picked up.
It was a nice day or something, I guess.
I wiped sweat from my forehead with the bottom of my shirt and glared across the court.
I looked at the dumb looking middle schooler in front of me, clearly thinking he was the best thing that’s ever stepped foot on a court.
“This is stupid!” I said with a loud huff punctuating my sentence.
Kaito Sakamori spun the basketball lazily on one finger.
I really hated his dumb face right now.
“You say that every time you’re losing.”
“I AM NOT LOSING!”
“You’re down twelve.”
“I’m making a comeback!”
“That’s what people say before they lose by twenty.”
“I’m going to hit you with this basketball.”
“Violence isn’t very sportsmanlike, Hikari.”
“Shut up!”
He grinned.
God, that stupid grin…
I snatched the ball from him aggressively and checked it back.
“One on one. 21. No crying when I destroy you.” I snarled at him.
“You already said that thirty minutes ago.”
“THIS time I mean it.”
Kaito shrugged lazily.
I could tell he thought this was going to be easy.
I was going to prove him wrong.
Dead wrong.
“If you insist,” he said in a monotone voice.
I hated how calm he always looked while playing.
He wasn’t flashy.
Wasn’t loud.
Didn’t trash talk, much.
I mean he is a basketball player after all.
He just moved smoothly.
Efficiently.
Like he already knew what everyone else was about to do.
Which was annoying.
Very annoying.
Why is he so freaking annoying?!
Ugh!
I drove hard to the right.
Kaito slid in front of me instantly.
I dribbled left and went straight to the basket for a layup.
Blocked.
“…Tch.”
I got the rebound.
I crossed over.
Got real fancy with it but he stayed on me.
It was time to lay on the sauce.
Spin move.
Pull-up jumper.
Swish.
“Ha!” I pointed at him dramatically.
“Witness my greatness!”
“The score is still 10-3.”
“I don’t need those details.”
“You’re very confident for somebody getting demolished.”
“Confidence is important in sports!”
“You learned that from an anime. Probably a rom-com…” He said mockingly.
“I DID NOT!”
“You totally did.”
I clicked my tongue and grabbed the ball again.
I was going to make this idiot drown in his words.
I just had to win.
Kaito walked toward the sideline to grab his water bottle.
The thing looked ridiculously expensive.
“You always bring that fancy bottle,” I said.
“My dad bought it for me.”
“Your dad buys weird stuff.”
“He says hydration matters.”
“That sounds fake.”
“It probably is.”
Kaito sat on the bench near the court fence and looked up at the twilight sky for a moment.
The orange glow beautifully lit up the trees in the park.
I dropped beside him.
We had both been playing for hours at this point.
“You’ve been practicing more lately,” he said.
“I’m always practicing.”
“More than usual.”
“So…”
He paused.
“…You trying to make the girls’ team?”
“I’m trying to dominate the girls’ team.”
“Ah.”
“You say ‘ah’ like you’re not impressed.”
“I’m impressed.”
“You don’t sound impressed!”
“I’m quietly impressed.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“It is for me.”
I huffed and leaned back against the bench.
A couple older guys were playing on the far side of the court.
The sound of sneakers squeaking against asphalt echoed faintly through the park.
“Why do you like basketball so much anyway?” Kaito asked.
I blinked.
The question blindsighted me.
“What kind of question is that?” I huffed.
“A normal one.”
“It’s… it’s fun.”
“Really? Don’t you hate cardio?”
“I do hate cardio.”
“Sounds about right. You complain every time coach makes you run suicides.”
“Because that old man enjoys my suffering!”
Kaito laughed quietly.
I looked away.
“I dunno,” I muttered.
“Basketball’s different.”
“How so?”
I watched the ball bounce on the far court.
The high schoolers were really battling it out.
“…People always say I’m too loud. Too aggressive. Too emotional.” I crossed my arms.
“But on the court, that stuff actually helps.”
Kaito stayed quiet.
His gaze was intense.
Like he was staring into my soul.
“Nobody tells me to calm down when I’m playing,” I continued.
“Nobody says I’m too much. If I’m aggressive, it works. If I get loud, it fires everyone up.”
A tiny smile appeared on my face.
“It feels… good.”
Kaito nodded once.
“Makes sense,” he said as he stroked his imaginary beard.
“That’s it?”
“What else am I supposed to say?”
“I don’t know! Something dramatic!”
“You want me to give a speech?”
“Yes!”
“No.”
“BORING.”
“You’re very demanding.”
“And you’re very lame.”
“Fair.”
I stared at him for a second before speaking again.
“What… what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Why do YOU like basketball?”
Kaito looked down at the Lakers logo on his worn hoodie.
“My dad got me into it.”
I stared at his logo.
“The Lakers?”
“Yeah.”
“Why them?”
“He used to live in Los Angeles for work before I was born.”
I tilted my head.
“Seriously?”
“Yup. Late 90s. Early 2000s.”
“Wait…” My eyes widened slightly.
“That means he watched the Shaq and Kobe era live?”
“Yeah. He actually went to a bunch of their games.”
“That’s… actually kinda cool.”
“He used to tell me stories about it all the time,” Kaito said, trying to sound somewhat nonchalant.
“Said the city went insane during playoff games.”
“Sounds fun.”
“He became a huge Lakers fan while he lived there.” Kaito spun the cap on his water bottle absentmindedly.
“Then when I was little, he started showing me old games.”
“Kobe games?”
“Mostly.”
I smirked slightly.
“So THAT’S why you take terrible shots.” I said, barely able to contain my laughter.
“They’re not terrible shots.”
“You tried a fadeaway over three people yesterday!”
“It almost worked.”
“It hit the SIDE OF THE BACKBOARD.”
“I don’t need those details.”
“That’s MY line!”
Kaito laughed.
“My dad really liked Kobe’s mentality,” he said after a moment.
“The whole ‘keep going no matter what’ thing. Pushing yourself to your limits and exceeding them.”
I listened quietly.
For some reason, I was hanging on every word.
“He used to say basketball was more interesting when someone played like they had something to prove every night.”
“And you liked that?”
“Yeah.”
Kaito looked out toward the court.
My eyes followed his.
“I think I just liked how much my dad loved talking about it. And I really loved spending time with him watching games. Plus the game is just cool. And it’s fun!”
Something about the way he said that made my chest feel strangely warm.
Which was stupid.
Obviously.
“That’s kinda cheesy,” I muttered in a mocking tone.
“It is.”
“You inherited his bad taste.”
“Probably.”
“And your terrible shot selection.”
“Definitely.”
I snorted before I could stop myself.
Kaito glanced at me.
“What?” I said loudly.
“You laughed.”
“I DID NOT.”
“You did.”
“You imagined it!”
“Hikari.”
“What?!”
“You’re smiling.”
My face immediately turned red.
I could feel the warmth spreading throughout my face.
I turned away in a huff.
“I AM NOT!”
“You are.”
“I WILL KILL YOU.”
“Very violent reaction.”
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.”
“…Tch.”
Kaito stood up and grabbed the basketball again.
“C’mon.”
“What?”
“You said you were making a comeback.”
I immediately sprang to my feet.
It was finally time to crush this idiot.
“OH, I AM.” I said in a confident voice.
“The score’s still 10-3.”
“Then prepare yourself.”
“For?”
“The greatest comeback in basketball history.”
“You say that every game.”
“AND ONE DAY I’LL MEAN IT.”
Kaito tossed me the ball.
The evening sun dipped lower over the court as I caught it.
And without realizing it, I smiled again.
I was watching Kaito practice with our high school team during one of their weekend sessions.
The guys liked to get together and play against each other after school or on their days off.
Sometimes I watched from the sidelines.
I stood up the moment he got fouled hard on a drive to the basket.
I didn’t even realize I’d moved until he was already back on his feet.
A few minutes later, I didn’t notice Kaito walking over to me.
“You’re staring,” he said.
I snapped back as though I had just been in a trance.
Kaito stood a few feet away now.
Sweat on his face.
Towel around his neck.
Looking at me like I’d been obvious.
He took a large sip from his fancy looking water bottle.
“I’m not staring!” I replied with an unsure, but loud tone.
“You are.”
“I’m not!”
“You definitely are.”
“I’m… I’m just observing!”
“That means the same thing.” He laughed as he said that.
“Shut up!”
He shrugged.
Like it didn’t matter.
Like nothing I said ever really mattered to him.
Not in a bad way, just that my words and actions didn’t seem to faze him.
Which for some reason, irritated me to no end.
“…Tch.”
I stared straight into his eyes.
“You weren’t reading the defense properly all practice. That’s why you made several bad passes…” I’m the starting shooting guard on our girls’ team.
So I know a thing or two about basketball.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“You were watching that closely?”
“I just noticed! It was super obvious!”
“Right…”
He didn’t push it.
Didn’t question it.
Didn’t make it weird.
He seemed to take my advice to heart which made me giddy for some reason.
“You were being reckless! You didn’t get hurt, did you?” There was a look of concern on my face for a split second before my expression recovered back to what it typically is.
“Nah, I’m fine.”
Pause.
“…Good.”
Why did that come out so quiet?
Why couldn’t I just express myself properly?
I was glad he wasn’t hurt.
I mean we’re friends.
Obviously, I don’t want my friends to get hurt.
What was it about this guy that made me overthink everything I said and did when I’m around him?
Is this normal?
“I should get back into the swing of things. Thanks for the advice, Hikari.”
Kaito headed back to continue his practice session with the rest of the team.
His complete douche of a friend Tadashi walked over to me.
Why does Kaito even hang out with him?
He’s such a loser.
“You know what your issue is?” Tadashi said with that smug and very punchable face of his.
I didn’t even look.
“I… I don’t have an issue.”
“You absolutely do.”
“Go away, Tadashi!”
“No.”
Of course not.
Being the most annoying being in the galaxy is this guy’s trademark.
“You’ve been like this for years,” he said.
“Like what?”
“Attached to my boy, Kaito.”
“I AM NOT ATTACHED!”
“Loud denial. Strong indicator.”
“I WILL HIT YOU.”
“Violence. Another strong indicator.”
“Say one more thing.” I looked at him as though his next words might be his last.
“You like him.”
I swung.
He dodged.
God, I hate that face of his.
“Confirmed!”
“I DO NOT LIKE HIM!”
“Then why are you here?”
“I …I just… happened to be here!”
“On a weekend?”
“Coincidence!”
“So you just happened to be here at our usual practice court?”
“Shut up!”
He leaned in slightly.
Lowered his voice.
“You know why, though.” He gave me the most infuriating wink.
How I didn’t swing at him again I will never know.
I didn’t answer.
Because… I did know.
If I was being truly honest with myself, I knew exactly why I was watching him practice right now.
I just couldn’t say it out loud.
It would physically kill me to do so.
After practice, Kaito and I walked home.
We lived nearby one another so it was only natural we would do so, so shut up.
Disregard the last paragraph.
Just pretend I used that memory erase thingy from Men in Black.
I swear there’s nothing between us.
I couldn’t possibly like this idiot…
“You’re still reckless,” I said to him.
“Yeah, you said something along those lines already.”
“Then fix it!”
“I’ll consider it.”
“Don’t just consider it! Do it!”
“You worry a lot.”
I froze.
“I… I do not.”
“You do.”
“I don’t!”
“You always have.”
“That’s… that’s because you’re an idiot!”
“Fair.” He laughed.
“You’re going to get hurt one day.”
“Probably.”
“And then what?”
“I’ll deal with it.”
“…Idiot.”
“…Yeah.”
Silence.
I could hear our footsteps echoing as we walked down the street.
“You haven’t changed…”
He blinked.
He looked more confused than I did when I was doing math homework.
“What?”
“You’re still the same,” I said.
“Still annoying. Still reckless. Still…”
I stopped.
Continuing that train of thought would be a huge mistake.
“Still what?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
Too close.
That was too close.
I almost felt like I was going to blurt out something I would definitely regret.
“Don’t get the wrong idea.” I said, trying to sound as demure as possible, or at least as much was possible for me.
“I won’t.”
“Good.”
“I never do.”
“That’s ALSO A PROBLEM!”
I was finally back in my room after Kaito had walked me home.
I stared up into the ceiling.
“…This is stupid.”
It was simple.
Too simple.
That was the problem.
He didn’t do anything special.
Didn’t say anything special.
Didn’t try.
And somehow… that was exactly why…
“…Tch.”
I pulled out my phone.
Typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Don’t think I was watching you that closely.
Sent it.
Immediately regretted it.
“…Idiot.”
Him.
Not me.
Definitely him.
Announcement on Older Chapters Will also split older chapters in future.
TY to all my readers!