『ARC TWO: CAREFUL STEPS』

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Unfortunately, Akihiko had been plagued with dreams and nightmares. They were the main culprits of his migraines.

Every time his eyelids fluttered shut and the sweet song of sleep lulled him to the unconscious plane of the unknown, he was blissfully taken hostage to a world of peace or disaster. The one thing he knew was that he would always see himself in one shape or form. Sometimes he would witness his dream self. Other times his body would move on its own without his permission.

Right now it was one of those times where he was an observer, slaved to watching a younger version of himself traverse through the land of dreams.

A gentle wind plowed softly through the trees, ruffling the leaves with its light touch. The breeze sang a serene tune, whispering kindhearted words into the ears of those who would listen to its peaceful, angelic voice. The zephyr blew a tad stronger and gently picked a few loose petals from the stems of the bright, flourishing flowers blooming in the grassland.

A young boy, no older than the age of five, hummed in tune with the rhythm of the tranquil song blown briskly into his ears. His small feet carried his thin frame through the carefree steps of a childish waddle. Tiny hands were outstretched joyfully into the air, reaching out to feel the motherly caress of the ethereal breeze. A quick pivot of his foot and the two crystals resting on his cheeks slapped his pale-skinned face. An eruption of youthful laughter escaped his small chest as he stretched out his small, chubby fingers to grasp onto the soft, colorful pieces of nature dancing around him.

Akihiko watched from afar, periwinkle eyes staring intently at the child. It did not take long for him to realize that it was a younger version of him. This was the first time that he has witnessed a version of himself so young. Usually, his dream self would be the same age as him, fifteen-years-old. His eyes flickered away. The familiar sight of wispy fog curled around his body like a snake slithering around its prey. This just further confirmed that he was an observer this night.

His lips pursed together and a frustrated grunt escaped him. Like always, his body refused to comply. His feet were glued to the floor. Some unknown force was keeping him stationary. Was his dream trying to keep him from interfering with the scene playing in front of him? He drew in a deep breath. Fine. He will stand and watch obediently just as he has done countless times before.

The wind's tune softened and its power dropped briefly. The airborne petals gingerly swayed, floating downward to give the young boy's bright hair a cool touch. Before the rest of the petals tumbled all the way to the grassland in their free fall, the wind's song had bloomed into its natural flourishment and the petals soared and danced merrily once more.

A woman with beautiful features strode a bit behind her son and let out a peal of melodic laughter that resembled the charming sound of windchimes. She walked at her own pace. Every stride she took was taken with pride and elegance. She quietly chuckled to herself, gripping the picnic basket's handle in her hands a tad bit tighter as her shining aqua eyes never strayed away from her child's thin figure.

The real Akihiko peered in shock as his breath escaped him. Never did he think he would witness this woman in his life again. Although this was a dream, he silently cursed his mind for conjuring such a sight. His insides were tinged with an empty yet warm feeling. Was it even possible to feel these two emotions that contradicted each other at the same time? Akihiko shook his head as a low chuckle was ripped out of his throat. How pitiful.

He scoured the vast greenery that surrounded him. Where was this dream taking place anyway? He pressed a hand to his forehead, racking his brain for an answer. He grimaced soon after. The closest thing he could come up with is the forest like scenery at that one park but even then the scenery did not ring a bell.

A smile tugged at the edges of her lips and caused the wrinkles near the corners of her eyes to become more prominent. She lifted a hand toward her mouth. "Akihiko! Stay near the outskirts of the forest! Don't play so far away! Stay in a place where I can see you!" his mother called out in a sweet but stern tone.

Child Akihiko twirled around and jogged backward on his stubby feet. He almost tripped in the process. The young boy's pale complexion was blotched with red on his cheeks and droplets of sweat glistened as they dribbled down his forehead. His breathing was quicker than normal and he waved a small hand at his mother.

"O...okay...!" Tiny him breathed out in a loud, squeaky voice between gasps of oxygen.

The little kid scampered off, grateful to feel the cold wind cooling his warm cheeks. His heart pounded in her chest and the muscles in his legs began to ache but he kept running as far as his stubby little legs would take him. A grin appeared on his face and his periwinkle eyes sparkled with excitement.

The moment he made it to the outskirts of the forest, he slowed his pace to a walk. Small Akihiko breathed in and out heavily, breathless and exhausted from his sprinting along with the wind. A gust blew past him, pushing strands of hair to tickle his cheek. He giggled quietly, content that the wind agreed with him. Or so he believed.

As the teenager watched his young doppelganger run amok without a care in the world. A pang of jealousy struck him. While this version of him was able to enjoy life without a care. It was not that he was not grateful for what Tomohiro has done for them since he had found them but he could not help but feel envious. His fingers curled into a tight fist before the tension was released.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips. What is he doing? He is feeling jealous over a dream? What person becomes jealous over a dream?

The child stared in awe at the vast vegetation blooming boastfully from the soft, nutrient-filled soil they arose from. Dream Akihiko waddled to the beautiful flowers and kneeled. He felt a slight discomfort on his knees but he brushed it off as an ache from the amount of exertion he did. He was a child and naturally had a small body, so obviously, he would grow tired quickly due to the lack of development his body has gone through.

Akihiko poked the flower and watched it bend from the amount of force he applied. It bounced back up like a spring, eager to show its radiance to the world and bless people with its colorful petals. The young boy smiled softly and raised his finger to poke the light blue flower once more.

Just then, a deafening, tearful scream pierced the calm atmosphere and the wind spiraled into chaos for a brief moment. The branches from the trees were roughly torn at, swung side-to-side with brute force. Suddenly the child screeched in fear and bowed his head down. He wrapped his arms around his head and screwed his eyes shut. His amethyst hair clunked together, yielding to the forces of nature to blow his fiberglass locks wherever the wind pleased. A harsh gust plowed through the grasslands. The force and power of it shoved the purple-haired boy to the ground harshly. He squealed loudly as he threw his hands out in front of him to break her fall.

Immediately, Akihiko felt a chill crawl up his spine from the sudden screech piercing the atmosphere. Although he did not share the same shocked expression as his younger counterpart, the scream did indeed make his heart pummel his ribcage. Steadying his breathing, the amethyst-haired boy pressed a hand to his chest in an attempt to calm his heart. Unable to speak or move, he watched the scene unfold in front of him. That was the only way he would get answers, or wake up.

Akihiko landed with a grunt and a cry. He felt the skin on his palms scrape off. Thankfully, the long-sleeved black shirt saved his arms from becoming scraped as well. He shook his head and pressed his palms to the ground to heave himself up. He hissed feeling the dirt enter his scrapes. His arms trembled from the fear coursing through his veins. All of a sudden, another scream followed by a rack of sobs entered his ears. With a tearful glance upward, his gaze followed the cries to a couple of yards in front of his.

"No!"

The word drenched with concern was torn out of his vocal cords without much effort. His body surged forward, sweat trickling from his hairline down his neck and dousing his plain white shirt. Oxygen was inhaled rapidly and unevenly as his fingers curled tightly around the blue blanket that was draped across his trembling body. His heart pounded against his ribcage at an alarming rate, and it felt like the room's temperature had risen by fifty degrees. Exhaustion clung to his muscles, signaling to him that his sleep was not relaxing in any shape or form.

What was that? The teenager let out a shaky breath and pressed a hand to his chest. Another dream? Nightmare? I don't know what I would place this in. It was nice at first.

He ran a hand through his damp fiberglass bangs. He picked at the few stray strands that clung stubbornly to his forehead. He lightly tossed the cover off of him, swinging his legs and letting them dangle for a second off the side of the bed. He pressed his bare feet to the freezing wooden floor. Finally, his breathing fell into a steady rate, and a shiver racked his spine from the cold panels absorbing the small amount of heat emitted from his body.

He cocked his head to the side, eyes squinting from the harsh sunlight filtering through the rectangular-shaped window. Turning away, Akihiko blinked a few times, his eyesight adjusting to the normal light of his bedroom.

Feeling the pain slither from his nape up to the back of his head, it nicely settled on his crown and temples. It snuggly fit itself between his brain and his skull. His ears strained to hear the small clicks of Tanami's shoes running back and forth downstairs. Taking in a sharp breath, he maneuvered a hand to latch onto a pillow before harshly throwing it onto his face to cancel out the sound.

Tanami's muffled voice sounded like she was harshly spewing directly into his ears because his headache amplified the noise. He exhaled sharply through his gritted teeth into the pillow. He was beginning the wonder how many painkillers were left in the pill bottle.

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Lifting the metal spoon in his hand, Akihiko watched the milk drip back into the bowl. The cereal was soggy but he could care less at the moment. This cereal used to have marshmallows but Tanami had decided to separate corn flakes and marshmallows and ate the tiny confections in a bowl of milk. He did not want to know how much sugar was in that one bowl. All he knew is that neither he nor Tomohiro would touch it.

His mind still felt muddled. It was like he was swimming through a vat of tar and he could not get any further than a few feet at a time before he felt exhausted. His head was supporting a painful migraine for a week and today was the first day that he could drag himself out of bed and stare at the sunlight and listen to sound without his brain protesting with pulses of agonizing pain.

The teenager did not have much of an appetite. He dropped the spoon back into the bowl, milk spiking up before falling back into the cereal.

Shishi had decided to use his lap as a pillow. The dog even went as far as liquifying halfway to look like a melting piece of jello. Stuffed in its mouth was a crimson ball that the dog continuously gnawed down on. It was not a squeaky chew toy and Akihiko was more than happy that it was not. All he knew was that a loud piercing sound would make his migraine worse.

Akihiko had a damp cloth wrapped around his head and pressed up against his forehead. After two days of having a migraine, he developed a fever. His temperature was not terribly high but it was still high enough for mild concern.

The only reason he still had it on was because Kagemi, Tanami, and Tomohiro insisted.

Kagemi and Tanami had already left two hours ago to go to school. He had been stuck here, at home, for a week because his health is deciding to stay sick. He glanced at the stack of papers on the coffee table in front of him. Akihiko bit down on his lip at the sight. He was not thrilled about the history paper he has to write or the complicated math problems he has to solve. He will just do it later... when he feels like it.

While the crystal was seated on the sofa, Tomohiro was behind him sitting on one of the dining room's chairs. The Hero was busying himself with grueling paperwork once more. He would spare a glance at the sheets before typing something on the grey laptop in front of him. His crutches were leaning onto the table. Tomohiro's eyebrows scrunched together in concentration.

Forcing his attention in front of him, Akihiko gazed at the television in boredom. His head was still throbbing and he very much wished for the pain to go away. He did not even know how many painkillers he has swallowed in the week. He was probably bordering the maximum. He did not care though. They made the pain go away.

"The Hero, Banshee, is the third Hero to go missing this month. His last whereabouts were stated by his sidekicks at the-"

Interrupting the newswoman on the screen and startling Akihiko, the ink-haired male's forehead connected with the surface of the kitchen table. A few words that the teenager would never mutter slipped out of Tomohiro's mouth. A final groan slipped from his lips and he slowly raised his head only to bury it in his palms. "Can Heroes stop getting captured?! Oh my, fucki-"

Akihiko snorted and let out a small chuckle. He did not really know why he did so but he summed it up to him being loopy on pain medication. He seriously does not know how many pills he has ingested between the night and morning alone. A sharp pain struck his temples and he winced. He gripped the sides of the bowl harshly and Shishi stopped gnawing on the ball to look up at him questionably.

The spike of pain passed but something else had risen. An old, selfish thought that tortured him when he was younger. Why he said it, he did not know. Whether it was the lack of appetite or his weird high on medication, Akihiko suddenly blurted out, "did you ever regret adopting us?"

When those words escaped Akihiko's lips, Tomohiro was in the middle of taking a sip of that bitter coffee he loved so much. He was already over his small breakdown from two minutes earlier. Shocked by the sudden question, the liquid went down the wrong pipe and the man was forced into a coughing fit. It took a few moments before Tomohiro could regain a steady pace to breathe again. Needless to say, Tomohiro never expected those words to string together to make a sentence.

"What?" The adult breathed out in surprise as he stared incredulously at his adopted son. "I'm sorry but I don't think I heard you correctly."

"Did you ever regret adopting us?" the adolescent repeated slowly. The ripples in the milk seemed much more entertaining all of a sudden.

"W-wait... Wha- no! Why... why would you- you just ask that?" the white-eyed male sputtered while trying to create a coherent sentence. "I- you... no!"

Picking at the spoon, Akihiko frowned. That was one of the few times he had ever heard or seen Tomohiro struggle to come up with the right words. He would usually have a quip, insult, or response right up his sleeve whenever he was talking. Even faster when he wanted to be petty or get the last word. Right now, however, he had no response.

"Akihiko," Tomohiro sighed heavily as he dragged a hand down his face. Balancing on one leg, he quickly hooked both crutches underneath before making his way to the couch. Sitting down beside Akihiko, Tomohiro pursed his lips and leaned the crutches on the side of the furniture.

"What on earth is going on in that head of yours?" the adult mused with pure confusion lining his words. "I know you have been out of it all week but that is the most absurd thing I have heard in a while. And that's including all of the texts Kohei's been sending me the past month."

"I-I," the words seemed to be embedded in the depths of his throat. He barely managed to connect a few letters to make a convenient sentence. "...I- why do you care?"

The adolescent turned his head to face the adult. A slight gloss painted over his eyes as he gripped the bowl in his hands. "Everyone turned a blind eye, and yet you were the only one who actually paid attention to two five-year-olds who were homeless for weeks. Did you only step in because we were pitiful or because it is your job?"

"My job?" Blinking twice, Tomohiro laced his fingers as he echoed those words. "If we were talking about that time, then yes, without a doubt."

Akihiko bit down on the inside of his cheek. The metallic taste of his blood was unappealing but it was strangely comforting. A deep ache was beginning to settle in the depths of his chest at those blunt, straightforward words without a single touch of wanting to hold back. It felt like those words pierced his chest and head.

"When you two were in that hospital room ten years ago, a detective, Naoki, came into a room I was in with your files. He proposed that I adopt you two. He was concerned with the fact that you two would not adjust or settle well within an orphanage." White eyes peered in his direction with an unknown emotion swirling inside. "And frankly, I agree. I doubt you would have been adopted that way. People hate doing more than what is needed.

"At first I thought he was insane. It was unfathomable. I was a Pro who was twenty-three and could very well be killed in the line of work. So when I agreed, needless to say, I left myself stunned a couple of days after as I started to begin the procedure. When I told Kohei and Sumiko, the first thing they did was fuss over me like I was delusional. Perhaps I was a bit delusional. It was such an out of character thing for me to do. I still refuse to go on dates no matter how much Kohei tries to convince me.

"Nonetheless," Tomohiro gently pried the bowl of cereal from Akihiko's clenched grasp and placed it on the coffee table. "I never felt regret or tried to talk myself out of it. Not even when I dotted the last 'I' and turned it in. Not even when the two of you were so hostile against me that first year. Not even when you two had the bright idea to sneak out when I was passed out in my room when I didn't sleep for a week."

"...you were mad when you found us at the park," the crystal mumbled softly.

"Akihiko," he said slowly. "I thought the two of you could have been kidnapped and I panicked. I don't care what excuse you give me. If I somehow lost either of you, I would be furious with myself because I'm supposed to be your guardian. Besides, I have had enough loss for one lifetime."

A shaky breath escaped Akihiko. His lips parted, ready to say something but he chose to clamp his teeth together instead. He glared at the floor, fingers fiddling with each other as he tried to form a coherent sentence. The crystal felt dread curl his insides followed by the sinking feeling of guilt developing in his stomach.

"You never regretted it...?" he spat it out quickly, uncertain if he would be able to say it otherwise. Once he finished, he unconsciously bit down on his tongue. It hurt but it was not enough to draw blood.

Tomohiro's lips lifted slightly. His concerned expression slowly softened into one of minimal relief. However, small creases still settled between his eyebrows but it was not as prominent as before. "And I never will. I may not know much about parenting, heavens I had the worst examples growing up, but that does not mean I won't try."

The teenager's body slouched to the side. Akihiko's crystallic hair thunked against Tomohiro's shoulder bone. The ink-haired male shifted his body so that the boy would rest comfortably. Not thrilled with the atmosphere, Shishi released the ball and padded Akihiko's abdomen with its paw before lightly ramming its head into his stomach in an attempt to comfort.

Akihiko clenched his fingers into a fist. A few seconds passed before a whine ripped itself out of his chest. He did not know when he started to bawl out like a child or when the tears started to flow but they did. He did not know when he buried his face into Tomohiro's chest as he cried out.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." the mantra flowed out between cries. He wanted to stop but he felt exhausted and his tears did not want to stop.

"Shh, you're okay. You're fine. You're fine." Tomohiro's arms eventually wrapped around Akihiko's torso. He leaned back a bit, readjusting their position to be settled in a more comfortable one. His shirt was becoming damp but that was an insignificant problem. While he rubbed the back of his adopted son, Tomohiro's eyes stayed focused on the shifting colors of the boy's hair. His face was blank.

Tanami was the one who presented her emotions much more easily whereas Akihiko was more or less the opposite. One was more open while the other was more closed. Although the twins did not fully tell what occurred with Kiyoko and Souta, he gathered as much from when he went to investigate all that time ago. Oh, how he hated that place.

He shook his head. No need for those thoughts now. He had other things to worry about. He did not move when Akihiko finally gave in to exhaustion. He only held the boy in his arms and hoped that whatever haunted his son had evaporated even just a little bit. Tomohiro stifled the chuckle that wanted to escape him. A warm gaze fell upon Akihiko. At one point, he pondered over the thought of when he became so attached. The male smiled softly. Perhaps he grew attached the moment he saw those twins shaking in that alleyway. Yeah, that was it.

That was the moment when he resigned himself to those two, and he would never regret that decision. Even on his deathbed.

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Breathing in an ample amount of fresh, crisp air, Tanami curled her fingers into the bunches of her crimson skirt. She leaned forward a bit, looking at the tray of food in front of her. She swallowed the saliva building in her throat, loathing the feeling of guilt twisting her insides. It was heavy and it made her feel nauseous if she pondered on it for too long.

It has been a week. One entire week since Akihiko had attended Mizu. Her poor brother had been assaulted by a horrendous migraine for the past seven days. She honestly has not even spoken to him the entire time. He was so sensitive to lights and noise that he spent the entire week locked up in his room with nothing turned on and the curtains shut.

Fiddling with her fingers, she warily tensed her shoulders as she stared intensely at the table. She felt strange and uneasy without her twin here. She never really remembered if there was a time in her life that they were separated for so long. They were always together and being separated made her terribly uncomfortable and nervous. Akihiko was her sibling, the one person who she could relate to on so many things. And now, her twin was writhing in pain at home and she is stuck at school doing who knows what.

She released a chittering sigh and decided it was best to take out her melancholy on the okonomiyaki laying on her tray by glaring at it. With a frustrated huff, she lifted the pair of chopsticks to stab the pancake-like thing to cut it when she noticed another tray coming in her line of sight. She ignored them and proceeded to angrily tear through the okonomiyaki as best as she could with the chopsticks.

"What did that okonomiyaki ever do to you?"

Yoshimi's listless voice echoed in her ears as he sat down next to her. In front of her, Daiki and Kagemi settled themselves in the row while placing their own trays down on the lunch table. The delicious aroma coming from their plates wafted into her nose and she almost felt bad for skewering her own food.

"It existed," was the only thing Tanami said before shoving a piece along with some bonito flakes in her mouth and angrily chewed. It tasted delicious and she was finding it hard to be mad at the okonomiyaki.

"You should have gone with ramen, Nami. It's harder to mutilate with chopsticks." As if to prove his point, Kagemi half-heartedly tried to stab the noodles only for them to curl around the utensil instead.

"I wasn't in the mood from ramen."

"So you choose a food that you can destroy with ease."

Tanami shoved another pinch of food in her mouth to stop herself from yelling an insult. To distract herself, she observed the cluster of people loitering the cafeteria. You would think that the cafeteria would look more packed but with only seventy-seven students, it was pretty spaced out. Everyone sat at different tables in groups of two or three. Some students would actively avoid each other and tried their best to keep words to a minimum. Looks like Mizu did put teams together with little chemistry.

Pinching the chopsticks between his fingers, Daiki dipped his tempura into tentsuyu before taking a bite out of it. Once he finished chewing, he lifted his head and asked, "how's Akihiko?"

The moment the words entered her ears, the entirety of Tanami's body stiffened. Her fingers curled around the chopsticks so tight that she thought she would snap them in half. Forcing whatever she was feeling at the moment down, she loosened her grasp. The chopsticks did not deserve to suffer. Her food on the other hand- well it suffered and died. Now she kind of felt bad as it is now a bready mess.

"Same as yesterday." the words flowed out of her mouth in a blatant tone. "Same as the days before."

"Oh..." the pink-haired teen's words trailed off and he solemnly munched on his tempura.

"Moving from that landmine," Yoshimi spooned some miso soup into his mouth. "Any idea as to what Kohei-san has planned for today?"

Kagemi shrugged nonchalantly. "Who knows? He said we're switching morning and afternoon classes for a week ...or the last three days of this week and two from next week. Heroics are in the afternoon."

"It's going to suck. I'm going to no longer have time to do my calculus homework." Daiki grumbled into his food as he rolled his shoulders. "You know how hard it is to complete three worksheets at the same time that the teacher is collecting homework?"

"You take calculus?" the crystal questioned instantly. "We can take calculus?"

"You can if you're at the top of your grade in middle school." Daiki stared at Tanami in bewilderment. "You don't have calculus? Next, you're going to tell me you don't have advanced chemistry."

Tanami and Kagemi only stared at the boy. Well, that explains why Daiki is not in their biology class. She just assumed he was placed in a different math and science class since there are three versions of each subject at Mizu for all seventy-seven students. You could meet different students from other teams as the classes were mixed and almost no one had the same schedule.

"You know what?" Tanami slipped out from the table and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm going to buy something else from the cafeteria. Do you want anything?"

They all responded with 'no' and Tanami nodded. Rubbing the back of her neck, she turned and began to walk to the lunch line. Filing in line, she tapped her pocket to feel if she actually still had bills and did not leave them in her backpack. After confirming that she did, she silently waited and scanned over the menu.

Umm... I guess I'll get the takoyaki. I don't really want soup or ramen, Tanami pondered as she moved forward. After a few minutes, it was her turn to order.

Fishing about three-hundred-yen from her blazer's pocket, she handed the bills to the woman at the register. The woman happily took it before handing her a long, oval-shaped plate with a total of ten spheres of dough on top. Thanking the woman, Tanami turned on her heel and nearly collided with someone else. She instantly froze, cradling her food protectively because it was the first thing to pop into her mind. She was not about to spend another three-hundred on replacement takoyaki because she stupidly dropped it.

"Hey! Don't stand so close! I could have dropped my takoyaki!" the words slipped out her lips faster than she realized. Not that she regretted it. The safety of her food was important.

The teenager she nearly collided with was a tall male with a well-built structure. His olive-colored hair was slicked back with one pesky strand curling onto his forehead. He had one thumb tucked into his pants pocket. His honey eyes widened in surprise for a split second before they narrowed.

Sporting a flirtatious grin, the slightly dark-skinned male said, "I have no clue who you are but it seems like you're about to fall for me."

Tanami's thumbs curled into the plate and she was beginning to wonder how much pressure she would need to apply in order to break it. Putting on the best smile she could muster, she tilted her head unamused and replied, "got a better pick-up line because that's the cheesiest thing I have ever heard."

This elicited a delighted bout of laughter from the teenager. Still somewhat laughing, he placed a hand on his chest and feigned a look of hurt. "How cold of you, pretty girl. And here I was thinking that was pretty good."

Pretty girl?

She tried her best to smile but it turned out awkwardly. The female stepped aside and out of the way so he could order. "No, that was pretty bad. Ever thought of not using pick-up lines?"

He voiced his order and the lady happily handed over a tray of miso soup. Steam curled up from the bowl and began to heat up the boy's face. The olive-haired male slid the right amount of yen onto the surface, grinning joyfully as he thanked the woman. He turned, honey eyes lighting up once his hands had a firm grasp on the sides of the red tray.

Glancing up, he cheekily grinned at Tanami. "Don't tell me you're not having fun?"

Tanami rolled her eyes and sighed heavily in exhaustion. She hummed lightly, wondering if that small noise would be enough to save what is left of her sanity. Maybe another day she could deal with this. A day that her brother was lingering near her and not suffering alone at home. Actually, not alone. Tomohiro is with him and so is Shishi but that is not the point.

Her nails dug into the plate of takoyaki in frustration. She did not mean for her words to come out so rude or blunt but she did not care anymore. "Fine, I'll say it. It's not fun. Find another girl to annoy."

"Ouch," the honey-eyed boy dramatically gasped. He pouted a bit, looking like an abandoned puppy left on the street. "What's got your hair in a twist?"

"I can't tie my hair in a twist. My hair is made of amethyst." the purple-haired female plucked one ball off her plate with the toothpick. Not pondering on it further, she shoved it into her mouth and leered sideways at the boy. How can she tell this guy to screw off without sounding like a total jerk?

The boy's shoulders fell in defeat and he released an audible groan. "Anyone ever tell you you're a fun killer?"

Chewing her food slowly, Tanami took five seconds before swallowing. Crooking her head to the side, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Anyone ever tell you to shut your mouth?"

Once again, the male slugged forward in disappointment. However, he instantly raised his head. Apparently, he was not one to announce defeat too quickly. Tanami was beginning to calculate the amount of detention she would receive if she crystallized this boy's feet or mouth.

With his shoulders falling into a relaxed position and his lips sown back into a flirtatious grin, he said, "Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk past you again?"

How much detention would she get if she punched him? Is it a valid excuse to punch someone if they annoy you? Tanami is pretty sure it is valid but she is not entirely sure. She allowed her eyesight to fall down at the takoyaki. An idea began to formulate in her brain.

"Nothing? Wow, what has your hair in a twist?" the boy asked in exasperation.

"I can't twist my hair. It's made of amethyst."

His lips pressed together. "You don't get out much do you, pretty girl?"

"And I'm assuming you're hitting on me because you can't land a date. That or you're insecure." she shrugged while biting a piece of takoyaki. "I haven't decided which one yet since I can't hear myself think."

Those words made his jaw drop. He blinked thrice, stunned by her response. After a few seconds, the male cleared his throat and shook his head in order to regain his composure. "Whatever. You're not that interesting."

"Then why were you hitting on me?" This takoyaki was pretty good. She probably should have gotten this instead of brutally murdering her okonomiyaki. That poor pancake did not deserve the punishment of chopsticks.

"That's- uh... well..."

"Are you done?" Tanami shifted the weight from her left leg to right. "Speechless or not fast enough to come up with a response? Both? Yeah? Bye."

Smiling with a bit of mock, she spun on her heel and basically sprinted back to the table where everyone else was. She may have put a bit of force when she slammed the plate of takoyaki down and she may have ignored the squeak coming from Daiki, however, she was not in the mood to deal with idiots, let alone playboys.

"Damn," Kagemi raised a brow. "I thought you'd be happier with food."

"You're an idiot." The female stabbed the ball with the wooden pick.

"Did someone try to steal your takoyaki?" Yoshimi inquired, leaning his cheek into his palm.

"No, someone tried to flirt with me."

Daiki choked on his saliva and erupted into a fit of coughs. He lurched forward as he tried to gasp for air. He began to calm down after Kagemi began to pound his back. Once he was able to breathe again, the pink-haired boy gazed up skeptically. "Are you serious?"

"I was debating if I should punch him or throw my takoyaki at him." Tanami shrugged as if she was not about to start a possible fight. "I'm glad I did not sacrifice the takoyaki."

Yoshimi brushed a piece of hair behind his ear. He blankly stared at Tanami in what seemed to be disappointment. "I know you would rather not talk about it but I'm fairly certain that Akihiko would start a fight once he heard this."

Unexpectedly, a small laugh filled with mirth escaped the girl's throat. Her lips began to rise. Staring fondly at her food, she felt her tense body relax. "Yeah, he would definitely get up and punch the guy."

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Author's Note:

Aw, Poor Akihiko. He's suffering. Well, at least he has Tomohiro and Shishi. Tanami, on the other hand, is just done with anyone and everything. Her food had to die because of that.

If someone tried to hit on you, what would you do?

I'd personally just laugh awkwardly.