Part 2
As I approached the Student Council room, all I could think about was the mess in the corridor that led to it. Being a corner room, it was only expected that a few things would be gathered by its door, but what I was seeing was a whole new level. While I am sure the boxes and sorted equipment lying on the floor did not belong to the Council or to Rin, I couldn’t help but wonder how someone as easily irritable by imperfection as her could stand working near such a puddle of chaos.
Or whether the Student Council room wasn’t a former improvised storage room.
“Ah, Koukishin-kun. I am glad you found time to lend me your hand.” She was sitting behind a desk and did not raise her gaze to meet me. “We have a fair amount of work to get done with, so for optimal performance it would be better if there were no interruptions. Lock the door.”
“Sure.”
I turned around to do so. When the knob finished its turn with a click, I felt a sudden pressure on my back and wrists pushing me against the wooden door. While my first instinct was to react with violence and the muscles on my body were already contracted, the hot breath I felt on my neck that came along with the rough and breathy contralto made me reconsider.
“Why do you do this to me?”
“And what exactly am I doing?”
“You know just how much you tease me.”
She kept pressing me, and I reminded myself dedication was her strong point.
“As you know exactly why.”
“Because we both have issues with codependency.”
That usually results in bad relationships that are borderline parasitic. We see ourselves in a different light than other people, both for good and bad. The need for acceptance, the denial, a compromise of morals, the absurd judgments and addictions, a loyalty so extreme that we can tell when a situation is harmful but not leave it by making secondary interests a priority. We share that.
“It’s the agreement, our little war game.”
We figured that trait could be negated or at the very least canceled out if two people with it used each other as the target. Not to be in a proper relationship was important, as it would eventually just lead to a greater harm. One could say we were just killing time.
“Aren’t you having fun?” she asked.
I licked my lips and wondered if she was biting hers, as she usually did whenever I ‘played’ with her.
“Not as much as I would have if it was not just build-up with no resolution in sight.”
“You didn’t complain when we established the terms.”
Terms in question: no real couple action, just constant teasing. Every kind, whenever we feel like it and as much as we could possibly get away with, for as long as it doesn’t involve other people and similar stuff.
The pressure stopped because she finally let go.
“You say that, but you did not have a problem with running your finger through your collarbones when Akane-san could have easily seen you.”
“I was just performing a mindless, innocent action. It probably doesn’t mean a thing to other people who don’t have a thing for collarbones, you know.”
“Do not pretend you are unaware of how much I enjoy that!”
“Just don’t fret over it and we’ll be fine. Plus, denying you liked the thrill of having an audience for something that you and you alone consider risqué is very unusual. It is good, to know you react that way.”
“You are terrible.”
I finally heard her take a step back. I turned around only to be thrown against the door again, although this time it was my back that hit it. The front part of my body was basically covered by Rin’s as she stepped forth once again.
“Yes, yes I am, and you love it.” A few centimeters and my upward-pointing index finger blocking her lips were the only things between us. If we go down that road once, I can tell there will be no stopping us, so I’d rather not. “Don’t ruin the fun. The two of us kind of need it.”
“I know. I will not.”
No emotionally cathartic hugging happened after that, and it only served to remind me of how she was not Ryo. At the end of the day, that was both good and bad, but either way, that was constantly being splattered on my face.
Like something that is both poison and cure, depending purely on the occasion.
For our own private, petty reasons, ; we both needed escape valves for our tension and cravings, and they were too intense to involve others, whatever we felt towards other people. To ruin someone else’s life so yours won’t be so bad was not something we wanted to do. By sticking together without actually being together, we were hurting no one but ourselves, and to people like us that is a great achievement.
“That’s good. I was slightly worried you’d give up.”
“Am I not allowed to?”
“You are as free to go just as I am, but it would mean no more... fun.”
For a second that lasted two measures of forever, Rin just stared.
“Do not think lightly of me just because of the way you appeal to my tastes. The fun is yet to begin.”
It’s hard not to smirk whenever someone tells you something like that with a straight face.
“Really? I’ll look forward to it then.”
“And I shall look forward to the day you will get ready to move on so I can, as the common man says, make a real move on you.”
“Nah, surely you’ll get tired of me before that happens.”
“If I do, whose fault is it?” She willingly kissed my finger and then retreated, almost looking shy and romantic. “It is all on you, boy. Come on and set me free.”
I did say ‘almost.’
“I never thought you’d be the kind of person who quotes song lyrics to others.”
“Not to anyone. And Koukishin-kun, I am afraid there are many things you do not know about me yet.”
“I’m sure there are at least two or three I’d love to find out. A man of mystery, that’s me alright.”
Understatement of the decade.
“Is that so? Then I suggest my private investigator take the mysterious case of why the school water bill is here. It could be just an honest mistake, but it could easily lead to the unfolding of a complex money-washing scheme or something similar.”
She meant it as a joke, but I’ve seen too many things like that happen to find it funny.
“You seem disappointed, but I have to remind you I asked for your help and running errands is part of it. Not all can be fun and games.”
Affirmation which points out she honestly thinks I’m upset over not ‘playing around’ with her rather than stunned at how possible/accurate her joke’s assumption could. Given that I did not tell her about my past, it’s only remarkable and a bit too touchy that she had to go and say something like that. Not that she was ever ‘not uncommon.’
So yeah, we weren’t on the same page all the time.
I took the bill in my hands, nodded and left. As I closed the door behind me, I felt like I was stepping on something weird and realized my shoe lace had come undone. I squatted down so I could fix it, an action which consequently made me realize there was a faint shadow being cast near me that didn’t belong to an object.
Turning my head around to face the source just confirmed that the person was trying to conceal her presence. However, it was hard to hide properly in such a messy corridor because moving the objects would result in noise.
“…just how much did you hear, Akane?”
“P-plenty.”
There goes playing, here comes drama.
“Look, it’s…”
“G-go out with m-me.”
Was I shocked? Was I stunned? Did anyone see that coming? Considering my personal history, yeah, probably.
“…what?”
“T-tomorrow.” She breathed deeply and looked down, as if the composure she was searching for was physical and just fell out of her like contact lenses, but it didn’t seem to work because the request she made was quite probably way out of her comfort zon
e. “Keep it a s-secret, I’ll k-keep yours.”
“Oh.” For a moment all I could do was stare at her. “A-alright.”
With an eye and a frown visible amidst the sea of messy bangs, her face went absolutely serious, borderline furious.
“Don’t make fun of my stutter.”
Taken aback by her sudden shift I almost stuttered again, which would have been quite the portrayal of reverse psychology at work.
“Didn’t mean to. Sorry.”
She bowed, which was out of place even in Japan given the circumstances, and left in a hurry, walking even weirder than usual now that she didn’t have someone’s shadow to do it on. I was left standing there wondering how off the mark someone has to be to think a shy girl who, in the light of such events, seems to have a crush on him is the same kind of maniac manipulator as he is. Talk about being delusional… or right on spot, I couldn’t tell at all.
Oh boy, normal life can be tough too.