Haruto stepped out of the school building, The afternoon sun was starting to dip lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the courtyard. He was just thinking about heading straight ho when he spotted her.
Aza was standing there near the school gates, looking as elegant as always with that mysterious smile playing on her lips. Haruto stopped in his tracks, still not entirely sure whether he was looking at the real Aza or just another one of her atomic clones. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if there was a difference anymore. The whole clone thing still ssed with his head.
"Oh, there you are," she said, her voice carrying that usual hint of amusent. She walked over to him with those graceful steps of hers, like she was floating rather than walking. "You should be thanking , you know."
Haruto scratched the back of his head, not really in the mood for whatever ga she was playing today. "Thanks, I guess," he said simply, figuring it was probably about the exam or sothing. With Aza, you never really knew what she was referring to.
Her smile widened a bit, and she tilted her head slightly. "So, about my offer from before... you know, about being my boyfriend?"
There it was. Haruto had been hoping she’d forgotten about that whole ss, but apparently not. He let out a small sigh and looked her straight in the eye. "Look, I appreciate it and all, but I’m not really interested in getting tangled up with girls right now. Nothing personal."
It wasn’t that Aza wasn’t attractive – she definitely was, in that otherworldly way of hers. But Haruto had learned the hard way that getting involved with powerful people usually ant trouble, and Aza was about as powerful as they ca. Besides, he had enough problems without adding relationship drama to the mix.
Before Aza could respond, another voice cut through the conversation.
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
Both Haruto and Aza turned to see a guy approaching them. Haruto recognized him imdiately – Ryouta, the sa asshole who’d been giving him grief lately. The guy had that typical delinquent look going on, with his bleached hair and that cocky smirk that made you want to punch it right off his face.
Ryouta’s eyes flicked between Haruto and Aza, and his expression shifted to sothing between surprise and disdain. His eyebrows scrunched together as he took in the scene, then he let out a mocking laugh.
"No way," Ryouta said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "A rich princess like you is actually paying attention to so random high school nobody? That’s rich."
Aza’s expression didn’t change much, but there was sothing colder in her eyes now. She glanced at Ryouta with the kind of look you’d give to an annoying insect. "Well," she said casually, "considering Haruto here sent you to the hospital, I’d say he’s earned the right to have my attention."
The silence that followed was almost comical. Ryouta’s face went through several different expressions – confusion, disbelief, and then sothing that looked like forced laughter. He threw his head back and laughed loudly, but it sounded hollow.
"Beat ? This guy?" Ryouta gestured at Haruto like he was so kind of joke. "Please. This loser couldn’t even touch a single hair on my head, let alone beat ."
Haruto just stood there, not really wanting to get into it. He rembered the fight clearly enough, but apparently Ryouta had so selective mory issues. Maybe getting knocked out had scrambled his brains or sothing.
Aza seed to find the whole thing amusing. She looked at Ryouta with that sa mysterious smile, like she was watching a particularly entertaining show. "Oh, you poor thing," she said, her voice carrying mock sympathy. "The beating must have affected your mory. How unfortunate."
She then turned back to Haruto, and her expression beca more serious, though that playful glint never left her eyes. "You know, Haruto, Ryouta and his little gang aren’t going to let this slide. They’re the type to hold grudges." She stepped a bit closer, close enough that he could sll her perfu – sothing expensive and subtle. "Why don’t you just accept my offer? If you beco my boyfriend, I can protect you from all this nonsense."
The words hit Ryouta like a physical blow. His mouth fell open, and for a mont he looked like soone had just told him the world was flat. "Boyfriend?!" he sputtered, his voice cracking slightly. "Are you serious right now?"
Haruto could almost see the gears turning in Ryouta’s head as he tried to process what he’d just heard. The idea that so random high school student could not only beat him in a fight but also sohow catch the attention of soone like Aza was clearly breaking his brain.
"This has got to be so kind of joke," Ryouta muttered, running his hands through his bleached hair. "There’s no way this is happening."
But Aza wasn’t paying attention to Ryouta’s breakdown anymore. Her focus was entirely on Haruto, waiting for his answer. There was sothing almost predatory in the way she looked at him, like a cat that had cornered a particularly interesting mouse.
Haruto found himself in one of those situations where every choice seed like a bad one. On one hand, having Aza’s protection would definitely solve his imdiate problems with Ryouta and whoever else wanted to cause trouble. On the other hand, getting involved with soone like Aza felt like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
"I don’t know," he said finally, trying to buy himself so ti to think. "This whole thing seems pretty complicated."
"Life is complicated, Haruto," Aza replied, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "But so complications are worth it. Besides, it’s not like I’m asking you to marry or anything. Just... companionship."
Ryouta had recovered enough to start sputtering indignantly. "This is insane! There’s no way soone like her would be interested in a nobody like him! It’s got to be so kind of scam or setup or sothing!"
Aza glanced at him with mild irritation. "Are you still here? I thought you’d have the sense to leave after making such a fool of yourself."
The comnt hit its mark. Ryouta’s face flushed red, and his hands clenched into fists. For a mont, Haruto thought the guy might actually try to start sothing right there, but then he seed to rember who he was dealing with. Even soone as thick-headed as Ryouta wasn’t stupid enough to pick a fight with Aza directly.
"This isn’t over," Ryouta said, pointing at Haruto. "I don’t care who you think you’ve got backing you up. I’ll figure out what’s really going on here."
"Oh, I’m sure you will," Aza said, her voice laced with an almost imperceptible hint of a threat. "Do be sure to let us know when you ’figure it out.’ I’m positively *dying* to know." She gave him a sweet, saccharine smile that made Haruto shiver slightly.
Ryouta seed to deflate a little under Aza’s gaze, a flicker of genuine fear crossing his face before he quickly masked it. "Whatever," he mumbled, turning sharply on his heel. He stalked off, though not before shooting one more confused look back at them.
Haruto watched him go, wondering if accepting Aza’s offer would really solve his problems or just create bigger ones.
"So," Aza said, bringing his attention back to her. "What’s it going to be? Door number one, where you deal with Ryouta and his friends on your own, or door number two, where you let handle things?"
Haruto looked at her, still trying to figure out what her real angle was. With Aza, there was always an angle. Nothing was ever as simple as it seed on the surface. But then again, maybe sotis the complicated choice was still the right choice.
The afternoon was getting later, and students were starting to filter out of the school building around them. Normal students heading ho to normal lives, without having to worry about mysterious girls with atomic clones or delinquents with grudges. Haruto almost envied them.
"You make it sound so simple," he said.
"So things are simple, Haruto. People just like to make them complicated." Aza’s smile softened slightly. "But I suppose that’s what makes life interesting, don’t you think?"
"Interesting is one word for it," Haruto muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Terrifying is another."
Aza chuckled, a low, lodic sound. "A little bit of both, perhaps? So, your decision?" She looked at him expectantly, her eyes sparkling.
Reviews
All reviews (0)