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Takashi didn't know whether he should be exasperated or proud, considering that the current situation was not unfamiliar to him.
Kubo Chigusa, a girl who was a year below him, was presently bowed in front of Takashi, her rigid body at a solid eighty-degree angle (a tad excessive, is it not?). Her arms were stretched out in front of her, presenting Takashi a cute little envelope with his name written on it in red ink and bubbly handwriting. Kubo herself was a typical Japanese girl: black hair, bangs, petite stature. Takashi had absolutely no idea if he had seen her before, and was sure he wouldn't be able to pick her out from a crowd.
Takashi never understood what thought process girls went through that made them think it was reasonable to confess to someone they maybe spoke to once or twice. Of course, he knew why they went after him, at the risk of sounding arrogant. Takashi knew his unique appearance drew looks wherever he went. His reputation was solid, and he was a star athlete. And of course, there was his name and his money.
"Kubo-chan," Takashi gave her a charming smile, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her head jerked up at the contact. "I'm flattered, truly; anyone would be, if they had the honor of attracting your attention. However, I'm not interested in dating right now -- it's my last year, and I'm quite busy -- so I'm afraid I have to decline. I appreciate your sentiments, though, Kubo-chan."
With those last words, Takashi gave Kubo a soft smile, before briskly turning on his heel and walking in the opposite direction. His few moments of silence were quickly interrupted, however.
"Hey, Takashi-kun!" Kousuke waved Takashi over to him. "Break is almost over, let's go."
Doi Kousuke was Takashi's friend of three years; while they weren't particularly close, Kousuke was easy to get along with, and their circumstances fit conveniently. Along with being in the same class, the two were both athletes and in the same social circles.
"You know, you're way too nice to those girls," Kousuke immediately jumped into conversation. "That's why they keep coming to you in droves. You know, if you wanna get them off your back, you can just be really honest, even if it's kinda harsh. Look at Otsu-san; he's just as popular as you, but he rejects girls straight up without some fancy flattery. People still like him."
"Well first of all, that's literally his entire image. Otsu-san is the cool, stoic guy from dramas who everyone swoons over even if he can be a dick sometimes." Takashi let out a dramatic sigh, prompting Kousuke to snicker. Besides, what's wrong with flattering the girls? They're not bad people, and it makes them feel better anyway. And I'm not even lying to them -- I was flattered, but I'm not interested in dating."
"You know Takashi-kun, you are weirdly nice sometimes . . ." Kousuke continued rambling, but Takashi wasn't listening. Instead, Takashi was staring at a group of boys he saw out of the corner of his eye; they were located in an area that could easily be overlooked if one wasn't paying attention. They seemed to be surrounding something, laughing and cheering raucously. Takashi strained his neck to see what was catching their attention, when he realized (to his mild horror), that they were beating someone up. The boy, like Kubo, possessed pretty typical Japanese features -- like most of the school (although Takashi, with his blonde hair and heterochromatic eyes, probably couldn't say much on the topic). Interestingly enough, he was essentially doing nothing to defend himself -- he didn't even try to stop the bullies from landing punches on him.
Before Takashi could consider stepping in, the four bullies flocked away from the boy, leaving him there. Takashi vaguely recognized him as someone from his class -- was it Hiro? Ryo? Something along those lines. Hiro-Ryo-whoever got up and moved on with his day.
"Takashi-kun," Kousuke droned, sounding a little annoyed. "What's up with you today? Whatever, it's time to get to class, start moving you snail."
Kubo Chigusa, a girl who was a year below him, was presently bowed in front of Takashi, her rigid body at a solid eighty-degree angle (a tad excessive, is it not?). Her arms were stretched out in front of her, presenting Takashi a cute little envelope with his name written on it in red ink and bubbly handwriting. Kubo herself was a typical Japanese girl: black hair, bangs, petite stature. Takashi had absolutely no idea if he had seen her before, and was sure he wouldn't be able to pick her out from a crowd.
Takashi never understood what thought process girls went through that made them think it was reasonable to confess to someone they maybe spoke to once or twice. Of course, he knew why they went after him, at the risk of sounding arrogant. Takashi knew his unique appearance drew looks wherever he went. His reputation was solid, and he was a star athlete. And of course, there was his name and his money.
"Kubo-chan," Takashi gave her a charming smile, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her head jerked up at the contact. "I'm flattered, truly; anyone would be, if they had the honor of attracting your attention. However, I'm not interested in dating right now -- it's my last year, and I'm quite busy -- so I'm afraid I have to decline. I appreciate your sentiments, though, Kubo-chan."
With those last words, Takashi gave Kubo a soft smile, before briskly turning on his heel and walking in the opposite direction. His few moments of silence were quickly interrupted, however.
"Hey, Takashi-kun!" Kousuke waved Takashi over to him. "Break is almost over, let's go."
Doi Kousuke was Takashi's friend of three years; while they weren't particularly close, Kousuke was easy to get along with, and their circumstances fit conveniently. Along with being in the same class, the two were both athletes and in the same social circles.
"You know, you're way too nice to those girls," Kousuke immediately jumped into conversation. "That's why they keep coming to you in droves. You know, if you wanna get them off your back, you can just be really honest, even if it's kinda harsh. Look at Otsu-san; he's just as popular as you, but he rejects girls straight up without some fancy flattery. People still like him."
"Well first of all, that's literally his entire image. Otsu-san is the cool, stoic guy from dramas who everyone swoons over even if he can be a dick sometimes." Takashi let out a dramatic sigh, prompting Kousuke to snicker. Besides, what's wrong with flattering the girls? They're not bad people, and it makes them feel better anyway. And I'm not even lying to them -- I was flattered, but I'm not interested in dating."
"You know Takashi-kun, you are weirdly nice sometimes . . ." Kousuke continued rambling, but Takashi wasn't listening. Instead, Takashi was staring at a group of boys he saw out of the corner of his eye; they were located in an area that could easily be overlooked if one wasn't paying attention. They seemed to be surrounding something, laughing and cheering raucously. Takashi strained his neck to see what was catching their attention, when he realized (to his mild horror), that they were beating someone up. The boy, like Kubo, possessed pretty typical Japanese features -- like most of the school (although Takashi, with his blonde hair and heterochromatic eyes, probably couldn't say much on the topic). Interestingly enough, he was essentially doing nothing to defend himself -- he didn't even try to stop the bullies from landing punches on him.
Before Takashi could consider stepping in, the four bullies flocked away from the boy, leaving him there. Takashi vaguely recognized him as someone from his class -- was it Hiro? Ryo? Something along those lines. Hiro-Ryo-whoever got up and moved on with his day.
"Takashi-kun," Kousuke droned, sounding a little annoyed. "What's up with you today? Whatever, it's time to get to class, start moving you snail."
---
"So, Taka-kun. How's school."
Takashi and Aki were currently in a private room of a Korean barbeque restaurant, the latter of the two flipping the meat in her typical blasé manner.
"Aneki, you know you're my favorite sister, and I love you, but I have to ask: why are we here? Why are you doing this?" Aki was very much a quietly deliberative person -- Takashi felt it perfectly correct to assume that every single thing she did had some ulterior motive.
"Not everything I do has an ulterior motive," Aki chided, as if reading Takashi's mind. "I'm honored that you think your favorite sister is a mastermind, but sometimes I just feel the temptation to treat my favorite and littlest sibling -- who is still in high school -- to a meal. So. How is school?"
"You already know. It's boring, and I'm still bad at it. Well, actually . . . there was this guy."
Aki continued flipping the meat on the grill, but smirked knowingly. Takashi had no idea what warranted it; Aki did things like that quite often, where she made deductions but never explained her thought process -- making Takashi feel incredibly incompetent, even more so than usual. He continued talking, knowing that it was a lost cause to question Aki's every move.
"Yeah, so this guy was getting beat up. But he literally did nothing to even try to stop it. He just sat there and let it happen. Why would you let yourself get pushed around like that? I don't understand."
"Hmm. Some people simply don't want to draw attention to themselves. Having others attack you without an attempt at self-defense is perhaps a little much, but everyone does what they must. Taka-kun, why don't you have a tutor?"
Takashi scowled slightly. "Otou-sama would figure out and get irritated that I can't succeed in school on my own like you three." And I don't want to disappoint him, he thought. Takashi's three sisters were essentially geniuses -- they probably wouldn't understand.
"Not everything has to be about otou-san. Most things aren't about that singular, little man. If it bothers you so much, then you should probably find a way to keep it out of his reach. It would be a good skill to have, Taka-kun."
"Why can't you tutor me? You're the smartest person I know."
"Taka-kun, I'm not the teaching type. And I'm busy. You could ask someone from school."
"Yeah, but then they would know how dumb I am. I would really hate for that to happen."
"You could always blackmail someone." At Takashi's uncomfortable expression, Aki quickly began to change gears. "You could offer them something in return, along with the blackmail, if you want to be so moral. A little manipulation doesn't have to hurt anyone."
Takashi felt a little hesitant. In addition to just not wanting to blackmail anyone, especially someone who probably didn't deserve it, he probably wouldn't be good at it either. But maybe Aki was right -- maybe he didn't have to actually hurt someone in the process. "Fine," he said, determined. "If an opportunity comes walking, I'll try that. Are you sure there isn't an easier solution to this?"
Aki shrugged. "This option sounds the most fun. Keep your eyes open, Taka-kun."
Takashi and Aki were currently in a private room of a Korean barbeque restaurant, the latter of the two flipping the meat in her typical blasé manner.
"Aneki, you know you're my favorite sister, and I love you, but I have to ask: why are we here? Why are you doing this?" Aki was very much a quietly deliberative person -- Takashi felt it perfectly correct to assume that every single thing she did had some ulterior motive.
"Not everything I do has an ulterior motive," Aki chided, as if reading Takashi's mind. "I'm honored that you think your favorite sister is a mastermind, but sometimes I just feel the temptation to treat my favorite and littlest sibling -- who is still in high school -- to a meal. So. How is school?"
"You already know. It's boring, and I'm still bad at it. Well, actually . . . there was this guy."
Aki continued flipping the meat on the grill, but smirked knowingly. Takashi had no idea what warranted it; Aki did things like that quite often, where she made deductions but never explained her thought process -- making Takashi feel incredibly incompetent, even more so than usual. He continued talking, knowing that it was a lost cause to question Aki's every move.
"Yeah, so this guy was getting beat up. But he literally did nothing to even try to stop it. He just sat there and let it happen. Why would you let yourself get pushed around like that? I don't understand."
"Hmm. Some people simply don't want to draw attention to themselves. Having others attack you without an attempt at self-defense is perhaps a little much, but everyone does what they must. Taka-kun, why don't you have a tutor?"
Takashi scowled slightly. "Otou-sama would figure out and get irritated that I can't succeed in school on my own like you three." And I don't want to disappoint him, he thought. Takashi's three sisters were essentially geniuses -- they probably wouldn't understand.
"Not everything has to be about otou-san. Most things aren't about that singular, little man. If it bothers you so much, then you should probably find a way to keep it out of his reach. It would be a good skill to have, Taka-kun."
"Why can't you tutor me? You're the smartest person I know."
"Taka-kun, I'm not the teaching type. And I'm busy. You could ask someone from school."
"Yeah, but then they would know how dumb I am. I would really hate for that to happen."
"You could always blackmail someone." At Takashi's uncomfortable expression, Aki quickly began to change gears. "You could offer them something in return, along with the blackmail, if you want to be so moral. A little manipulation doesn't have to hurt anyone."
Takashi felt a little hesitant. In addition to just not wanting to blackmail anyone, especially someone who probably didn't deserve it, he probably wouldn't be good at it either. But maybe Aki was right -- maybe he didn't have to actually hurt someone in the process. "Fine," he said, determined. "If an opportunity comes walking, I'll try that. Are you sure there isn't an easier solution to this?"
Aki shrugged. "This option sounds the most fun. Keep your eyes open, Taka-kun."