Kitahara was the school's running joke, it seemed. She was unpopular, ugly, and had hair that looked like some sort of overgrown plantlife even on the best of days. She kept to herself, though, and Junko paid her no mind for it save for a small, unspoken thanks that the squirrely girl was not one of her legion of fangirls. As the resident Most Beautiful Boy, she had such problems that even one person that minded her own business was a blessing.
But, fate was fate, and Junko didn't go back on her word. She'd lost a bet with Sugawa, and her punishment had been severe: seduce Kitahara Aya, lead her on, and then break her heart in two. It was vulgar, but Junko just couldn't refuse, she had a reputation to maintain! So, a love letter was penned, and hoping it would be taken as a joke and ignored, she came at the appointed time.
Unfortunately, there she was, fern-hair and all, picking bits of paper out of it. Junko, or Jun, she had to get into character, felt a little bad, but it really wasn't her problem. "Kitahara-san?" she asked from the doorway, her voice naturally rich and just deep enough to pass for a boy's, "I'm glad you stayed."
Kitahara stopped at the unfamiliar voice, lowering her hands and letting the paper in them flutter to the floor. She silently gave a quick, questioning look at the boy who had just entered; he didn't look familiar to her. From his words, and the way he knew her name, it seemed he was her tormentor for the afternoon. She felt a sudden sting of hatred towards the newcomer; he was handsome, of course, somehow, it was even more humiliating when pretty students made fun of her, luring her into a false sense of security, almost building up her confidence just enough to make her believe she could be accepted among them.
She didn't answer except for a nod, dismissing him as she knelt down to sweep up the paper she had dropped.
So far, so... bad. Jun had at least hoped for some sort of disbelieving stare, not a glance, a nod, and immediate dismissal. She wasn't quite sure what to do for a second, unused to actually being the aggressor in a situation like this, and hopefully Kitahara would chalk it up to her admirer being nervous is all. After a moment of collecting his thoughts, she stepped slowly through the room to join her, and, without a word, she knelt down to start picking up the shreds of paper that had been scattered all across Kitahara's area.
Her hands didn't falter as she finished sweeping up the rest, leaving the boy to his own portion, undoubtedly pretending to be her friend by helping out.
Dumping the remnants in the trash, she walked back over to her desk, still not having said a word. Grabbing her school bag, she turned it upside down and emptied that too in the garbage...only for her notebook to fall in as well. It was inconvenient but she was resigned to bad luck; without complaint she leaned forward, sticking her arm in deep to fish it out. She grabbed it at last, only to find the papers were now stuck, thanks to someone's sticky lunch being tossed in earlier.
Kitahara ground her teeth, the first sign of emotion she had shown since her "confessor" had come, but stuffed it into her bag anyway. She glanced back at the student, hand now on the door as she said,
"It's getting late, so the doors will be locked soon. You should leave before then."
Jun still didn't say a word as they finished cleaning. She wouldn't say they cleaned together, but just happened to be cleaning in the same spot. Try as she might, she couldn't think of a time she'd been given as cold a shoulder as she had today.
The feeling in her gut that maybe this was wrong didn't go away as time went on and things just kept getting worse for Kitahara. She'd been tormented enough with the paper and having to clean up all by herself, and Jun saw the notebook tumble out and into the trash with the little scraps. It came out filthy, maybe even ruined, a crappy end to a crappy day. It made her feel awful to continue, but Jun had made a bet, and she was a woman of her word.
"I know." She stood up and walked again to Kitahara's side, face impassive save for a small furling of her brow out of concern both genuine and faked. "But, I'm not leaving until you talk to me, Kitahara-san. You did get my letter, didn't you?"
She remained silent, hand still on the door, but not yet pulling it open. She nodded once, not wanting to give an answer that would seem like she had gotten her hopes up. But then she realized she'd have to speak up for him to go away, so she replied in monotone.
"I did."
At this point, she did open it, making to move out into the hall, where she wouldn't feel so trapped.
Jun waited quietly for her response, but when she got it, it still wasn't what she wanted to hear. This seduction was blundering on every last step, and improvisation was going to be necessary.
She didn't stop Kitahara from leaving, but Jun did follow her. She let the squirrely girl get a good lead before moving swiftly to catch up, as if conflicted by her feelings and unsure what to do, only to stop barely a few feet away from her and finally speak up.
Kitahara stopped once again; irked at his persistence, but any unable to do anything.
"I'm sorry, but I don't return your feelings." She said bluntly; they were just words, just something to give her an excuse to slip away. With that, she stared moving again, walking at a faster pace as she made her way down the stairway. But in her haste, she nearly tripped over her feet, forcing her to grasp onto the railing to avoid total catastrophe.
She'd had enough for today, she didn't want to deal with more teasing.
It still felt strange, playing the pursuer. Having to try hard to get her instead of playing hard to get was rough for Jun, and if not for her sheer stubbornness, she may have just given in then.
"Won't you hear me out, at least?" she asked, stepping forward again. Jun was right on Kitahara's heels as she reached the stairs, and when the small girl tripped and nearly tumbled down them, she reached to catch her shoulders with both hands. Unnecessarily, as it turned out, but Jun thought the gesture was nice. Maybe it would make a difference, encourage Kitahara to at least give her a chance!
"We're not really so different, you and I," she murmured, still holding on, "Please, just slow down, just for a minute."
Kitahara flinched as her shoulders were grabbed, slowly releasing the rail once sure that she wouldn't fall. She didn't try to escape his grip though, knowing that struggling harder would just cause him to pursue her all the longer. Couldn't he just leave her be?
"I'm fine, you don't need to hold on." She muttered. "I don't even know who you are. You must have mistaken me for someone else."
Jun's grip relaxed when she was certain Kitahara would not fall, but she did not yet let go. Physical contact was good, it established a connection she badly needed right now, what with how badly this attempt at seducing was going.
"Kakitsubata Jun," she spoke her name, or most of it, "Or the boy so pretty he looks like a girl, maybe you've heard that name. I know who you are, Kitahara Aya, and I know you and I... we're very much the same. Just a couple years ago, I was in the same boat as you."
And she didn't move away, passively allowing it like the coward she was. She remained silent at what was supposed to be a touching confession of his past, but it did nothing to affect her. Lies, that's all. Just stupid stories made up to earn her trust, before trampling all over it.
"Kakitsubata-kun," She interrupted, not having the time to listen to his well-rehearsed lines; the sun was slowly beginning to descend, the light pouring through the school windows dimming. "I need to get home."
Was that really all she could say to such a heart-felt statement? Jun felt a little insulted to be brushed off so casually, but she swallowed her pride and tried to press on. Damn Kitahara, she was going to win this fight, come hell or high water.
"...I'll give you a ride, if you want. The buses have already gone by now." Jun just hoped the messy girl wasn't a walker.
She shook her head. The last thing she wanted was for him to know where she lived. "I'm fine. I walk home."
She took one step down, her shoulders sliding out of his grip. "I've appeared to have wasted your time, Kakitsubata-kun. I'll see you in class tomorrow."
There. Cold and simple. She had rejected him, clear as day. Now he'd have to stop following her.
"I see." Now, Jun was really stuck. She had never been truly rejected before, every girl in the school save this precise one seemed to be mad for her, and it was a little disheartening.
"I'll let you go," she said, and a stupid, impulsive idea came to her mind, "if you will allow me just one thing."
Desperate times called for desperate measures. Jun slid smoothly around the steps to stand in front of Kitahara and, hopefully before she could protest, leaned in to plant the best kiss she could manage on her lips.
Kitahara froze as a soft pair of lips smoothly claimed her own.
Her first kiss, the first real kiss she had ever gotten―her eyes went wide as she desperately tried to remember how to use her arms to push him away, legs threatening to buckle. She couldn't even bite down, too surprised, utterly shocked by this turn of events. Even with the lenses of her glasses digging into her cheek, the slight pain still didn't jolt her into action.
She was too terrified to stop it, too confused at the way her heart was pounding, the heat of Kakitsubata's warm lips still pressed gently against her own dry, chapped ones, coaxing her to kiss back. She made a noise in the back of her throat, but she couldn't tell if it was a protest or simply an attempt to breathe properly again.
But, fate was fate, and Junko didn't go back on her word. She'd lost a bet with Sugawa, and her punishment had been severe: seduce Kitahara Aya, lead her on, and then break her heart in two. It was vulgar, but Junko just couldn't refuse, she had a reputation to maintain! So, a love letter was penned, and hoping it would be taken as a joke and ignored, she came at the appointed time.
Unfortunately, there she was, fern-hair and all, picking bits of paper out of it. Junko, or Jun, she had to get into character, felt a little bad, but it really wasn't her problem. "Kitahara-san?" she asked from the doorway, her voice naturally rich and just deep enough to pass for a boy's, "I'm glad you stayed."
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She didn't answer except for a nod, dismissing him as she knelt down to sweep up the paper she had dropped.
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Dumping the remnants in the trash, she walked back over to her desk, still not having said a word. Grabbing her school bag, she turned it upside down and emptied that too in the garbage...only for her notebook to fall in as well. It was inconvenient but she was resigned to bad luck; without complaint she leaned forward, sticking her arm in deep to fish it out. She grabbed it at last, only to find the papers were now stuck, thanks to someone's sticky lunch being tossed in earlier.
Kitahara ground her teeth, the first sign of emotion she had shown since her "confessor" had come, but stuffed it into her bag anyway. She glanced back at the student, hand now on the door as she said,
"It's getting late, so the doors will be locked soon. You should leave before then."
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The feeling in her gut that maybe this was wrong didn't go away as time went on and things just kept getting worse for Kitahara. She'd been tormented enough with the paper and having to clean up all by herself, and Jun saw the notebook tumble out and into the trash with the little scraps. It came out filthy, maybe even ruined, a crappy end to a crappy day. It made her feel awful to continue, but Jun had made a bet, and she was a woman of her word.
"I know." She stood up and walked again to Kitahara's side, face impassive save for a small furling of her brow out of concern both genuine and faked. "But, I'm not leaving until you talk to me, Kitahara-san. You did get my letter, didn't you?"
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"I did."
At this point, she did open it, making to move out into the hall, where she wouldn't feel so trapped.
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She didn't stop Kitahara from leaving, but Jun did follow her. She let the squirrely girl get a good lead before moving swiftly to catch up, as if conflicted by her feelings and unsure what to do, only to stop barely a few feet away from her and finally speak up.
"I meant it, Kitahara. Every last word."
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"I'm sorry, but I don't return your feelings." She said bluntly; they were just words, just something to give her an excuse to slip away. With that, she stared moving again, walking at a faster pace as she made her way down the stairway. But in her haste, she nearly tripped over her feet, forcing her to grasp onto the railing to avoid total catastrophe.
She'd had enough for today, she didn't want to deal with more teasing.
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"Won't you hear me out, at least?" she asked, stepping forward again. Jun was right on Kitahara's heels as she reached the stairs, and when the small girl tripped and nearly tumbled down them, she reached to catch her shoulders with both hands. Unnecessarily, as it turned out, but Jun thought the gesture was nice. Maybe it would make a difference, encourage Kitahara to at least give her a chance!
"We're not really so different, you and I," she murmured, still holding on, "Please, just slow down, just for a minute."
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"I'm fine, you don't need to hold on." She muttered. "I don't even know who you are. You must have mistaken me for someone else."
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"Kakitsubata Jun," she spoke her name, or most of it, "Or the boy so pretty he looks like a girl, maybe you've heard that name. I know who you are, Kitahara Aya, and I know you and I... we're very much the same. Just a couple years ago, I was in the same boat as you."
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"Kakitsubata-kun," She interrupted, not having the time to listen to his well-rehearsed lines; the sun was slowly beginning to descend, the light pouring through the school windows dimming. "I need to get home."
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"...I'll give you a ride, if you want. The buses have already gone by now." Jun just hoped the messy girl wasn't a walker.
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She took one step down, her shoulders sliding out of his grip. "I've appeared to have wasted your time, Kakitsubata-kun. I'll see you in class tomorrow."
There. Cold and simple. She had rejected him, clear as day. Now he'd have to stop following her.
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"I'll let you go," she said, and a stupid, impulsive idea came to her mind, "if you will allow me just one thing."
Desperate times called for desperate measures. Jun slid smoothly around the steps to stand in front of Kitahara and, hopefully before she could protest, leaned in to plant the best kiss she could manage on her lips.
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Her first kiss, the first real kiss she had ever gotten―her eyes went wide as she desperately tried to remember how to use her arms to push him away, legs threatening to buckle. She couldn't even bite down, too surprised, utterly shocked by this turn of events. Even with the lenses of her glasses digging into her cheek, the slight pain still didn't jolt her into action.
She was too terrified to stop it, too confused at the way her heart was pounding, the heat of Kakitsubata's warm lips still pressed gently against her own dry, chapped ones, coaxing her to kiss back. She made a noise in the back of her throat, but she couldn't tell if it was a protest or simply an attempt to breathe properly again.
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