"Oh my God, you weren't joking," he said as he sighed. "Good morning to you too, Shizuo," she replied ignoring his comment.
"Come in, don't just stand out there in the cold," he said, stepping aside to let her in. "Pardon my intrusion." "Well, I'll get some tea ready but you'll have to wait a bit for me," he said, picking up the water boiler.
"I'm really sorry about this," she put her hands together as if she was praying. She quietly took a seat at the dining table and watched Shizuo disappear into his room. "It's fine… but since you're here, could you quiz me for today's test… you know, just in case," he yelled from his bedroom.
"You worry too much, Shizuo… but if you're certain, I don't mind." They kept asking questions back and forth as they drank tea and left the house. "Wow, you might just out score me on this test, Shizuo," teased Misaki.
"PLEASE, don't jinx it Misaki…" he fired back laughing. Misaki looked at him and paused for a second.
"You know, Shizuo," she quietly said, her tone shifting. "You look so much better when you smile like this you know?" she faced him. "So, from now on, I want you to try your best smile, OK?"
Shizuo froze at Misaki's sudden request. His heart beat grew faster as he struggled to breathe. He watched as her face turn redder as he stared.
"I guess it's because I'm having so much fun with you, Misaki…" he said, as he struggled to form a thought. "Well… if you're by my side, then I promise to smile as much as possible."
He paused as he realized what he had blurted out. The words hung in the air for what felt like eternity. He patiently looked at Misaki, waiting for her response.
She looked deeply into his eyes, and she tenderly laughed. "That shouldn't be a problem then," she said. She extended her hand, sticking her pinky finger out. "Pinky promise?" she asked. Shizuo held out his pinky finger out as she recited a promise.
"Pinky promise, if I lie, I will drink a thousand needles, and cut my pinky," she playfully sang. As the bell rang, Shizuo gleefully threw his hands in the air to stretch. Dai, slumped, walked over to Shizuo's desk.
"Well, you don't seem to be stressed out at all. Why could that be, Shizuo?" Shizuo softly chuckled. "Unlike you, I studied for this test…" he grinned. "I definitely failed this time," he said, with a concerned look.
"Hey Shizuo…" a voice called out to him. "How was the test?" asked Misaki. He smugly chuckled. "I'm definitely going to outscore you." "Glad to hear that," she calmly replied. Dai stood there in a daze.
He crossed his arms and quietly observed. When Shizuo finally noticed, he asked: "What?" "Nothing, nothing…" he replied with a smile. "So," continued Shizuo. "What do you want to grab for lunch today?"
"Bro… I texted you that I would be grabbing lunch with Manami today, didn't I?" "Come on, you know I don't check my phone… whatever… tell her I said Hey." He sat in his chair for a while after Dai left.
"I guess I'll go there," he thought. He quietly slipped to the first floor and pushed through the crowed to get a bean bun. He partially unwrapped it as he made his way to the back of the school. "I guess I'll eat by myself again," he scorned.
He carefully sat by the ginkgo tree, taking small bites of the bun. His peaceful lunch, however, was interrupted by the appearance of Misaki, who looked lost herself. "There you are," she cheerily sprinted.
"What are you doing here?" "Oh, you know, just enjoying the breeze…" he paused for a sec. "You want some?" he pointed to the bean bun. She smiled. "I'd love to if you're fine with it," she replied excitedly.
He fully unwrapped it and tore it in half. "Here," he said handing it to her. "You know… ever since I met you," he continued as she sat beside him.
"It feels like all the noise is being tuned out… before it kinda felt like I was staring at a TV fully static… but now… I don't know how to explain it…" he fell silent. "You know, you don't have to label it… we can just enjoy each other's company," she said, her hazel eyes looking into his eyes with a smile.
"I actually got something to show you… but promise you won't be mad," she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of playing cards.
"How did you get your hands on those?" he asked, confused.
"I kinda sorta maybe dug through the drawers while I was pouring the tea this morning," she said with guilt on her face.
"Student council would kill you if they ever found out…" he replied. "I'll make sure they don't… so are you down to play?" "Hell, yeah I am…" he paused again.
"That pack… it belonged to my mom…" he smiled as he recalled. "We used to play like this when I was a kid…" he watched as Misaki dealt the cards with a smile. But before they could begin playing, the bell rang, signifying the end of lunch.
A look of annoyance washed over both of their faces. "Hey Shizuo…" she called out with a devious look. "What if, and this is a big what if, we skipped the next two periods then head home?"
He looked at her with a stunned look. "I really have zero energy to go to class either… but you shouldn't make this a habit," he replied without another thought. "It wasn't too hard to convince you…"
"Well, I guess you don't know me that well then," he replied. "By the way, you said that I shouldn't make this a habit. Does that mean…" "Yeah, yeah… I skip class here and there. But since you're new here, that won't look good on your record."
She nods as she plays the first card. "Good luck against me… I am required by law to let you know that I am a pro…" her voice drops to a whisper as the lunch chaos settles down. "Well tough luck… I have multiple championships under my belt."