୨ৎ rose

Someone who isn’t ‘half-screwed’, he calls it. He likes a girl who, whenever she talks, is aware. A girl who doesn’t need to dress in pink to state that she’s girly. A girl who doesn’t have to pound her face full of make-up to impress boys. A girl who doesn’t gossip about others to make herself feel better. And of course, a girl with a caring heart – and that’s quite rare nowadays since every girl wants attention and to hook up – and that’s the opposite of what Hayto wants.

Of course, Hayto finds girls attractive whenever they pass by him and can’t keep his eyes off them, but he hasn’t found the one. So, he decided he won’t date until he finds the one.

AT SCHOOL: 8:46 A.M

It was a normal day at Kurogin High, with the boys doing their own things around the classroom. Meanwhile, Hayato was hanging out with his friends, discussing the topic of cute girls while he doodled in his journal, overhearing their conversation.

“I really want to see that one girl from the arcade. She looked so cute!” Takeda's eyes softened, as if he were daydreaming about her.

“Her friend is kind of hot.” Tscucchi leaned back in his chair while eating sour gummies. “These are kind of bitter.” He pulled back the gummy to examine it.

“Maybe it’s because you got the extra sour one,” Ryu remarked, making Tscucchi turn the bag to read the label.

“Oh, shut it!” Tscucchi moved his hand to threaten him but pulled himself back.

“Hayato, we rarely see you go crazy about a girl.” Takeda interrupted, tilting his head in curiosity. Hayato lifted his eyes from his notebook filled with fresh doodles.

“What do you mean?” Hayato says confusedly.

“We see you join in with us when we see girls, but we never actually heard about your preferences.” Hayato let out an awkward chuckle.

“I don’t have to share my business with you idiots.” Hayato went back to his notebook before sketching something.

“So, you’re hiding the fact that you have a preference.” Tsucchi pointed his fan at the boy. “What is it? Is it not a girl or something?” Hayato choked on his own air from Tsucchi’s words.

“No! I like girls, obviously! It’s certainly not the type of girl you guys like,” Hayato continued his sketching.

“Then what is your type?” Tsucchi leaned in towards the boy along with Takeda. Once Hayato looked up, his brows knitted.

“What are you guys doing? Move away.” Hayato closed his book before gesturing for them to leave. But instead of leaving, Tsucchi took Hayato’s notebook. “Give it back.” Hayato tried reaching for it, but the boy moved it back.

“We’re not leaving until you tell us,” Tsucchi teased. 

“That’s stupid,” Hayato leaned across his table.

“Guess you won’t get it.” For a few moments, Hayato was silent before letting off a scoff.

“I’m not into super feminine girls like you guys. There, now give it back.” Tsucchi gave his book back in return. Once Hayato continued what he was doing, the boys looked at each other.

“What messed with Hayato?” Takeda says.

“You guys did.” Ryu interrupted. “But then again, is he hiding something?” The boys shrugged.

Tsucchi sighed. “I’m sure that Hayato already found a girlfriend without telling us.”

“If he were already dating someone, then he would be more distracted,” Takeda remarked, eyes drifting to Hayato, who was grabbing a marker.

“But also, what does he mean by he’s not into ‘super feminine’ girls?” Tsucchi scratched his head in curiosity. “Like, girly?”

“He means that he’s not into the girls that you see pass by us.” Ryu corrected, making the boy's eyes follow Ryu. “What he means is that he’s into,” Ryu leaned back into his chair. “Mature girls.”

Tuscchi and Takeda's heads lifted to the ceiling, thinking about Ryu’s response.

“That’s not a bad preference. It’s hot though.” The corner of Tsucchi’s lips quirked into a smile as he pictured Hayato’s preference.

“Why don’t we ask him specifically why he’s not into ‘super feminine’ girls?” Takeda crossed his arms on his desk.

“Would he actually tell us, though? He was pretty weird about it when we asked him.” The tip of Tsucchi’s fan tapped his chin.

“What would you guys even do once you get a response?” Ryu crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for a response.

“Like a good friend that we are, we could help search for his ideal type. Somewhere.” Tsucchi’s brows knitted while looking down at the ground. The corner of Ryu’s lip curved, chuckling to himself.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER

Once Yankumi left the classroom, Tsucchi and Takeda leaned in close to Hayato, who slowly turned his head.

“What do you want?” Hayato scanned them in suspicion. The boys gave each other a look before one of them spoke up.

“Okay, so…remember how we talked about preferences?” Hayato rolled his eyes at the boys before sighing.

“I already gave you an answer. What else do you want?” Hayato leaned back in his chair, arms crossed against his chest.

“It’s just this question, and we won’t ask again.” Hayato waited for Takeda to continue. Before Taekda could speak up, Tsucchi interrupted him.

“What exactly do you mean by not being interested in ‘super feminine’ girls?” Tsucchi leaned in, fingers interlocking with each other while waiting for a response.

“I’m not into childish girls. They always gossip with each other and want attention. I like a mature girl.” Hayato’s eyes drifted to the other side of the room, his chest leaning over his own arms. “I want a girl who doesn’t need to do much for boys to fall for her.”

Ryu’s eyes drifted to the boys, eavesdropping on their conversation. He was surprised himself that Hayato told them how he felt. 

The boys fell silent, as the only sounds were from the ruthless kids, while thinking about the boy’s answer.

“That sounds impossible-” Before Tsucchi could finish his sentence, Takeda’s hand immediately reached for the boy’s mouth.

“We will help you find her!” Takeda interrupts, catching the boys’ attention.

Hayato scoffed before turning his head. “That kind of girl doesn’t exist where we live.” 

“I’m sure she does! We just…” Tsucchi's head turned to the side, looking around before facing them. “Haven’t approached her before.”

Hayato sighed before throwing his head back. “This is stupid.” He mumbled.

“What about we go out to karaoke to see if there are any girls there, and from there, we can search?”

“I don’t want you guys to do anything for me. I can handle it myself.” The boy stood up and left the classroom, leaving the boys looking at each other in confusion.

“We've got to convince him somehow,” Takeda says. As Takeda was lost in thought, Tsucchi’s eyes lit up with an idea.

“I got an idea!” Tsucchi tapped the end of his fan on his table, catching Takeda’s attention. “Come here.” Tsucchi grabbed the boy’s jacket, pulling him closer to whisper something into his ear.

Ryu’s eyes landed back on his own table. “This will not end well.”

AFTER SCHOOL: AT KARAOKE – 5:56 P.M

The boys’ chattering followed into the building; the staff rolled their eyes in annoyance. The boys eventually brought everyone, including Ryu, to the karaoke building they usually go to, which was enough for Hayato to tag along.

The man across the table removed the cigarette from his mouth, puffing the smoke. “Keep it down, will ya?”

Tsucchi clenched his teeth before stepping in front of the man from the other side of the table. “You got a problem with us or something?” The boy pulled out his fan to cool himself down. The man, on the other hand, leaned in closer until their heads bumped.

Hayato let out an exasperated sigh before inserting his hand between the aggressive men. “Can we get a room?”

“Hell no! Your boy is trying to start something he can’t finish.” The man’s brows knitted in anger.

“You guys can share a room with us!” A high-pitched voice spoke up, drawing their attention to it. The voice belonged to a girl around their age, as four other girls tagged along. The girl had long, brown hair in two high pigtails, wearing pink accessories to go with her uniform. Definitely the boys’ type, as if girls in general aren’t their type.

“No. They were literally arguing with Mr. Tanaka.” Another girl spoke up, catching Hayato’s attention. He could tell from the girl’s expression that she wasn’t all that interested in whatever her friend got her into.

“Come on! We have a large room, and it will fit all of us!” One of the other girls wrapped their arm around her, making the rest of the girls beg along. “Plus they are so cute!” The girl’s comment pinched a smirk on the boys’ cheeks.

“Don’t get cocky now!” The girl spat, which made the boys step back from her ‘scary’ attitude. 

The girl’s eyes landed on the boys before she sighed in defeat, yanking her arm away from her friend. “Fine.” The girl crossed her arms as the girls cheered at her defeat.

“Okay now! Whatever! You guys got everything covered – now you’re paying me extra.” The man pointed his cigarette towards the girls.

“Mr. Tanaka, it will still be the same price since it can fit all of us. So, technically, you are scamming us.” The other girl raised a brow while crossing her arms.

“Fine, you got me, [𖦹₊ ⊹]. Get going now!” The man gestured with the same hand with the cigarette for them to leave.

Everyone followed the girls’ tracks to the large, open room, in which they settled in. As the boys sat by the girls with lovey-dovey eyes, Hayato, on the other hand, sat beside the girl who disagreed with tagging along with the boys.

An hour passed, and everyone swayed to the rhythm of the music while singing into the microphones. Hayato’s eyes flickered to the girl beside him, who was on her phone. He noticed that she looked uninterested rather than enjoying the moment, just like him.

“Why aren’t you going with them?” Hayato spoke up, causing the girl to lift her head from her phone.

“I didn’t really want to come, but they begged me to join. I mostly come here for their food, though.” Hayato chuckled at her response.

“Really? That’s all?”

“Yeah,” The girl nodded. “That’s about it. Why aren’t you joining?” The girl fired the same question at him.

“I wanted it to just be us, but apparently it’s better than being just the five of us.” The boy fidgeted with the ring on his finger, making her nod. “Your name is [𖦹₊ ⊹], right?”

“Yeah. What about you?” The girl leaned against the cushion while holding one of the pillows.

“Hayato.” He says simply, and she nods again before letting out a small hum.

“What school do you go to?” You quizzed him.

“Kurogin.”

“The all-boys school known for its bad students in one of their classes?” You tilted your head.

“Yeah,” Hayato answered before looking around. To break the awkwardness he was feeling, the boy cleared his throat. “What about you?”

“[School Name]. Actually, our schools aren’t that far from each other now, thinking about it.” The boy chuckled a little.

Hayato nodded. “Yeah.”

As Hayato curiously scanned your figure from head to toe, he was intrigued and wanted to learn more about you. He was genuinely curious about you. Out of all the girls in the room, he realized that your style was simpler than the others, but you acted more serious, as if you were their parent – which is kind of a mood killer to him. You didn’t need to wear short skirts to reveal skin because you were beautiful, and you knew it. He admired the way your eyes softened, eyes following everyone’s movements. He noticed the way you straightened your posture before brushing some of your hair behind your ear. Hayato licked his bottom lip as he stared at you. After a few seconds, he looked away with guilt since he had just met you.

“Hey, why don’t you two sing something?” One of your friends interrupted your guys’ train of thought before throwing her microphone to you, making you catch it instantly.

“No,” you shook your head. “I don’t want to-” Before you could protest, one of your other friends wrapped their arm around yours, pulling you up from your seat. “No!”

“C’mon, Hayato!” Takeda tugged Hayato’s jacket.

“No, why can’t I do it with one of you guys-”

“You have a problem with me or something?” Your arms crossed, waiting for a response.

“No, it’s not that-”

“I’ll pick a song for you too!” Your friend says, making you open your mouth to say what was on your mind, but was interrupted by the machine going off, signalling that a song was chosen. You groaned before flicking your attention to the boy in front of you.

“You ready?” Hayato twirled the microphone between his fingers.

You let out a sigh. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

As the song began, Hayato turned to read the lyrics while singing before his eyes traveled to you, waiting for your turn. Once it was your turn, you took the lead and nodded your head to the rhythm of the music. Throughout the past 3 minutes, it was filled with fun! Your voices were horrendous on the high note, but that’s what made it interesting. You didn’t think it would be fun with those boys tagging along, even though you weren't even walking out of the room, because everything that happened in that room was amazing.

AFTER KAROKE – 8:43 P.M

The girls surrounded the boys in awe, wrapping their arms around them while giggling. The boys were in heaven with the girls around them. 

“Can we get your guys’ numbers?” The brown-haired girl says, snuggling her head into Tsucchi’s neck. The boy’s cheeks warmed from the girl's actions.

“Yeah!” Takeda raised his hand excitedly. The girls gasped, taking out their cell phones before exchanging their numbers. Meanwhile, you and Hayato stayed behind, synchronizing your sighs. You two paused, turning your heads to look at each other, confusedly.

“You're done with them as well?” Hayato says, brow raising a bit as he places his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah. I’m tired.” Your mouth opened, letting out a yawn before your hand found its way to cover your mouth.

The boy chuckled. “But you barely did anything.”

“I did so! I stayed with them throughout the whole thing without stepping out.” You scoffed.

“Did you at least have fun?” Hayato turned to face you, stopping your tracks. The corner of your lips tugged into a smile.

“Maybe.” You walked ahead of him, making him shake his head playfully before following along. Ryu, on the other hand, watched the whole thing but kept it to himself. Just maybe Hayato found the one.