Kind of an awkward guy

SO COOL!!!

"A-ah! No, not, uh, not exactly! Miss Ayase doesn't—" The memory of feather-light touches tracing the bones in his hand as dim street lamps danced past through the car window brought his train of thought to such a harsh stop that he almost physically recoiled. It was complicated, and he really needed to just admit that to himself. His shoulders slumped a little bit, eyes focused on something he couldn't see. "I mean. The simple answer is no," he mumbled, adjusting his glasses. The word felt heavy on his tongue, but he didn't know what to do about it.

"..." The young man just stood there quietly, analyzing every bit of the other's body language, he was one fidgety guy, you could never mistake him from the badass who helped him back in the day. But then again, Zuma isn't the type to judge someone by their appearance, he fought this short dude, he knows there's a lot more to him than just a nervous geeky guy.

The kid might mean they got nothing right now, but he clearly shows that he doesn't intend to let the opportunity for something more pass.

"That's Jiji! She isn't like that with Jiji."

His response was almost a little too quick, very matter-of-fact. But a few moments after he spoke, his shoulders dropped a little, and he seemed to forget he had an audience.

"O-oh? Why no more weekends?"

"Wow, Jiji, that's great! There are actually a lot of different depictions of Bigfoot, but you're right about its feet. Sightings have measured its feet as long as 61 centimeters by 20 centimeters! It's actually a popular cryptid in Canada, too, which makes sense given the approximate location of most of the sightings."

He cleared his throat a little and smiled, trying to look a little more casual.

🏪 Tried out a new grocery store today and it was a little weird but they had the good cookies so I can't complain

"Oh, that? We take turns. I do one level, and he does the next. Had to pull him from fighting games for a bit 'cause he was getting a little TOO competitive with 'em if ya know what I mean. Just think of it liiii-ke....teaching him how to be a team player."

Double thumbs up of assurance.

Got too lost in the sauce now it's 3am

"You and your yokai other half... were playing a zombie shooter? How does that even work, Jiji? Turbo Granny isn't actually possessing me, so it isn't like she talks to me. Not unless she's, you know, literally talking to me. But that's different!"

       It  had  started  as  a  half-joke  ;  a  teasing,  guided  prod  in  an  undeniable  attempt  to  lure  out  a  compliment  or  two.  (   What?  Who  could  blame  a  girl  for  wanting  a  bit  of  affection?  And  that  flush  to  his  cheeks  that  usually  came  with  her  teasing  was  a  welcome  bonus.   )  She'd  only  taken  meager  precautions  to  mask  her  identity.  One  of  those  gag  glasses  with  the  large  nose  and  mustache  dangling  from  its  rims,  a  top  hat,  a  comical  shift  to  her  voice  (   ‘cause  a  voice  changer  for  their  ‘Class  Rumor  Mill’  booth  was  out  of  budget,  said  their  school  festival's  director   ),  and  a  curtain  to  hide  behind.  She  wasn't  planning  on  dragging  the  act  out  long,  after  all,  and  her  shift  for  their  class'  festival  booth  would  soon  be  over.  When  she  saw  Okarun  headed  over,  she  saw  the  perfect  opportunity  to  toy  with  him  before  inevitably  asking  to  join  him  in  visiting  the  other  booths.

       She  stifled  her  snickering  with  her  hand.  [   Ooh~  So  easy.~   ]  It  was  cute,  how  he  could  unravel  so  quickly  when  it  came  to  saying  these  sorts  of  things.  In  her  exaggerated  voice,  she  added,   ❝   Ohhh,  ‘fraid  we  can’t  say  —  against  the  rules.  But  don't  most  rumors  have  a  kernel  of  truth?   ❞   As  much  fun  as  she  was  having,  she  could  not  deny  that  self-satisfied  tinge  of  pink  warming  her  cheeks.   ❝   In  faaact,  they  say  she's  sooo  popular  that--,   ❞   [  E-err  …   ]  Shit!  She  hadn't  thought  this  far  ahead!     ❝   That  she  —  uh  …  —  h-has  a  couple  guys  planning  to  ask  her  out  after  school  today!   ❞   

       [   Ghk----!   ]   Ah,  why  would  she  say  that!?  She  frantically  tousled  her  hair  in  an  act  of  frustration.  [   Stupid,  stupid,  stupid,  stupid!   ]   ❝   Ah--  …  But  that's  just  a  rumor.~   ❞   She  did  her  best  to  bring  it  back,  steadying  the  quiver  of  uncertainty  in  her  voice  as  well  as  she  could  manage. 

Wait, someone wants to ask Miss Ayase out on a date?

He could feel the fine hairs on the back of his neck standing on end before he could really process what was happening. His shoulders stiffened, and he glared daggers at the curtain, too immediately blinded to stop his powers from taking over.