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Satoshi turned back to his food and picked up another bite. This was his usual lunchtime ritual – he liked having his own room to relax when it was his break time. Alternatively, the lunchroom was always filled with girls who wanted to talk, and screaming kids who didn’t know how to take life seriously. It was usual for Dark to visit him during his lunch, however – certainly his presence took away from the quiet ambiance of the loaned room, but Dark was an honest and intelligent guy, and someone Satoshi had known for a long time. His company was usually welcomed without invitation.
“Did someone irritate you again?” Satoshi muttered without surprise.
“What do you mean, again? I’m plenty agreeable, damn it!” Dark spinned a chair and sat on it backwards. “Anyway, hell yeah, someone irritated me! You’re not going to believe this, but I almost got in a serious fight outside just now.”
Satoshi laid his eating utensils down and looked up with wide blue eyes. He was surprised. His friend always held a short temper, and fought rigorously in the boxing club he attended, but he was no delinquent. “You did?”
“Yeah, these three assholes tried to gang up on me outside. They said I tried to molest one of their girlfriends or something.”
Frowning, Satoshi asked, “…Did you?”
“No, I didn’t!” Dark barked, irritated. “Have a little more faith in me, would you? Jeez, Satoshi! No! …But I did know the girl they were talking about. She told me she wanted to go out with me a few days ago, and I turned her down. I thought she seemed like a massive bitch, and it turns out I was right.” He saw Satoshi’s expression change, and waved his hand. “It’s nothing for you to worry about…” Dark began to grin. “While I was trying to make them see reason, some kid saw us and interfered - not that I needed him to.”
“…And that’s the one you were talking about when you came in…” Satoshi deduced.
“Yeah. He just came out of nowhere after hearing us, whispered something in one of the guy’s ears, and then loudly demanded that they apologize to me. And they did. It was like they suddenly started treating him like he was their boss. Even though he was this really runty ginger kid who came from nowhere. What the hell is with that?”
Satoshi’s features darkened as his friend continued:
“And then they left, and this twerpy kid was all sunshine…” As he tried to form the right words of explanation, the conversation he’d had afterward with the red-headed boy ran through his mind again:
“You’re Dark Mousy, a junior at Azumano High, aren’t you?” The boy asked, after watching the thugs leave. “I’m Daisuke Niwa, I’m a senior there. I’ve, ah, seen you around – your hair color is really distinct, you know?”
“Yeah, that’s great.” Dark snapped without eye-contact, kneeling to zip up the shoulder-bag he’d tossed on the ground so carelessly earlier. He didn’t want talk to this boy or even look at him, being in no mood to socialize.
“It’s lucky I came, huh?”
Dark scowled indignantly and threw his bag over his shoulder. “Now hold on a second! I could have taken them down if it came to that.” He looked up to Daisuke, and saw a kind smile on his face. Against his will, Dark gave a startled smile back.
“I bet you could have! But everything ended so peacefully,” Daisuke laughed without withering in the slightest. As Dark stood up, staring, Daisuke patted him on the back gently. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I’ll see you around.”
Satoshi’s voice cut in, “Did he tell you his name?”
“Yeah,” Dark started himself.
"What is it about him that makes him notable, then? Did he do something to anger you?"
"Well, not exactly…"
"Do you like him, then?" Satoshi guessed evenly.
Dark gasped so loudly that his chair almost fell. “What the hell is wrong with you? Of course I don’t!” he yelled as he caught himself. There was a pause.
“Why don’t you find him and tell him how you feel, then?” Satoshi wondered in a bored way.
“Wh—” Dark reached across the table and grabbed Satoshi’s shoulders with both hands. “I can’t do that!” he growled.
“Cut that out,” Satoshi snapped in monotone, quickly knocking away his friend’s hands. “Why not?”
The teen retracted himself at the question, although it was a reasonable one. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think of a good lie and drew a blank. With a grunt, his head sunk desk, his hands intertwined on his neck. “It’s embarrassing,” he muttered.
Satoshi’s lips parted, then shut. He coughed and forced himself to look out a window. “Is his name Daisuke Niwa?”
