Work Text:
Something happened last night, and Kei didn't remember any of it.
He walked quietly along the pathway to the courtyard, massaging his temples with his fingers. The lively chatter of his classmates in the distance fell on his ears, although he was dreading the noise as he approached them. He didn't mind the school work being the top student, but this day in particular he had hoped to go by as quickly and silently as possible.
The moment he set foot in the courtyard, the six classmates turned their heads from the table. As he wished, their chatter came to an abrupt silence. But from the way that they all watched him, and with the curious stare from Hikari as their eyes met, he realized the feeling of dread washing over him was for a reason.
"What did you do to Hikari last night?!" Akira asked with rage. Kei began to panic.
"Akira, calm down!" Hikari said, holding her back.
Tadashi looked to the girls from his seat. "Come on. Kei wouldn't do anything even if he had any influence."
"I wouldn't say anything if I were you!" Akira yelled. "You were the one who brought it to the house, so it's just as much your fault as it is his!"
"Takashima?" Hikari asked calmly as she walked over to him from where he stood. "Are you alright?"
"What… did I do to you…?" Kei asked, not sure if the migraine was getting worse from his panic. "What happened?"
Hikari's questioning stare eased his mind a little.
"Well, I guess it all started with the beer Tadashi brought over. The others had left, and he passed out, but you…"
Kei looked at her in fear of what she would say next, but that was when she scowled.
"You started ordering me around to fetch you water and make you food, and you kept calling me 'Miss Second Place,' and you know I hate being called that! Aaaggh!"
"...That's all?"
Kei breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then you passed out over Tadashi, but before you did… You said something weird… That even though I was 'Miss Second Place,' that I would always be first in your heart…"
Kei froze. He caught a glimpse of the surprised looks on everybody else's faces. When he looked to Hikari, he noticed her staring back at him, starry-eyed. Was it adoration? Did she feel the same?
But Hikari laughed her heart out.
"What a silly thing to say when you're drunk!" she said. "You crack me up, Takashima."
Kei's heart sank at the realization, but saw that his fellow classmates were still looking on in disbelief. Megumi held up her notebook with the words one everyone else's minds:
"She still doesn't get it…"