Chapter Text
“I’m telling you! Being an exchange student is just one part of Gokudera’s charm!”
“You only like him because he’s a bad boy.”
“No way! There’s more to him that that. Right, _____? _____?!”
“Hm?” you didn’t look up from your history notes. There was a test tomorrow and you were determined to ace it, but all of the dates kept getting scrambled in your head.
“Were you even listening?”
“You’re talking about Gokudera again,” you replied. Kasuga was always enthralled with the idea of boys. She became obsessed quickly, but lost interest and moved onto the next just as fast. Emiko, on the other hand, was quieter. Most of her ideas of romance were based off of the novels she read. You had seen her bookshelf once. You had gawked at the number of teenage romance books she had hoarded. She was a certified expert in regards to love, despite Kasuga having more experience, “But Emiko thinks that you only like him because he’s different from the other guys at school.”
“Fine, maybe you were listening,” Kasuga pulled the notes from your hands, quickly hiding them behind her back before you could snatch them, “C’mon, at least give us your input.”
Your brow twitched, annoyed with her antics. She always teased you for studying too much, but it was the day before the test. Such things couldn’t be trifled with! You would have tried to fight her for the notes, but she was faster than you were. Besides, Emiko didn’t like fighting.
You continued down the street, “I agree with Emiko.”
“What?!” Kasuga jaw dropped, “Really? C’mon, I’m serious about this.”
“You said the same thing about the last five guys,” Emiko grinned, falling into step between you, “Maybe you should take a break. Didn’t your parents get mad at you for your math score?”
She tensed at the words, then laughed nervously, “Right. I thought I was going to die when my mom found the test on my desk.”
“Why would you leave something like that on your desk if you didn’t want it found?” Emiko shook her head in dismay, “That’s just asking for trouble.”
“I had to get it signed. I was going to ease them into it very, very carefully, but they ruined my plan so- Hey, let’s get something to eat!”
You pulled yourself out of your academic thoughts, glancing to your friend, “Right now? The history test is tomorrow. We should be studying.”
“You wouldn’t be in this situation if you didn’t procrastinate all of the time,” Kasuga countered, pursing her lips. She promptly grabbed you and Emiko by the hand, pulling you down another street.
You scowled. She was right. You were horrible when it came to managing your time. You always left things to the last minute. Your test scores never wavered, though, so you never found a reason to stop procrastinating. You always swore to yourself that the stress and staying up late the night before was never worth it, but you were always met with pleasant results. You knew that it wouldn’t stay that way forever and you would have to roll up your sleeves eventually, but you couldn’t bring yourself to break the habit just yet.
“We can study while we’re waiting for the food,” Emiko offered, ever the mediator.
“Right! We can use your notes, _____!”
“…You haven’t made any notes yet, have you, Kasuga?” you didn’t bother asking Emiko. She always planned for tests as soon as they were announced. Pop quizzes never surprised her.
“Nope~”
You fought the urge to roll your eyes, but pulled your hand away as the three of you reached a restaurant. You glanced to the sign, your mouth immediately watering. Sushi. Oh, it had been so long since you had taken the time you enjoy it. Your parents favoured western food, so meals were rarely something you loved, not to mention that sushi was always better when made by a professional.
“Still want to go home?” Kasuga grinned, knowing that she was using one of your weaknesses.
You stepped into the building, which was enough of a response for your friend. You looked around, wondering if you should sit down or if you had to wait for someone to show you to a table.
“Welcome!”
You paused. Wait. You recognized that voice. Someone stepped out from behind the counter, approaching you and your friends. It was Takeshi Yamamoto. He went to your school, but was in a different class, so you only knew the basics in regards to who he was. He was on the baseball team and nearly half of the girls in school had a crush on him. You could understand why. He was cute, but you didn’t really know him. Kasuga obsessed over boys enough for the both of you, anyway.
He smiled, “Hey, _____.”
What? How did he know your name? You were in a different class. He didn’t greet Emiko or Kasuga. No, you were just the closest one. It was nothing to panic over.
You grinned, “Hi. I didn’t know you worked at a restaurant.”
“Oh, me?” he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, “I’m just helping out my dad. He owns the place and he said he could use a hand. Follow me, a good table opened up a few minutes ago.”
He led you to a table. Emiko sat down on one side, while you and Kasuga took the other side. It was your standard seating arrangement. Emiko was notorious for taking up a ridiculous amount of elbow space, so you and Kasuga chose to sit together. There was a menu already on the table, which Kasuga grabbed in favour of keeping your notes. You lifted them from the table, noticing that they were crinkled. Oh well, as long as they weren’t smudged or otherwise illegible.
“Takeshi!” a man, who you guess was Takeshi's father based on the similarities, called from the kitchen window, “Are those new customers I see? Classmates of yours?”
“Yeah, _____’s classroom is just down the hall from mine.”
You stared at him. Why was he still calling you by your given name? And why was he still focusing on you while Kasuga and Emiko were sitting right in front of him? Maybe he forgot their names and didn’t want to seem impolite, or you had the same name as someone he knew, so it was easy for him to remember. You wanted to look away and focus on the menu Kasuga was holding, but you were too busy trying to figure out what the hell he was doing.
He turned to you sheepishly, “Sorry, I forgot your last name,” before you had the chance to give it to him, he continued, “Let me know when you’re ready to get started,” he walked away from the table and returned to his father to help him.
You felt the air shift. Oh no. Kasuga and Emiko had noticed. It was blood in the water for them. They were already grinning at you. You cleared your throat, trying to casually look over your history notes like nothing had happened.
“So…” Kasuga snickered, “Looks like someone’s taken notice of you, _____.”
“He’s being nice,” you countered, “He’s probably like that with everyone.”
“Really? He didn’t say a word to us.”
“Not to mention he’s from a different class. It’s kind of odd for him to know who you are like that.”
You shot them both an exasperated look, “Leave it alone. Half of the school is trying to date him.”
“Ah,” Emiko drew a heart with her fingers, “But that’s different than saying you’re not interested.”
“I don’t even know him. I’ve never talked to him until now,” you protested.
“Well, he certainly knows you~”
You glanced to the ceiling as they continued to tease you. A meal you had been looking forward to would now be two hours of awkwardness and dreading the next thing that would come of your friends’ mouths. Not to mention that, with their focus being on Takeshi, you definitely weren’t going to be able to study for the history test. You really should have studied earlier, rather than waiting until the night before.
“What do you think, _____?” Emiko’s voice had a teasing lilt. It could only mean impending disaster. She was worse than Kasuga once she was in the mood to poke fun, “Should we ask Yamamoto if he’s on the menu, too?”
You sighed out of annoyance, returning your gaze to your notes. Your face wasn’t heating up. No, you refused to acknowledge it. You had no interest in Takeshi Yamamoto. You were just embarrassed that your friends were latching onto the very idea. Not to mention their jokes were horrible.
“Oh, look! There he is! Number eighty,” Kasuga laughed.
You were tempted to bury yourself underneath your papers so you wouldn’t have to deal with such embarrassment.