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After a hard day of squatting around the school grounds while skipping school, Edano decided to go home at the same time as everyone else instead of loitering like he normally does. He told himself it's because it's getting colder and he'd rather go inside than stick around outdoors.
At the school gate, who does he see but Hanazawa Teruki himself. What's that bastard doing here? He reflexively thought, before realizing that he's just leaving school and probably didn't even notice Edano standing there. He went to call out to Teru, but he stopped himself before he even made any noise. He was quickly lost in the crowd and Edano put his hands in his pockets, trying to warm them up.
He ended up going the long way home, for whatever reason. He was in Salt Mid territory now, but he couldn't even bring himself to care. He wasn't really in the gang anymore, so if he was discovered would he even face any retribution? Probably, but it wasn't like he was attracting attention or anything. Felt like he could easily slip by.
He heard some people running past him, heading in the opposite direction. Yelling "FIGHT ON!". What a bunch of losers.
One of them audibly stopped just a bit behind him. Edano turned his head to see what was going on, only to immediately regret his decision.
Onigawara was standing there, looking at him. He was wearing his P.E. uniform rather that blue gakuran but he still had that stupid-ass haircut. He looked like he wanted to say something, but one of the others called out to him. "ONIGAWARA! YOU ALRIGHT?"
He turned around and ran over to the group. "Yeah! Coming!"
Edano continued on, only to discover an unconscious body on the path.
The guy was wearing the same P.E. costume as Onigawara, but was significantly smaller. He had passed out face down and one shoe had fallen off and was about a foot (hah) away from him.
Edano picked up the shoe and without thinking bonked him on the head.
"Hey! Are you dead?"
The guy's head suddenly shot up and looked around frantically, and that's when Edano finally recognized him. Oh yeah. He was that guy.
He looked up at Edano. "Um… can I have my shoe back please."
"Ah… yeah." Edano tossed the shoe over, and that guy sat up and began to put it on.
Shiro T Poison, again in the flesh. He absolutely wrecked Teru's shit, so god knows what he could do to a simple commoner like Edano. He sucked his breath in through his teeth, becoming visibly tense.
"Are you alright?" Shiro T Poison was standing up now, with his head tilted to the side.
Edano jumped. "Oh yeah well! Uh…" he looked to the side. "Hey, uh, sorry about like… kidnapping you or whatever."
Shiro T Poison blinked. "Huh? Oh! Yeah! It's alright."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah." He replied bluntly. "It's not really something I think about too often. Apart from it being the time I met Hanazawa-kun."
Edano was now confused. "Huh?”
“Hanazawa-kun… my friend.”
“I thought you kicked his ass?!"
He frowned. "Well yes but..."
Edano stared at the ground. "Whatever." He marched off.
"Hey, wait!"
Edano stopped and turned. "What?!"
"After what happened… did you… did Hanazawa-kun…" Shiro T Poison looked to the side. "Um… did you two really stop being friends?"
Friends. Were they ever even really friends to begin with? He can't even really remember how they met. It felt like Teru just materialized in school one day and was controlling the gang from the shadows. Edano was basically just a figurehead, and Teru made sure he knew it.
And yet. When it was just the two of them… he changed, just a little bit. Teru openly admitted to him that he didn't really care about the girls that flung themselves at him, that he was just burning time by hanging out with them. He felt as though maybe Teru was trying to hint at something. "I'd totally date you if you were a girl." was one of his favourite phrases.
At first Edano thought that was just another put down in some convoluted manner but Teru always said it so genuinely, as if he completely meant it. It made Edano's heart leap in his chest, he could always feel himself reflexively holding onto his shirt.
He wondered if Teru knew. If he had somehow figured it out. It was something he worried about anyone and everyone finding out but Teru in particular because he had no idea how he would react. Teru ruled from the shadows because despite being a delinquent he never skipped class. Edano would often look down from the roof and watch Teru in his P.E. class. He himself skipped most classes but one he would never attend under any circumstances was P.E.
He couldn’t bear the thought of changing in front of his classmates, because well, they’d know for certain then, right? Just the idea made his skin crawl.
Sometimes Teru would look back up at him on the roof. He always had a strange look in his eyes, as if he was waiting for something to be over. Maybe Teru hated P.E. too. He should have asked him about it.
Edano sighed. “Yeah, we did.”
“...that’s awful.”
He shrugged. “What can you do.”
“I can’t believe you really just abandoned him like… that…” He trailed off once he noticed Edano’s souring expression.
“Hey. Hanazawa abandoned me, not the other way around!” He barked.
“But you ran away back then, didn’t you?”
That was true. He did run away. “...You had just scalped him!”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“You didn’t mean to?!”
“I…” Shiro T Poison had tears in his eyes.
Edano looked back at him, it was probably best to wrap this up and leave as soon as possible, unless he wanted to get scalped too. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
He wiped his eyes. “It’s ok.”
There was a pause.
“Does he really have no friends at school?”
“Pfft. Maybe, I don’t know. People generally still like him, or whatever. Besides, didn’t you say you two were buddies? I'm sure you’re a better friend than me or any of those assholes ever were.”
“You think so?”
“Don’t start patting yourself on the back, it’s not a high bar to clear.”
“...Thank you.” Shiro T Poison turned and walked off.
Edano watched as he was received by one of the club members, putting a gentle hand on one of his shoulders. He turned and walked off, finally on his way back home.
No-one was home when he got back. Good. He didn’t want to talk to his parents. He went to his room, and took off his uniform, discarding it on his already messy floor. He sat on the edge of his bed and looked in the mirror. If he was going to lie down he should probably take his binder off. He didn’t really want to, though.
Edano got up and took a t-shirt out his chest of drawers, slipping it on over head. He then put on some shorts, making him very unsuitably dressed for the weather outside, not that he was going outside anyways.
Teru had only ever come to his house once. It was a Friday night. He must have followed him or something, because he certainly wasn’t invited. Edano was in the backyard.
“What’s going on here?” Teru had said, probably referring to a fire Edano had started in a trash can.
Edano had frozen up, scared that Teru had maybe seen the pink blouse he had just thrown in. “What are you doing here?!”
“Nothing. I’m bored, that's all.” Teru put his hands behind his neck. “What are you doing.”
“I’m just getting rid of things I don’t need.”
“I see. Gonna throw me on there?”
“No.” He had said quite bluntly, and Teru was clearly a bit surprised.
“I see… Are your parents out or do they just not care about arson?”
“They’re out. They’re just out with friends.”
Edano had turned his attention back onto the fire, but he saw in his peripheral vision an arm swing forward.
“...Did you just throw something in?”
Teru smirked. “Don’t worry about it. I just needed to get rid of something too.”
Edano knew better than to push it.