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Makoto looked at the calendar in her phone and sighed loudly.
It was the last month of Makoto’s middle school life. And the apocalypse was coming.
Again.
Although it was worth noting that this year she would be partially spared from it.
The apocalypse was scheduled on February 14th. You may ask why this date was so special. And that was because by some jest of fate the commercialized lovers’ holiday was also the day Jin Kisaragi was born.
That being said it was fitting in a way, considering that Saint Valentine, who died on 14th day of February, served as a patron of not only lovers, but also mentally ill.
Truly, it was just too fitting for Jin.
But we are digressing.
Because Makoto was year younger than Jin this year she wouldn’t be involved in the mess known as “all of the school celebrates Jin’s birthday”. It was sort of scary happening, when most of the people would give Jin something, usually chocolate. At the same time everyone claimed it wasn’t because it was a Valentine’s day, but because it was Jin’s birthday. It was smooth in a way, as it eased a competitive spirit a bit, since everyone were free to give birthday presents and there was no reason to feel jealous about it. At the same time it gave boys a good excuse to also give Jin something without feeling like their sexuality was in danger because of it. Which was naïve, but whatever works for them.
However, there were duties Makoto was not sparred from or rather she was dead set on fulfilling. Namely, actually celebrating Jin’s birthday. As per tradition, Tsubaki was going to organize a small party just for friends about a week or more after Valentines simply because Jin was usually forced to attend his formal party around 14th. He usually needed time to recover after that because being forced to meet most of his “family” was tiring, annoying and boring as hell. It was very draining on him to fake his smile and pretend he was having fun for the entirety of the party. He always felt like he was being slowly neutered to death instead of experiencing anything remotely close to fun.
Informal party he had a week later always felt enjoyable in comparison even though it usually contained Noel (which said a lot about his feelings towards his official birthdays). This unwanted element was sure to ruin his mood, but luckily she was always savvy enough to leave earlier on some poor excuse.
This proved that she actually had a brain, which Jin often doubted, especially whenever he accidently stumbled on a piece of paper containing her poetry.
But we are digressing again.
The reason why Makoto was troubled was not because she disliked Jin. Far from it! She felt she may in fact have too much positive feelings towards him considering he was a jerk with brother complex and violent streak. She also wasn’t really troubled by the fact he was a very popular guy. That was just the way the world operated and one had to be blind and deaf not to find him physically attractive. The problem also wasn’t the fact that he was a member of prestigious Kisaragi family. Jin himself had little to no attachment to his position as a heir of wealthy and noble family and never looked down on people due to their financial circumstances. Actually, maybe that was a part of problem, because…
The true reason why Makoto suffered was because she had too little money for a proper present.
Reality was cruel like that. While all of Makoto’s friends came from affluent families, she was the only one who had to take up a part time job to have enough money to pay for dorm. Of course, everyone tried to support her somehow, but Makoto had too much pride to simply accept the money (but enough rationale to borrow it, when the situation was dire). Good thing she was eligible for grants for poor students.
Anyway, on a cold February day Makoto found herself before a mall feeling very insecure about her life, feelings and especially financial situation. She really wanted to buy Jin a nice present. Despite his many shortcomings, once they became friends, he always made sure to buy her a gift for her birthday. An obscenely thoughtful gifts, actually. The first one was a loyalty card to the chain of bars owned by Kisaragi family. At first Makoto felt offended and thought that she would rather die than use the card.
Then the hard times came for her and Makoto realized that pride was one of the things you sold first to fill your stomach. When she discovered that the card was filled to the brim with points which she could trade for meals she decided that maybe this was actually a great gift.
Since then it was hard for her not to feel indebted whenever she remembered just how many times his present saved her from going through a day without a proper meal. Not to mention the fact that Jin turned out to be a pretty great guy to hang around. Since their initial meeting Makoto had seen both his bad and good side. On one hand, she learned that he actually was a bit of emotionally stunned person, if not a sociopath, a jerk (especially towards Noel) and had a strange relationship with his brother that was all sorts of dysfunctional. On the other, she discovered that he was loyal, trustworthy, hard-working and could be surprisingly selfless towards people he cared about. Jin was a complex person, but amidst it all he became someone Makoto would call a friend.
Which was why she was now agonizing as she left the bookstore. She thought about giving him a book, but with his speed reading and perfect memory it would become a throwaway gift. Not to mention, she wasn’t sure what kind of story he would enjoy the most. While he and Tsubaki talked regularly about literature, Jin rarely showed any bias in those discussions, opting to judge books as objectively as possible, instead of giving his subjective opinions.
Next, was a shop with miscellaneous stuff, but amidst many things in there, Makoto couldn’t find anything that would fit her friend. Jin liked things that had meaning and most of the items, while fun, felt pretty useless.
With a sigh, Makoto continued her journey. She knew that Jin wouldn’t dismiss her gift. Even if she got him something cheap he would still thank her, but she wanted to buy him something meaningful. She was looking forward to giving him a gift and then receiving one in return. Her birthday would be in April, after all. She felt excited just thinking what Jin would give her this year, now that she wasn’t struggling with her financial situation as much. Luckily, her older brother got a steady job several months ago, which significantly improved Nanaya’s family prospects. Her parents could now send her money sometimes, which allowed Makoto to make ends meet. She was still going to attend part-time job, but she wouldn’t have to spend as much of her free time on that.
Makoto saw her own reflection in the glass window and realized she had been grinning like an idiot. She felt a bit embarrassed when she realized just how much she was looking forward to Jin’s gift. She shook her head. She shouldn’t be getting so excited about that. She felt slightly bad for concentrating on Jin’s gift so much. After all, Noel and Tsubaki would also try to get her some awesome gifts! She definitely looked forward to their gifts as well!
Really good gifts from her friends!
Because they are her friends!
As is Jin!
Totally friends!
Best friends forever right after Tsubaki and Noel!
As Makoto tried to distract herself from the uncomfortable truth, she entered the clothing shop. It was more exclusive than the one from which she usually got her own clothes. With her budged she usually attended second-hand stores or shops with lower prices, when she searched for things for her own wardrobe. However, with Jin’s status she couldn’t just get him something cheap. She needed something both stylish and well-made, and while she believed that with enough search she could find a piece of clothing like that, there was also a problem of Jin’s family. He was pretty much forced to wear clothes from certain brands, so he wouldn’t sully the image of the family. The shop she was visiting was just on the verge of acceptable.
It was also on the verge of being affordable for her.
Makoto looked intently around scanning for something that would fit Jin, when suddenly she stopped as she found what she was looking for. She quickly moved closer to the mannequin on which the attire was placed.
It was a blue jacket with red elements with short sleeves, or rather no sleeves at all. Instead a red cloth was fastened on both sides of the chest; it circled around the back and acted like short sleeves. On top of it was a bigger blue cloth, slightly longer than the red one. They were fastened to the jacket and each other with buttons and buckles. From the back of blue cloth hanged two wide red bands of fabric, which would probably flutter behind the wearer. Moreover, there were two belts fastened to front of red cloth and the back of blue one. The designer decided to cross them to make them look cooler. There was also an extra belt, which was supposed to hang loosely on hips of the wearer, not serving any purpose other than aesthetical one. Makoto for a moment wondered if three belts weren’t an overkill, but then she imagined Jin wearing this jacket and promptly decided that the belt was important. It would nicely accentuate his hips, so yeah, it was crucial.
The outfit didn’t look like anything that Jin owned, but Makoto was sure he would like it. He liked his clothes blue and red elements weren’t intrusive enough to break the colour balance. The short pseudo-sleeves would also be to Jin’s liking. He was surprisingly cold-resistant and often wore shirts with short sleeves. The jacket would be perfect for the upcoming spring and summer.
The only serious problem seemed to be design, which was somehow immature comparing to what Jin usually wore. Makoto worried for a second, but the she snorted. He was only a year older than her, as he was turning seventeen today. No matter how mature he was forced to act, he was still a teenager. Just because his family had collectively shoved the sticks up their asses was no reason to deprive Jin from a more informal clothing. Sure, he definitely wouldn’t wear this jacket to any formal gathering, but hanging out with friends was a different matter.
Makoto felt a strong resolve. She would make Jin wear this jacket. He had to enjoy his youth while it lasted. Not to mention, it would look hot on him. He always wore tight trousers, which together with this jacket would create a killer combo. Makoto made a lewd smile, as she imagined it. Yes, it would be perfect. It would be a crowning achievement of her life.
However, she quickly returned to the harsh reality as she looked at the price tag.
“Hooooooow muuuuccccchhhhhhhhh?!” She howled in despair as she collapsed before the mannequin.
Reality was just too sad.
“Why is that?!” she shouted. “Why are this earthly limitations stopping me from achieving my goals! It would be so perfect! He would look so great in this jacket! Why? Why don’t I have enough money?!”
People stopped to look at her, but Makoto honestly didn’t care right now. Her eyes were filled with tears as she despaired over the cruel reality. She would never see Jin in this jacket.
It was just too sad.
Suddenly, her quiet sobbing was interrupted by someone.
“There, there, you shouldn’t cry like that! Both women and men are most beautiful when they smile!” someone said patiently, and handed Makoto a handkerchief. She took her confused, as she looked up.
A strange man was standing there. His hair was long and purple, his skin pale and well-groomed. His eyes had a colour of deep azure and the make-up he wore further accentuated the blueness. However, the most striking thing about him, was probably his attire. The man wore a pink kimono that almost completely revealed his shapely legs.
Makoto was quiet for a moment, as she took in this sight, but quickly collected herself.
“Ah, thank you,” she said, as she wiped her face. Now that someone interrupted her spiralling thoughts, she realized her outburst was rather stupid. She rose up from the floor and dusted her skirt off.
“Did something happen? I’ve seen some people having a crisis over an outfit, but this one,” he paused thoughtfully as he looked at it. “It’s a fine jacket, but it wouldn’t be a good fit on you. Did you want to buy it for someone?”
“Yeah, my friend’s birthday is coming soon and he would look great in it, but I don’t have enough money,” Makoto admitted. Whoever this weird man was, he seemed friendly enough. It still felt refreshing to find people who genuinely wanted to help her without being prejudiced by the fact that she was a beastkin.
“Hmmm, and this is why you had a breakdown?” he asked curiously. “Can’t you find some other jacket?”
“You don’t understand!” Makoto protested. “It would look perfect on him! This jacket was made to be worn by him! He would be the hottest person in the city with this jacket! Well, he probably already is, but with this jacket it would be over nine thousand!”
“That much? Do you have a photo of him? Your conviction has piqued my curiosity,” he said with genuine interest.
Makoto hesitated only for a moment, before she pulled her phone out of bag and found a photo showing Jin in his school uniform. It only showed him from waist up, but it was a good shot. She raised the phone, so that the man could see it. He intently looked at it.
And then his face froze.
He looked at Makoto, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Your friend is Jin Kisaragi! Of course! It all makes sense now!” He suddenly exploded in a flurry of words. “This jacket! Oh my, I see it now! You are right! You are completely right! It would be perfect on him! Flawless! Gorgeous! We must make him wear it!”
Makoto looked at him with flabbergasted.
“Do you know Jin?” she asked, slightly suspicious.
“I do! I haven’t introduced myself, had I? My name is Amane Nishiki, I’m a teacher at Scarlet Rose Academy,” he said as he bowed slightly.
“A teacher?” she asked surprised. Nishiki certainly didn’t look like one.
“Why, yes. I teach literature. And I must say that the young Kisaragi is certainly the most eye-catching out of all freshman! Of course, I would recognize him! You rarely see such perfect features!”
“I can’t disagree with that,” Makoto admitted. Nishiki might have been a bit overly passionate, but one certainly had to be blind not to notice Jin. “Anyway, yes. His birthday is coming up and I thought this jacket would be great, but I just can’t afford it. Guess, I will have to find something else after all,” she said. Now that she had shared her woes with someone she felt like should move on and try to find something else. However, Nishiki shook his head in disagreement.
“No, no, no! We can’t have that!”
Makot could only look at the man in confusion, as he grabbed her hands and looked straight at her.
“Let’s work together and make this thing happen! Let’s make sure that the fateful meeting between this jacket and Jin Kisaragi takes place!”
“B-but how?!” Makoto muttered as he looked at her with shining eyes. “I don’t…”
“I will handle those earthly obstacles! So make sure to deliver it to him!”
“I can’t have you paying for my present!” the squirrel girl protested immediately and tried to shake his hands off. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to agree to something like that.
“I won’t pay for it! You said you merely didn’t have enough money. Let me lower the threshold for you,” Nishiki suggested quickly with a smile of trained salesman. “Here, just take this! You need it more than me!”
Before Makoto could make sense of what he was doing Nishiki stuffed a card into her hand. He smiled widely and then let go of her and turned around. The squirrel girl could only watch dumbfounded as he left.
“Are all teachers in the Academy like that?” she muttered to herself. She was going to attend this school soon, so it felt like a legitimate concern.
She raised the card that Nishiki gave her and then almost dropped it.
“S-s-seventy five percent discount!” she shouted as she read what was written on the boon. This discount was supposed to cover only one item of clothing from the shop she was in, but with this she would be able to buy the jacket while not exceeding her budget. She looked in the direction, in which that the mysterious teacher disappeared. “Thank you, fashion god of Scarlet Rose Academy, I shall never forget your help.”
*
“Wow, I can’t believe I really bought that,” Makoto muttered to herself, as she walked home. Under her arm was Jin’s present, wrapped into nice decorative paper. It was evening and the world was already dark. The streets seemed like a dangerous place for a girl to walk alone, but Makoto walked with a confidence of the most dangerous person in the vicinity.
Which she probably was, but she refused to acknowledge that at the moment.
Suddenly, she spotted a familiar figure.
“Jin?!” she called surprised as she noticed him. The boy froze and then turned in her direction.
“Makoto?”
Only know Makoto realised that Jin was probably trying not to draw attention to himself. He wore dark clothes that looked as if they were warm, which was weird, because Jin was the most cold resistant person Makoto had ever seen. Moreover he had a backpack, which was stuffed with things that didn’t seem to be textbooks. Something that looked suspiciously like a thermos was sticking out of it.
A thermos with a cat paw print to be exact.
Makoto could almost smell the secret Jin was trying to hide.
“Hey, where have you been?” Makoto asked happily as if she didn’t notice anything suspicious.
Jin paused , not sure what to say.
“I… I went to see someone,” he admitted, but quickly added. “But it’s of no importance.”
The second part was clearly a lie. Makoto felt like prodding Jin, but she stopped herself. In less than five hours it would be his birthday. He deserved an extra gift of niceness.
“If you say so,” Makoto said in a teasing voice. Jin glared at her.
“And what are you doing here?” he returned the question. Makoto belatedly remembered that Jin didn’t have enhanced sight of a beastkin, so he couldn’t see what exactly she was carrying.
Wait, isn’t this a perfect occasion?
Makoto smiled widely, as she took the package in both hands.
“Actually, I was on an errand to buy a present for a certain grumpy birthday boy, so he would be less grumpy in the upcoming year!” she announced happily, as she stretched her hands towards Jin. “It’s a bit early, but happy birthday!”
Jin had an unreadable face for a moment.
“I’m not grumpy,” he finally announced in a serious voice.
“Of course you aren’t, now that you got your present!” Makoto pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing.
Jin sighed.
“I don’t think I should argue with that,” he decided as he took the gift. “It’s a cloth?” he muttered, as he felt a texture through the paper.
“I got you something extra this year!” Makoto announced proudly. “Actually, it’s probably good thing I don’t have to give you that during the party. I’d rather not have to explain how I got that,” she added as the realization hit her.
“And how exactly did you get this present?” Jin asked suspiciously, eyeing the package.
“Completely legally!” Makoto shouted indignantly. “But I think you wouldn’t want to know. Well, nobody suffered in the process and no laws were broken. That’s what’s important!”
Jin still eyed the package as if it was about to explode, but then he stuffed it under his arm.
“Thanks,” he said. “It’s too dark here to see anything, I will check it at home.”
“Yeah, no problem,” Makoto replied happily.
He probably wants to take as much Kisaragi’s with him as possible in case it IS a bomb, she decided idly.
“Well then, I will be goin…” Jin started to say, but he stopped as Makoto latched on his arm. “What are you doing?”
“I’m escorting you home!” Makoto announced happily.
“Shouldn’t you go back to the dorm?” Jin asked, hoping to deter the girl.
“Don’t wanna. Noel was planning to watch some flicks. Or was it a new TV series? Anyway while I love to watch flicks with a good fight, she is way too much into crime series lately,” Makoto explained with a sigh. Noel was extremely good-natured, which was definitely her strong point, but also a weakness, as she sometimes had trouble deciphering bad intentions. Then, at one point, she figured out that maybe watching movies with bad guys will help her get accustomed to bad intentions.
Makoto couldn’t tell how effective was this experiment, because the most obvious result was the fact that Noel got hooked to procedural drama, noir films and the like. Luckily, she couldn’t spend too much time watching them, as her grades were less than stellar, but even then Makoto felt she had seen enough detective drama to last her a lifetime.
Jin frowned, probably displeased with the fact that Makoto had reminded him of Noel’s existence. Makoto also frowned in response.
“Come on, you didn’t even offer to walk me to the dorm, so at least appreciate my offer,” she pointed out mischievously.
“You don’t need an escort,” Jin retorted as if it was the most obvious thing.
Makoto sighed.
“You don’t understand maidens heart at all, but you are forgiven,” she said as she made a peace gesture.
Jin only blinked at her, but then he muttered, “Whatever.”
He turned around and started to move towards the house. Makoto who still held his arm, walked next to him.
“Will you let go of my hand?” his voice was more demanding than questioning.
“No, I’m escorting you.”
“I’m not a child, I won’t get lost,” Jin pointed out, but with less venom.
“But if you got lost everybody would be sad!” Makoto retorted happily. “I would have to organize a search party and then use my super smell to locate you!”
“I thought you were a squirrel beastkin, not a dog one.”
“In dire times a girl needs to improvise.”
“I’m pretty sure this applies to all people, not only females,” Jin deadpanned.
Makoto just smiled in response. There was a silence between them, but it was a tranquil one. Jin made some attempts at freeing his hand, but he didn’t put much strength into them. He seemed mostly resigned to his fate.
However, something bothered Makoto and despite her efforts she couldn’t stop herself from voicing her worries.
“Is everything alright?” she asked.
“What?” Jin asked blankly.
“Is everything alright?” Makoto repeated with a more pressure. “You just seem more cranky than usual.”
“I’m not cranky.”
“And I’m a ferret. Come on, I can see something is bothering you,” she pointed out. Jin now had a frustrated look, he usually sported whenever someone noticed something about him he tried to hide. “Look, I don’t expect you to lay your whole heart before me. I just want to make sure it’s nothing serious. Or is it?” she asked in a worried voice.
“Ah, no, it isn’t anything… immediate. Or decided. It’s just…” his voice trailed for a moment, “I’m simply worried about something that may occur.”
“Damn, Jin, you could have just said, you were anxious about future,” Makoto pointed out, feeling relieved. “I mean, it’s not an illness, right?”
“No. Just a possible event.”
“And you can’t do anything about it?”
“No,” he admitted with a slight wince.
“Then you shouldn’t worry. I mean, that seems a bit out of character for you.”
“Is it?” he asked with curiosity in his voice.
“Yes, you were always a type of guy who just moved forward whether or not there were problems ahead,” she pointed out. She was feeling more and more curious, but Jin obviously was not going to talk about his worries in more detail, so it would be futile to ask. “I’m pretty sure, you didn’t acknowledge most of the obstacles, but still, worrying too much about future doesn’t suit you.”
Jin chuckled. Makoto almost tripped, surprised by his reaction.
“I would prefer if you watched your steps,” Jin noted in a slight annoyance, turning into a perfect picture of passive-aggressiveness.
“You laughed!” Makoto exclaimed, half-amused half-accusing.
“Well, yes, I do laugh sometimes,” Jin pointed out.
“But you didn’t use your creepy Ragna is here laughter. Just a normal laugh,” she explained, still amazed.
“Nii-san is obviously not here, it’s way too quiet,” Jin pointed out, as if it was a completely ridiculous notion, but still scrutinized the area to make sure his brother really wasn’t there.
Makoto just shook her head, as if she had no words for his behaviour.
“You almost never laugh Jin. At least you never do a pleasant laugh.”
“Pleasant laugh?”
“Damn, I should have recorded it. Now, no one will believe me!”
“I think you are making a big deal out of nothing,” Jin deadpanned, but his expression was slightly softer than a moment ago.
The rest of the walk passed in a comfortable silence. Makoto noticed it started snowing and she felt like pointing it out, but she stopped herself when she looked at Jin. He was looking at the falling snow thoughtfully. Makoto didn’t notice it before, but Jin seemed to look even more beautiful amidst the falling snow, as if he was some sort of an ice prince.
Damn, that title would actually fit him rather well.
Several minutes later, the two of them stopped a small distance from the gate, leading to the Kisaragi residence.
“Well, you should be able to reach your home, without getting lost from here,” Makoto said in a serious voice.
Jin gave her an unamused look.
“I believe I will manage,” he said pointedly, but then paused as if considering what to say next. “Thank you,” he added more quietly, “for… keeping me company. And for the gift.”
Makoto beamed at him.
“No problem. It’s your birthday, after all. So happy birthday and… wait, how did that go…” Makoto muttered as she tried to remember the phrase that Noel used once. It was really nice and heartfelt. And she was pretty sure Noel never used it for Jin, mostly because he wouldn’t appreciate it coming from her.
Jin meanwhile only rolled his eyes slightly, as if Makoto trying to recall his birthday wishes was the most natural thing in the universe and he was no longer surprised by it.
“Ahhh, I remember!” Makoto exclaimed happily and then smiled softly at Jin, who got caught off guard by her smile. “Thank you for being born.”
For a moment there was a look of utter astonishment on Jin’s face as if Makoto said something completely outlandish. It quickly disappeared changing into a frown, as if he wanted to argue against it, but almost immediately it was substituted by an expression full of vulnerability, as if Makoto said something very, very personal.
“I… thank you, too.” Jin muttered, as if words were failing him. “For being born. And being here.”
“Um, no problem,” Makoto replied awkwardly, surprised by how touched Jin was. He rarely showed vulnerability, but right now he looked fragile and lost, as if Makoto’s words and presence were the only thing protecting him from the adversities of the word.
Which obviously wasn’t true, because Makoto was damn sure that Jin could create an imperium if he put his mind to it, but his expression right now was making her weak in knees. Also, was it just her, or did the temperature go up suddenly?
Meanwhile, Jin’s expression returned to his more neutral one, but it still looked a lot softer than usual.
“Goodnight,” he said, as he took a step towards the gate.
“Bye! Will see you at the party!” Makoto called after him and watched him disappear behind the gate. The snow continued to fall, covering Makoto’s head. She shook her head, feeling her ears becoming cold.
She knew she should be going back, but a part of her wanted to stay in place a bit longer, so that she could retain the feeling of closeness she experienced just now. Her cheeks got more pink than before as she remembered Jin’s expression.
In the dim light of streetlight and amidst the falling snow, she allowed herself to selfishly wish that someday she can understand Jin’s worries and stop them completely.