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Teruhashi Kokomi is the perfect girl. She's pretty, kind, and smart. She's everything you would look for in a girl! Don't believe it? Ask anyone else, and they'll say the same!
"Oh wow!" That's right, you're guaranteed to utter those words as soon as you lay your eyes upon her! She's simply that gorgeous.
...So why? Why won't he say that? Why won't Saiki just say those two words - just even look her way? Everyone knows her! Everybody agrees that she is the prettiest girl to grace this earth - even God! So why? Is he too embarrassed? Or maybe...does he simply not..like her? No! No, that's - there's no way! Everybody likes her! Who wouldn't want a chance at being with her - to have her attention? Heck, even her own brother wants her!
Yes, that's right, her own brother, Teruhashi Makoto. She may act like she's just an innocent, sweet girl who isn't aware of the effects her beauty has on others. But oh, she is aware. She knows the way they all look at her. The way their gaze first lands on her face, then wanders down towards her body, the look in their eyes turning from admiration to lust. The whispers surrounding her as she walks by, various gross and objectifying comments being made about her, as if she isn't right there. And she also knows how her brother, one of the few people on earth she should be able to trust, is not exempt from that.
She's seen the way he looks at her. From the day she was born, he's been by her side, watching her like a treasure to be ogled. Heard the noises he makes at night when he thinks everyone is asleep, muttering her name like a prayer while huffing. She wishes she wasn't aware of all that. But she does. She wishes for a brother who doesn't have lewd thoughts about her, one she can rely on and use his shoulder to cry on if she needs to. But she can't. That would give him the wrong message. Besides, she's a perfect girl after all, isn't she?
A perfect girl doesn't cry, or get angry, or express disgust. Especially not at her brother. No, a perfect girl smiles whenever someone compliments her and takes it gracefully, no matter how uncomfortable said "compliment" might make her or how many times she's heard it already. That doesn't all matter, because this was never about how she feels after all anyway, was it? No. Her beauty is not for her - it's for the enjoyment of others. So she has to pretend she isn't aware of her looks. Acknowledging that would make her arrogant! And she's not arrogant, nor selfish - she's humble, and she's pretty, and she's perfect, perfect, PERFECT-
Well, that begs the question. If she's so perfect, shouldn't she be allowed to be a little selfish, just a tiny bit? Isn't it simply unjust how everyone is allowed to leer at her and harrass her while she has to just put up with it? Where's the fairness in that? If God loves her so much, as everyone else always claims so, why does he let these people treat her this way? Let Makoto be this way to her? Why did he curse her with her beauty?
Perhaps there is no God after all. Or maybe. Just maybe, SHE'S God. How else would such a beauty like Her exist on earth, after all? How could She have so much influence over others? There's simply one explanation. The God that graced Her - cursed Her - with such beauty must've been Herself. And what is a God if nothing but selfless? So if She has to suffer, if She has to keep up this act of the perfect, sweet girl, so be it. She will play Her role in this. She's been playing this role for Her whole life, what's a few more years?
But She won't deny that being a God is exhausting nonetheless. And there are still some people even She has no control over with Her beauty - namely one Saiki Kusuo. It seems there are some atheists after all.
That, of course, doesn't mean there aren't people who don't worship Her for Her divine Self, but simply for who She is. Although She doesn't quite understand why that is. If not for Her beauty, then for what?
"Hey, Imu..?"
"Yea?"
"Why do you..why do you like me?"
"Huh? What do you mean 'why'?"
"Nevermind, it's nothing, forget I said anything!" Kokomi quickly says with a nervous chuckle. Stupid. Why did she ask that?
"Uh, well.. you're suuuuper pretty, first off! Like, super duper cute!"
"Oh.." Teruhashi says dejectedly before she quickly recomposes herself. "I-I mean, thanks! Hahaha.."
"But, you know, I'm also super cute - sure, maybe not as cute as you, but still - so that's not super important to me. I mean, I don't usually like it if my partner outshines me, ya know?"
That's right. She does remember that Imu didn't like her much when they first met each other because of their little rivalry over their beauty. But that rivalry turned into something.. different pretty fast on Rifuta's end.
"So, then..why DO you like me?" Teruhashi asks in a confused tone.
"Well, you're just so..sweet. And I don't mean that in a 'You're such a nice person!' kinda way, but genuinely kind and..selfless. I..I know what it's like to be stared at like some..some museum attraction, as if you're not a person! It sucks! And I've, um.. I've been rude to some people about it in the past about that, hehe.. not that I regret it. Those creeps had it comin', ya know!" Imu says in an annoyed tone, making Kokomi chuckle at her outburst.
"But you..you take it all so.. gracefully! I really admire your self control. And I-I know you don't..like me back, but I really appreciate that you're still my friend.. I do wish you were a bit more selfish sometimes, but I guess it's not really my place to tell you how to live your life. There's a lot more things I like about you, but I'm starting to get a bit embarrassed now.." Rifuta rambles on with a bashful smile, twirling her hair nervously. It's kinda..cute, in a way, Kokomi finds herself thinking.
..Wait, cute? Did she really find Imu cute? Then again, that's not so weird, is it? A lot of people find Rifuta cute as well! Her beauty ALMOST matches her own. Almost.
Teruhashi stops to think for a second. Well...would it truly be that bad if she were to date Imu? She's Teruhashi Kokomi, after all. She can do what she wants! If she wants to date a girl, then she'll date a girl! It's not like anybody could tell her not to do that. Nobody would want to make Kokomi sad by telling her who she can and can't date! Besides, Imu is one of the few people who's close enough to her in terms of beauty. Not that Kokomi cares much about that, but she's not one to complain about it, either.
"..Maybe I'll be selfish this time then." Teruhashi mumbles with a blush as she tentatively reaches for Imu's hand, her heart racing. What if she draws her hand away? What if she's just been playing a big, cruel joke all along, pretending she likes Kokomi only to reject her and make her look like a fool? What if-
Her spiraling negative thoughts come to a stop as she notices Rifuta isn't pulling her hand away anytime soon. In fact, she looks..surprised? Happy? If the blush on her face is anything to go off of, it seems that her feelings for Kokomi are in fact real.
They both blush as they glance to the side, smiling giddily to themselves. 'Maybe..' Teruhashi thinks to herself, 'maybe it'll be alright after all.'