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In Sabito’s humble opinion, there are several types of girls that boys like in school.
Firstly, there is the studious type. They are usually very hardworking, very productive in class and always finishes their homework. These types of girls are typically soft-spoken, in what Sabito usually experienced anyway, and they have a gentle personality who can’t even kill a single ant. Exhibit A: Kochou Kanae, the president of student council.
Students like her, girls and boys both, and teachers are relieved to have her as their students and wished that all students are like her. Sabito thinks she is admirable, but her kindness sometimes put him off sometimes. Maybe he is not used to infinite kindness, or whatever.
Girls like Kanae are more like Sanemi’s type anyway, not his.
Moving on, there is the ambitious type. Girls like this is usually brash, and quite harsh in their speaking style sometimes, but they are more career driven and have a clear goal in mind. Sabito could respect that. Besides, girls like this are usually harmless, unless if someone were to get in their way. Exhibit B: Kochou Shinobu, younger sister of Kochou Kanae.
Oh, and did he mention that Kochou Shinobu is his classmate? Hmm…
Then, there is the bubbly type. Very cheerful, friendly, and girls like this usually makes everyone their friend. Other students couldn’t even find fault in her anyway because she is just so lovely to be around. Very empathetic, caring and too kind. Oh, and girls like this is also very popular because they are school athletes too, so there are bound to have some students to be jealous of her.
Exhibit C: Kanroji Mitsuri.
Sabito humbly thinks that girls like this needs to be more cautious about strangers though. Someone might take advantage of her kindness.
Oh well, Obanai is there to fend off any pests anyway.
Lastly, girls who are mysteriously quiet. Girls like this usually have no fucks left to give, and they usually kept things to themselves. It gives this mysterious air around them that attracts people to get to know her better. They have this icy look in their eyes, which will feel like a wave of ice washed over them if she ever spared a glance in their direction.
Exhibit D: Tomioka Giyuu.
This type of girl is the type that Sabito likes the most. Or maybe because it is just Giyuu. Sabito thinks the icy look is overkill though, it is just how Giyuu always is. If Sabito were to say, her default face looks more of a deadpan than a glare. He digresses.
Anyway.
Sabito has this huge fat crush on Giyuu and almost all of the students in his year and their mother knows. Hell, even Urokodaki-sensei sent him a shit eating grin at him one time when he caught Sabito and Giyuu together. And that old man mostly did not even bother with the student’s business most of the day!
Sanemi and Tengen has been telling him to just confess already. How bad will it even be? At most she will just reject you.
And that in itself is the problem!
If Sabito were to confess, and if Giyuu accepts, then he will continue on his merry way to date her and then he will graduate and work his ass off so that they could live a happy, comfortable life with Giyuu till he dies of old age.
But! If Giyuu does not feel the same? Sabito would lose a precious friendship over a measly crush and Sabito could not do shit about it. Giyuu is entitled to her own feelings, and Sabito does not want to burden her with his own feelings.
Therefore, Sabito is content to be her best friend for now. He could be happy with what was given because he is a coward like that.
How unmanly!
Sabito was startled out of his musing due to the school bells, which signals that it is time for lunch. He tidied up his things and stood up, tucking his hands into his uniform’s pockets as he makes his way out of the class.
Suddenly, a black-haired head popped up in his line of vision.
Tomioka Giyuu.
“Sabito,” She called for his name, and Sabito willed for his racing heart to calm down. “Tsu-nee-chan made us lunch. She said that she cooked too much this morning.”
Liar, Sabito muses. Tsutako is the one taking care of Giyuu, but she has a baby incoming in a few months, so it is unlikely that Tsutako should be up at such ungodly hours to just accidentally cooked too much of lunch. Tsutako’s husband is a worrywart and he will undoubtedly make a huge fuss if she ever walks too much.
Which means, Giyuu is the one making ‘too much’ breakfast and she wanted to conceal it by using her sister as a shield.
Oh well, Sabito will not take this for granted, thank you very much.
And so, he nods with a smile, “Let’s go then.” He is very tempted to ruffle Giyuu’s hair, but since he is a good friend, he doesn’t.
Very calm. Nonchalant. Put together.
Right.
Eventually, Sabito and Giyuu settled at their usual spot. It is quite isolated, as most of the students are at the canteen right now eating lunch, and Giyuu is not a fan of too much noises.
Giyuu spoke first.
“So, have you decided on which extra-curriculars to attend?”
It is the start of the new school year, so students will have to choose a new extra subject to gain extra credits. Sabito could not understand why is that necessary when school work is already a huge pain in the ass, but it is mandatory. For the preparation for university and all that.
Giyuu sat primly as she picks on her food, slowly nibbling her rice as she waits for his answer. She looks adorable when she did that, but he needs to make sure she eats properly so he says softly, “Don’t pick on your food.”
She huffs as retaliation, but she ate anyway.
Hm, maybe he should continue with his current club. He finds that basketball is fun anyway, and besides, he is in the club since they are first years. Now, they are on their third and last year.
Sabito told Giyuu as such, and she hummed in quiet contemplation. Sabito thinks that Giyuu didn’t need to worry much since she is already in the student council, which is the more reason why he likes her a lot.
Responsible. Kind. Smart. Pretty. Adorable. Ethereal. Stunning. Beautiful. Strong. Caring-
“I’m thinking of stepping down from the student council.”
What?
Sabito stills. That is new. Giyuu sighs, thinking Sabito’s silence as a way to continue, “I just… I don’t feel like I belong there, you know? There might be other students who deserves my spot.”
Sabito does not know.
“Why? Did someone say something to you?” I’ll punch him in the face, goes unsaid.
“No, not like that. I mean, there are rumours going around, and I’m not affected, I swear. However, I just felt out of place because the members are all so amazing and I’m just…me.”
What rumour?
Oh no, Sabito does not like that.
This is not the first time this happened, in fact, Giyuu is more…. How should he say this? Giyuu does not trust herself to be capable when in reality she is more than competent. Sabito thought that her mental spiral stopped when they are in middle school, but it seemed like Sabito is wrong about that.
Let’s see.
Giyuu is not the type to be empathetic like Kanae, but she is the type to quietly provide support and be there as a silent pillar.
Huh. A pillar.
Sabito exhales slowly, quietly, so that Giyuu does not think that he is annoyed with her. Eventually, he asked, “What rumour?”
Giyuu shrugs. She goes back to pick on her bento; she refuses to meet his eyes. “The usual. That I got in because of my connection with Kanae-senpai. They said that I looked to contrast with her and I looked too unapproachable.”
Unapproachable? Perhaps due to Giyuu’s default looks, she may look like she does not want anyone to bother her. But if one were to look past her façade, she is more than willing to provide.
One just need to ballsy enough to actually talk to her to see.
How ironic.
Anyway!
“That’s stupid.” Sabito huffs.
Giyuu blinked. She wasn’t exactly surprised of his reaction, but she finds that her chest bloomed with warmth despite not meaning to. She pressed on, “I mean, they are not exactly wrong, are they? Besides, I don’t exactly stand out.”
That’s bullshit, Sabito thinks.
Maybe, against Kochou Kanae, she may look gloomy, but that is the charm about Giyuu. Kanae can be the sun all she wants, but the sun still needs the moon, don’t they?
Man, that is cheesy. He’s never saying that out loud.
“You don’t have to be all giggly feely to be perceived as approachable, you hear me?” Sabito takes a bite of the shrimp tempura Giyuu made, feeling indignant. “Also, do you really think that everyone in the council is better than you?”
“They are more confident.” She speaks quietly now.
“That does not mean they’re better.” Sabito could list out the confident people he knows that couldn’t do half of the shit Giyuu does. They are just more open to people, but they are just that.
Giyuu looks at him like he had told her something alien. Maybe, for her it is unheard of, considering the people she surrounds herself with. Kanae, Mitsuri, Rengoku…
He would add Shinobu in there, but the younger Kochou is more of a lone wolf. She hangs out with Gyutaro sometimes, and that was it. Shinobu is not in the student council anyway, so it is irrelevant.
Point being.
“If you step down because you’re tired of the shit you’re doing or because you found something better, that is fine.”
There’s a but in the air, waiting to be dropped.
Sabito looks directly at Giyuu, making eye-contact. He wills his heart to not beat so wildly but she looks so beautiful and he is –
“However, don’t you dare step down because some useless mobs who are blind to your worth.” God, it feels like he is adopting Sanemi’s speaking style now.
Giyuu looks stunned.
Sure, Sabito is rough at the edges, he is sometimes brash and speaks harsh. But his context is rarely ever demeaning or mocking.
Sabito continues, “You worked for that position as hard as anyone else.” He said it softly now, remembering the days they worked together to prepare for her portfolio and voting season, “Besides, do you think that Kanae would ever let you into the student council if she didn’t think you’re worthy?”
Kanae is kind, but she is not a pushover. Both of them knew of this fact, so Giyuu does feel a twinge of guilt.
If she does not trust herself, then trust Kanae for believing in her. Kanae sees something in Giyuu that she does not see herself, and it seems like Sabito sees it too.
Giyuu wonders what is it that they see in her.
She smiles softly.
It is not a complete change, no. One does not suddenly throw away an insecurity overnight.
But it is a start.
“Right, it is not fair to believe measly rumours, is it?”
Sabito thinks he just ascended.
Giyuu does not often smile, she teases, and she is sassy when situation calls for it. However, to see a smile is rare, even for Sabito, who has been her friend since childhood. This is by no means the first time he has seen her smile, but the impact does not get weaker anyway.
He believes that it will never get weaker.
Sabito nods, looking like the picture perfect of nonchalance and continued eating his bento.
Giyuu then says, “By the way, you sounded like you rehearsed that line.”
Sabito chokes on his rice. Giyuu pats him on his back and handed a bottle of water, which he gratefully downed half of it in one go.
When he successfully calmed down, he playfully glared at her, “Oi. Don’t get cheeky on me, you little shit.”
And Giyuu, the little shit she was, shrugged and ate the last bite of her rice. It is the Giyuu equivalent of sticking her tongue out.
Sabito scoffed at this and gently shoved her off balance. Giyuu squawked in protest and huffed indignantly. She swatted his hand off her, and attempts to push him in retaliation, but she hadn't pushed that hard, so he didn't even budge from his spot.
Sabito likes this. Their bond. He didn’t know if he will ever confess, but if he never did, then this is fine too.
Its not.
The bell rings again, signalling the end for lunch time.
Sabito gets up, and dusted off his pants. He offered his hand to pull Giyuu up, and she takes it. He helped her get situated and they walked back to class side by side.
He stands with her, whether as a friend or whatever Giyuu perceived him as, and supported her like a silent pillar.
And if one day –
She looks at him the way he does, then maybe.
For now, being her safe place is enough.
And if he walks beside her, close enough for their shoulders to brush and their hands are millimetres away from touching each other…
Well, that is only for Sabito to know.