Chapter Text
"Yo! Let's go home together!"
He paused by the school gates, looking over to see Otogi leaning casually against the brick pillar, giving him a lazy, half-hearted wave. Her fox ears twitched, perking up with an unmistakable spark of mischief as she looked entirely too pleased with herself.
"Thought you’d be long gone by this hour."
"Ehh? That's your reaction? Your cute and cool, precious childhood friend, Otogi-chan, waited all the way for you at the school gates to invite you to come home together, and you don't feel excited or grateful at all? Ugh, there must be something wrong with how I raised you! Where did I go wrong?"
“I’m so grateful… thank you so much, Otogi-sama. Perhaps this is a sign of good fortune in the coming days.” He brought his hands together, bowing slightly in mock prayer as if standing before a shrine.
“Much better! Keep it coming, keep it coming.”
“I’m surprised you’re not with Kurumi, though.”
“You’re saying it like we’re stuck with each other.”
“You practically are, I rarely see you not together.”
“Eh… Hm… Oh, I see…”
Otogi’s eyes narrowed into a knowing, triumphant smirk, one eyebrow arching high as she leaned in slightly. “You’ve been feeling lonely that I haven’t been spending time with you? You are, aren’t ya?”
“Uhh no? Why would I be?”
“Why do you have to say it so bluntly like that…”
They fell into step, walking side by side down the path toward home as they continued chatting.
“Yeah, it’s just paperwork and more paperwork… the Student Council is so boring.”
“Hahaha, sucks to be you~ You should have joined our club instead.”
"Speaking of your club, why aren't you with Yukino, Niko, and Kurumi? Club activities got cancelled?"
"Yeah, that campsite we planned to go camping at was closed down for the day. Something about a bear sighting. Why did they have to close it down? We could have tried hunting it down!"
“There you go again, talking about dangerous stuff. Well, still, it’s a bummer you girls couldn’t go.”
"Sucks indeed. Our kouhais were looking forward to joining us as well. Miyu was especially very dejected, she almost cried."
"So you didn't have any other plans?"
"We were actually going to hang out somewhere, but umm..." She fidgeted slightly with the oversized cuffs of her sleeves, her gaze suddenly finding the pathway very interesting.
"Otogi?"
"I just wanted to see you... y'know? It's been a while... since you're so busy with the student council lately... and you're always around the blue-haired Student Council President." Her voice lost its earlier bite, dropping into something much smaller and more hesitant.
"Ah, what are you making me say..."
"Hahahaha."
"Oi, this is no laughing matter. How dare you make fun of a maiden's vulnerable feelings…"
He let out a soft, fond sigh, lifting a hand to rest on top of her head, giving her brown hair a gentle, pat.
"Sorry, Otogi, it really has been a while, huh? Have you been lonely?"
Otogi froze instantly beneath his palm, her ears flattening back in a reflex of sheer shock. For a suspended second, the realization of what she had just admitted crashed down through her stubborn defenses, sending a violent jolt through her. Her eyes darted away in utter mortification as she tried to scramble for any escape route.
“Um… please forget what I just said!” Otogi stammered, frantically pulling the collar of her sailor uniform up to hide her blazing, tomato-red cheeks.
"Nope~" He replied with a smug, teasing grin, thoroughly enjoying the rare sight of her actually cornered.
“Ah, so annoying… I will get you back for this. Just you wait.”
They continued bickering back and forth, though beneath the playful jabs, a quiet, genuine smile lingered on Otogi's face as they walked side by side.
“Then… since your club activities got cancelled, why don't we play fort again?”
“Oh! It’s been a while since we went to our secret base! We definitely should!”
“We’ll need provisions first.”
Otogi’s eyes instantly lit up, her fox ears twitching with renewed energy as her fleeting embarrassment vanished behind the prospect of snacks.
"Ooh! Excellent tactical judgment. Oh right! Niko actually gave me some of her homemade inarizushi earlier, and she told me to share them with you. We can have those!"
“That’s great! Niko’s cooking always hits the spot. We just need to grab the drinks then.”
“Heehee, race you to the convenience store! Loser has to pay for both!”
Before he could even process the challenge, Otogi spun around and bolted down the street, sprinting ahead with a triumphant laugh.
“Hey, Otogi! With no warning?! That’s completely unfair!”
“Haha! Less complaining, more running!”
He let out a resigned sigh, though a warm, fond grin broke through as he picked up his pace to chase after her.