𝐺𝐴𝑁𝐺𝑆𝐻𝐼𝑇𝑆 // 𝑇𝑂𝐾𝑌𝑂 𝑅𝐸𝑉𝐸𝑁𝐺𝐸𝑅𝑆

-0

'Eh?'

"Oi, Takemichi, hurry up!"

"Wha—who…?"

"Michi-kun, are you okay?"

The bewildered blonde turned toward the source of the voice, his eyes widening at the sight before him. A girl he knew all too well stood there, accompanied by four familiar boys. 

"Oi, man, what’s wrong with you?" 

An arm landed on his shoulders, making him flinch. He turned to see the culprit, his heart skipping a beat. 

'Akkun?! What the hell is going on? Why am I back here?!' 

Flashes of memory hit him like a tidal wave. 'I remember... I was about to be hit by a train. So why am I here?!'

A sharp pain pierced through his skull, forcing a groan from his lips. He rubbed the sore spot instinctively. 

"Ow! What was that for?!" he snapped, glaring at the person who smacked him. 

"Hanagaki Takemichi, stop zoning out. What’s wrong with you?"

The girl in front of him sounded irritated, but her eyes betrayed a hint of concern. 

"I—I, uh…"

"Man, don’t tell me you stayed up all night watching p—"

"Yamagishi!" Another voice cut in. "Naomi-chan is with us. Cut it out." 

"Right, sorry."

Naomi sighed at her friends' stupidity, then turned on her heel, walking ahead. The four boys exchanged confused glances before she stopped and looked back, her expression unimpressed. 

"What are you all standing around for? We’re going to be late. Let’s go."

— 

"Michi, I told you to stop spacing out!" 

A frustrated groan snapped Takemichi out of his trance. Naomi swung her legs off the table and shot him an irritated glare. 

"E-eh…?"

She rolled her eyes. "What is up with you today? Did you have a fight with Hina-chan or something?"

"Huh? N-no! We didn’t fight. I guess I’m just... a little tired." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. 

Naomi eyed him skeptically but chose not to push further. Instead, she took a sip of her strawberry juice. 

"Say... you’re going to Shibuya with the others later, right?" she asked casually. 

"Eh? Oh… yeah." His voice was quiet, his mind clearly elsewhere. 

Naomi sighed, unimpressed with his absentmindedness. She abruptly stood up, causing the blonde to jolt in surprise. 

"Where are you going?" Takemichi asked, his brows furrowing. 

"Dunno. I’m ditching. See ya."

"Ehh?!?!" His voice shot up an octave, his earlier worries momentarily forgotten. He jumped to his feet, staring at her in disbelief. 

Naomi raised an eyebrow, startled by his outburst. "What? Why are you freaking out?"

"I—I, uhh… n-nothing!" Takemichi stammered, averting his gaze as sweat formed on his brow. 'Right… Naomi-chan used to ditch school in the past too.'

Naomi scoffed. "You’re acting really weird today." 

Takemichi let out a nervous chuckle. "Sorry..."

"Meh, whatever. I’ll see you tomorrow." She waved him off, heading for the door. 

"Yeah! Bye, Omi-chan!"

She paused in the doorway, glancing back at him with a serious expression. 

"Be careful. Call me if anything happens." 

And just like that, she walked away, leaving Takemichi alone with his thoughts—thoughts that only seemed to grow heavier by the second. 

- edited.