Philophobia | Shin Soukoku (slow updates)

2.

The bell rang for lunch and Akutagawa neatly placed his books back into his satchel and stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. He began to look around for Higuchi and let out an audible sigh when he saw her standing in front of Atsushi's desk, a large smile on her face.

Akutagawa walked towards them, his eyes narrowed into a glare after hearing what she said. “Hey, Atsushi! Do you wanna sit with Akutagawa and I at lunch?”

A few girls glared at them, waiting for the new student's answer and the dark-haired boy in glasses seemed to be the only one that noticed. Please don't say anything stupid...

“Sure, I don't see why not,” Atsushi replied in an oblivious manner, a wide grin on his face.

“Great,” Higuchi said and clapped her hands, watching as the white-haired boy packed his bag. When Atsushi stood up, Higuchi linked their arms together and dragged the boy out of the classroom.

Akutagawa sighed and followed after them, seeing Higuchi already chattering happily with Atsushi who was smiling and laughing at whatever she said.

I can't believe that they're already that close...

Akutagawa felt a slight sense of jealousy at how they had already gotten used to each other's presence, not because someone else had grabbed Higuchi's attention but because Akutagawa wished that he could also be that open.

He's always had an issue when it came to expressing how he felt to people that he was close to and the anxiety that came with it. Akutagawa always found himself nervous and shaking at the thought of it, wishing that anything could just help him speak. He wouldn't be surprised if Higuchi got bored of him soon...

They turned left into a set of stairs and Akutagawa followed closely behind the loud pair, only looking up when Higuchi pushed the door at the top of the staircase open. Sunlight poured in and revealed the school's roof which quickly caught Atsushi's attention and he slipped out of Higuchi's grip.

“Do you guys always sit up here?” The white-haired boy asked with wide eyes as he looked over the metal railing.

The dark-haired boy couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes at his child-like curiosity but he also found it quite endearing.

“Of course,” Higuchi grinned while wrapping an arm around Akutagawa's shoulders. “It's quiet up here and this anti-social grump loves it.”

Akutagawa glared at her silently and the blonde girl smiled which made Atsushi laugh at the two of them. The group sat down together on the floor and Atsushi pulled a bento box from his bag, humming happily to himself.

When he pulled out his chopsticks, he felt a pair of eyes on him and looked up to see Higuchi looking at him with a smile and Akutagawa with an annoyed frown.

Atsushi blushed and awkwardly stuttered, “M-My...dad made it for me. He wanted me to have something nice on my first day of school...”

Higuchi smiled. “Don't worry about it, I just wish my mom still made me lunch. It's cute that your dad cares that much, right Akutagawa?”

Akutagawa just shrugged and picked up his sandwich, taking a small bite. He couldn't relate to what either were saying since he didn't have any parents and it had just been him and his sister for as long as he could remember.

Higuchi noticed his drop in mood and proceeded to change the conversation. “Oh! Before I forget, my name's Higuchi Ichiyō. You can call me either if you like.”

“It's nice to meet you, Ichiyō-chan,” Atsushi said with a smile.

“It's nice to meet you too, Atsushi. I just wish someone else would call me by my first name,” Higuchi sighed dramatically.

Akutagawa rolled his dark eyes and grumbled, “We aren't that close.”

“We've known each other for 5 years!” She protested loudly.

“What's your point?”

Atsushi watched as they argued back and forth, a laugh building up in his throat. They finally stopped, Higuchi, huffing in evident annoyance at her friend's remark. “So, which school did you go to before transferring to Yokohama High?”

The white-haired boy's mood slowly dropped as he heard that question, an embarrassed blush covering his cheeks. “I was actually homeschooled before, I just transferred here because of...family issues.”

An uncomfortable silence stretched out between them and Higuchi cleared her throat. “You don't have to discuss it if it makes you uncomfortable,” she reassured quietly.

Atsushi gave her a grateful smile and Akutagawa glanced at him skeptically. He felt himself grow curious at Atsushi's hesitation and Akutagawa wanted to know more of his story, but they weren't close enough for him to ask. So, he stayed silent and listened as Atsushi and Higuchi talked to each other.