On the Chase / PhantomPlayz140

《 Chapter 18 》

<<CHAPTER 18>>

"Shuichi. Come on! Tell me the problem already!"

"N-no..."

"Please...?"

"...no."

"Shuichi, I will tear that emo cap off your head and throw it into the dumpster if you don't tell me what is going on between you and Ouma-kun."

"N-not my hat!"

"Then tell me, please."

Shuichi sighed. 'There's nothing else I can do other than get my hat dirtied by some pianist.'

"O-okay, fine. But I doubt anything I say to you is helpful."

"You never know." Kaede nodding, saying that she's ready to listening, ears open.

"Uhm, okay..." Shuichi started explaining everything again, start to finish. When Kokichi stayed for the night before since he had some sort of weird-plotted panic attack, when they greeted Rantaro at homeroom today, and how Kokichi ignored him for the rest of day, not explaining any shit to why he's not saying anything to Shuichi. He asked Tsumugi about it, how she said Kokichi got 'friend-zoned,' and that was it.

Kaede listened. Really, she did.

It was no wonder she was staring at her ex, dumbfounded. Her mouth was opened slightly ajar, and Shuichi wondered if he broke her.

"Shuichi Saihara. I... can't really help but say that Tsumugi was right."

"Wha...t?"

"About the 'friend-zoned' part, duh!" Kaede toned her voice as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Kokichi mentioned 'avocados,' sure. And he nicknamed Rantaro Amami 'Avocado,' right? And Tsumugi followed along with it, doing the same thing; calling him 'Avocado.'"

"Please stop saying avocados..." Shuichi pleaded. Kaede continued, not even stopping.

"Now there's a chance he might've 'accidentally' got hit with avocados in his life, but why bring that up as an answer to your question? When you told me about him, he usually just either avoids the question, ignores the question, even lie! Instead, he just straight up said that excuse. He's hinting something. And 'that word that you don't want me to say' is the key."

"...I'm afraid you lost me, Akamatsu-San..."

"Tsumugi literally said that Kokichi and Rantaro are competing for you, and you denied the fact that they are."

"W-well Er... I was just... surprised to hear about that...!"

"A bisexual man in denial for everything huh," Kaede sighed. "So in summary, to back up Tsumugi's claim, Kokichi freaking Ouma is jealous."

"...he's jealous?"

"Shuichi, do I have to explain everything aga-"

"Why didn't he say so...? I could've just hung out with him if he told me."

"... Actually, yeah, why didn't he?" Kaede thought out loud. "He usually has methods of gaining your attention, does he?"

"You didn't even meet Ouma-kun -nor Amami-kun- and you already knew so much about them..."

"I can tell based on what you and Tsumugi told me about when I was overseas," Kaede said. "But I assure you, you're actually not the problem. It's Amami-kun. He's actually getting your attention, which probably annoyed Kokichi."

"Oh. So it's Amami-kun." A minute later, Shuichi groaned. "Why are my relationships with people are so complicated?" He leaned back, his upper body hitting the center of his bed.