Harem of Side Characters [Rewrite]

Kozue Minamikata - Birdcage

I step on the deck of the ship to find that the weather is perfect this morning. The sun is shining, but the cool ocean breeze is mitigating the scorching temperature. As I walk, I spot a girl sitting nearby.

"...Kozue? More like Yo-zue. What's up?" ...I know, my jokes are getting worse every time.

"..." Minamikata stares at me, but doesn't say anything.

"Good morning." I greet her normally this time.

"...Did you really just greet me with 'Yo-zue'?"

"No. That never happened." I think it would be best if we both forgot that horrible joke.

"Yeah, I thought so. That would have been super lame."

"It's quite rare to see you on your own." I comment.

"I suppose you're right. Sayo had something to do this morning, Chihiro doesn't like mornings, and Yuki wants to die during mornings. So my roommates are all occupied, meaning it's just me, myself, and I. It's cool, though. I like having some alone time every now and then, it's a good time to relax. Especially because the weather is actually pretty cool today."

"Not a fan of hot summer days?"

"Not in particular. When it's hot we start sweating a lot, which is kind of gross and stuff."

"...Aren't you an athlete? Shouldn't you be used to being sweaty by now?"

"Being an athlete doesn't mean I want to be sticky with sweat for 24 hours. Do you want to like... sit down, by the way? It's kind of weird having you loom over me like a statue while we talk."

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Minamikata slides over, letting me take a seat next to her. She wraps her arms around her legs in a comfortable manner.

"You know, it's kinda hard to believe we're around the same age." She says.

"Why is that?"

"I dunno. You don't really act like someone our age. You're more of a... cool senpai or something. You know, the broody guy that the girls pine over."

"I don't know if that's a compliment or not."

"Totally is. Honestly, I would love to be that kind of dude. How do I become the dark and broody type like you?" She questions.

"Well, all you have to do is give up on everything you've ever loved and surrender yourself to your impending demise." I answer in a slightly joking manner. Although... it's not too far from the truth.

"Woah...That's so lame." Minamikata says with a fake admiring tone, before snickering slightly.

"Pfft...Give up on everything you've ever loved. I'm Ayanokouji and I'm the coolest guy around." She imitates my deep monotone voice the best she can. Which is admittedly... not very good.

"...You are making a mockery of my carefully crafted personality, Minamikata."

"You're making it way too easy to do that. If you keep acting that way, you'll never be able to get a girlfriend you know?" She teases.

"...I guess I will have to settle for having you only, how depressing."

"Hey, I was jo- Wait, why is having me only depressing? I think I'm a pretty cool girl." She complains. Well she's not wrong about that.

"While you're here, you up to hit the cafe?" She asks me.

"...I have nothing else to do, so sure."

"Awesome. You're paying, by the way. Consider it a fine for making me listen to your horrible jokes."