ajisai | s. shinichiro

十八

🗀 Rejection: 18

"Woah, this is so cool!" Shinichiro gasps, his eyes wandering around Airi's room as he sets foot on this place for the first time. "Hey, I really like this little art corner of yours here. It represents you so much!" He says, going over it and taking a look.

As he's still admiring the little table filled with used and folded oil paint tubes, freshly cleaned paintbrushes, pencils placed inside a pencil holder and other materials, Airi reached her arm out to take a hold of his chin, turning the direction of his head down to her.

"Don't look at anything else." She tells him, a slight pink tint painting her cheeks. Letting out a sigh, she goes over to the free space of her room, placing two chairs on the circular table before placing their books on top. "Let's just get this over with."

"Where's Takashi?" Shinichiro asks, sitting down in front of Airi, watching her flip through the pages of her book.

"He's either still in school or hanging out with a friend or two." She replies, not looking up at him. "And keep quiet too. Luna is home with us too." As soon as she said that, Luna's cries echoed from her room. Heaving out a sigh, she stood up from her seat and left to go calm her down.

All the while Shinichiro is left alone in her room, he couldn't help but let his eyes wander a bit more inside her room; taking notice of the unused canvases in one corner, polaroids pasted on the wall above her headboard and a few small stuffed toys on her bed. In all honesty, he didn't care her for one to like stuffed toys.

"I guess someone is going to be joining us." Airi returns back to her room, but this time carrying Luna in her arms. "Luna, say hi to him." She says, smiling while taking her small hand, waving it at Shinichiro.

Seeing Airi carrying a little baby in her arms just made him fall for her more, ten times than the original. And was it even possible? Possible to fall for someone but harder than the first time? Maybe he did have heart worms just like what she told him back then, but he'll blame her for making him have it.

"Eh?" Airi questions, looking at Luna who's leaning her small body over her arm, her small hands making grabby motions towards Shinichiro. "I guess she wants to be carried by you." She says, handing Luna over to him.

A smile immediately paints his lips as he readies his arms to carry Luna. Carrying the months old baby under her arms before letting her lean over his chest. "Nice to see you again, Luna. We met when you were still in the hospital." He tells her, thinking she would understand him.

And for the next one and a half hour, the two teenagers studied and reviewed over the notes while simultaneously looking after Luna who seemed to like them carrying her by taking turns.

The following day at school, Airi's face flushed pale while chills and body aches course over her body; to add a cherry on top of what she's feeling, she felt weak as well, unable to push open the girls' restroom door without Roa nor Seiko's help. As the two girls saw her weakened and fragile state, they entered the bathroom and huddled over in one corner of the sink.

"I got the medications from the school clinic already!" Seiko beams, showing it to Roa. "It's so easy feigning being sick but troublesome since the nurse insisted I lay down for a bit!" She pouts.

"I got this already too!" Roa spoke, showing to her the lemon vitamin drink in her hand. "Now all we need to do is to find Sano kun!"

"That's great!" Seiko beams, smiling brightly until the smile slowly faltered as she realizes something. "Wait a minute...if were going to look for Sano kun, that means...Imaushi kun is with him. What about you?"

As Roa lets Seiko's words sink inside her brain, her face turned red in color. "Y-You're right..." she stammers, not ready to be in a close distance with the white haired male. "But let's just go! Airi's probably still sleeping on her desk!" 

Now the hunt to look for Shinichiro begins. The two girls jogged down the stairs and looked all over the tall male from floor to floor of the high school building. When they couldn't, they turned to look for him in the cafeteria, library and out of the school yard.

"Where is Sano kun when you need him?!" Roa shouts, startling the other students around them in the yard. "Seriously! I know he went to school today, I even saw him with-" she was unable to finish her sentence when a voice from behind her spoke.

"What do you need him for?"

Turning around, Roa's eyes widened in surprise, darting away. "I uh, you see...Airi's sick...that's why were looking for him." She responded back to Wakasa, straightening then folding her legs in embarrassment. When she couldn't take standing in front of him, she shoved the drink to his chest before pulling Seiko's arm away. Before being dragged away, Seiko shoved the medicine pack to Wakasa's chest.

"Thanks for waiting for me, Waka!" Shinichiro says, popping up on him from behind, holding onto two yogurt drinks in one hand. "Hm? What d'you got there?" He asks, eyeing the medicinal items in his hands.

"I think it's for you." He says, handing the two items to him.

"What?" Shinichiro questions. "Are you saying I'm sick or something?"

"Not you, idiot." He replies, eyebrows furrowing at him. "Your crush is sick!"

That was all Shinichiro needed to hear for him to take the items that were in his hand and bolting inside the school building, sprinting towards the stairs by two. Turning at the corner of the floor of their rooms, he used his arm to slide the door before noticing Airi with her head down on the table and her hair down for the first time.

It would have been second time if only he wasn't drunk that night and could remember what he saw.

"Hey, Airi chan" Shinichiro begins to say, pulling a chair for him to sit on so he could sit in front of her, gently tapping her head. "Airi chan, I got you something."

Slowly lifting her head up, Airi flutters her eyes open, darting on his face and down to the items he has with him. "You didn't have to." She voices out, slowly straightening her back as she tries to sit properly but fails.

"But I insist." He tells her. "I'm guessing you don't have the energy to eat, so just drink this." He says, sliding the yogurt drink to her. "If you're done, you can now take these two next." Followed by sliding what Wakasa gave him earlier. "Are you sure you're okay? I can carry you on my back and take you to the school clinic." 

Airi shook her head, taking a hold of the yogurt drink, opening the cap and taking a sip. "I'm alright." She says. "Lunch period is about to end, Shin. You can go back to your room now. I can handle from here." She replies, giving him a small smile.

A soft sigh escapes his lips, leaning his back on the seat as he looks at her. "You're so strong for putting up with everything and even when you're sick. That's exactly why I like you, Airi chan." He says, leaning closer to her. "If I take you out on a date, will you go out with me?"

"No." Airi responded quickly. "I'm sick and don't have the energy to do a lot." She says, looking at him. "And don't get too close to me. You'll get sick too."

"It's okay!" Shinichiro hums, smiling with his eyes closed. "But if you were a little better, would you still go out with me?"

"Maybe." Airi mumbles, loud enough for only him to hear as her classmates starts entering their classroom one by one. Her one word reply alone caused Shinichiro's heart to pounding inside his chest.