Bouncing Back II | Kusuo S.

06

   Friend Groups didn't sit well with you that much. There are countless scenarios where having big groups may lead to unfortunate events and conflicts. You've witnessed all kinds of it, heard both sides and sided with none. Now, you've considered classmates as just, well, classmates. Nothing more. The only person you came to be more open with like a friend is Teruhashi. You did, after all, grew together.

    Did you grow apart? No, not at all. However, both of you seem to have taken different interests. It may have led both of you to take different paths but that didn't mean you had to grow apart. You still reciprocate the little things she gives and shows; greetings, gifts, updates.

    Then, Kusuo came along. You felt interest beyond friendship towards him. You've got no company to tell about, it's only you who knows that you like the guy...And him because his psychic abilities kills surprises.

   Creating deep bonds has always been difficult for you, but you understood what it meant and how it worked. You simply just lacked the will to create one with someone. You've come to believe that your own company has kept you safe and good.

   And yet, for whatever reason that came across the line Kusuo drew between the two of you, he felt some kind of connection towards you. Maybe because you talk with yourself—in your head—like a journal. Having telepathy didn't help him avoid hearing everything.

    He feels like he knows your every nook and cranny. He knows things about you that even your only claimed friend, Teruhashi, doesn't know about. Your words printed in his head like it's your journal.

    Only he knows those things about you. You're like a fragile, hidden gem that no one bats an eye on, but never failed to glow—and only he can witness it. What a charm.

    Kusuo brushes his finger and thumb against his chin as he sat on the opposite side of the library table where you're also seated. He's also trying to figure out if your fondness towards him is genuine or is still on the stage of figuring it out. But with the amount of art and literature you've made about him, it'd be hard to deny in court that you don't like him.

    "Penny for your thoughts?"

    The psychic raises a brow, failing to pay any attention to what you were saying. "About what?" he asks, glancing at the book that you're holding. A Cook Book. He didn't take you for someone who cooks, he recalls you only relying your food consumption on what Mrs. Saiki makes.

    "This meal," you set the book down, pointing at a specific dish that seems easy enough to do. "Does it look like a good meal to use in HomeEc?

    "Didn't HomeEc teachers sticked to the easy stuff? Crepes, pancakes, fried rice." he lists down the other things his class cooked for their HomeEc. "This looks difficult."

    "You sound like you're doubting me." you raise a brow.

    "You sound like you'll fail." Kusuo didn't have to go through the trouble of picking an easy dish for you to cook in HomeEc, however, he's trying to clean off the guilt of being unreasonably mean to you. You've moved on from it, he has not. He came to realize that you are not embarrassed of liking him, you just didn't feel the need to share to everyone about your fondness towards him.

He finds your head rested on top of the cook book as if failure had already passed your attempt to surpass it. "Instructions are included," you hear him point out. "Try making it first before complaining."

"What's your favorite food?"

Kusuo raise a brow. "I'm not picky with food." he said. "Anything's just fine."

"When did you start babysitting Yuuta?"

"This isn't about food anymore, is it?" Kusuo let out a sigh as he took his bag from the chair beside him. "If you can waste your time with small talk, try using some of it to make some dish for your HomeEc."

Offering 30 minutes of his company is enough to feed some of his guilt full, right? He can now head home without a heavy head. Although, he didn't really contribute much with your brainstorming.

"Heey! That's my favorite food!"

Kusuo can hear the librarian shushing Nendou, who appeared so suddenly beside you while pointing at the dish you were eyeing.

"My Mom makes it all the time. She can beat all the chefs who makes 'em!" Nendou brags, a string of laugh rushes out of his lips.

Kusuo narrows his eyes. Another sight where you and Nendou are beside each other. Should he be getting used to it? He watches as you asked a couple of questions about the meal while Nendou practically answered all of them flawlessly. From what he recalled, Nendou isn't that bad in the kitchen.

"So, put it in medium heat until the pork is tender?" you question, listing down the tips you're given on a piece of paper.

"Yeah, and don't stir, you have to let the soy sauce cook." Nendou responded, watching you write down what he says. He turns to Kusuo who watched the scene before him with his usual furrowed brows. "Hey, buddy! Ya waiting for me? Just wait a sec, let's get some ramen after this!"

Kusuo didn't have any obligation to stay and accompany you anymore. Before both you and Nendou notice, he had already left.

On his walk home, he can't seem to get rid of his knitted brows. It's as if he still has a thought in the back of his head that's refusing to leave. You say you can't bond well with others, but with a sight like that, he can tell that you're doing well.

He massages his temple to get rid of his furrowed brows that is partnered up with a heavy frown.

He's probably just a muse to you. Nothing special.

"You walk too fast!"

To no surprise, he turns his head to see you jogging up towards him with a paper on hand. You stop in front of him, panting and catching your breath with a heave and a ho.

"Why did you suddenly leave? You were going to help buy some ingredients." you said, he can still hear you breathing heavily.

"Weren't you getting help from Nendou?" He asks, proceeding to walk, this time with you standing beside him.

"Nendou's great with tips but that's all I asked helped for." you said, waving the list of tips that you wrote down earlier. "I wanted to practice with you. Be my taste tester."

Maybe he just wanted you to make him feel that you still needed him there.

"Good grief." you hear him say. You smile as you caught a small curl forming his lips, although pointing it out would probably make it disappear in an instant. He can hear you though. His forming smile dropped as he proceeded to walk.

    "What are you smiling about?" he asks, raising a brow.

    "Nothing. You're seeing stuff." you immediately dropped your beam into a frown to hide the fact that you were actually enjoying the sight of his smile.

     Kusuo seem to realize that he likes it better if you stood beside him instead of standing beside anyone else. It isn't jealousy, that he confirms it. It's a feeling he can't seem to poke with at the moment. Almost like he didn't want you standing among the crowd of nuisances that he collected throughout the year.

    But you do have to admit, there's quite the progress.