☆ opposites attract | saiouma fic ☆

eighteen | coffee

☆

"Alright, Shuichi!" Tenko huffed with a certain determination in her voice, slapping her hands against the table. "Give it to me straight. Is he bothering you?"

That prompted Shuichi to flinch. As a detective, he kinda felt like he was finally the one being interrogated for once...

Just as he suspected, time ended up passing rather quickly, and he was now finally seated at a café table with Tenko and Kirumi. Things didn't feel any more cleared up, though. His mind was only getting more and more scrambled as Tenko continued to puzzle him.

"Um... who, exactly, are we talking about?" He muttered, shifting his gaze towards Kirumi in hopes that she'd chime in to help.

Quickly taking notice of that, Kirumi cleared her throat. "What she means by that is, we have some concerns regarding Ouma. You're not aware, are you?"

Shuichi raised an eyebrow. "Aware? What should I be aware of?"

"It's not anything to fret over, don't worry, but he's been..."

Kirumi hesitated, exchanging glances with Tenko before continuing.

"...asking us about you."

Shuichi paused, beginning to tense up a little bit. "Alright, then... I see. So what has he been asking?"

"A lot of things! From your birthday, to your interests, to items you like..." Tenko trailed off, and then put her finger up to her chin as if she was thinking about something. "Y'know, from one gay person to another, dare I say he might have a little interest in you! But I can't trust that filthy degenerate." She grumbled, crossing her arms.

...Oh.

Honestly, Shuichi couldn't tell if that made him even more anxious, or if it made him relieved.

It didn't seem to be a serious matter at least, but Kokichi? Interested in him? He doubted it. He was probably just going around asking all of this stuff because he wanted to become closer friends.

Yeah. That's definitely it.

"Oh, well... I'm glad that he's thinking of me, but that's probably not the case, Tenko." Shuichi blushed, letting out a soft sigh. "So, how long has this been going on for?"

"I believe it began after the fight with Maki occurred," Kirumi stated, taking a sip of her coffee. "Seeing how you defended him, I'd say he wants to find a way to show his appreciation, correct? Although, he has been asking people that aren't that close to you... I wonder why that is."

"Mm..." Shuichi hummed, beginning to think. "I think it's because he knows if he asks my closest friends, who all have a connection to Maki, that they'd end up telling her and she'd find out about it. She doesn't really want him near me, so anything could set her off..."

"I guess that makes sense...well, Shuichi, are you okay with this?" Tenko inquired, concern spread on her face. "I mean, I know you're on good terms with him and all, but still, I can't help but worry! He seems like generally bad news..."

After hearing that, Shuichi paused.

It was understandable why people would think so, but after hearing somebody refer to Kokichi as bad news, he felt something in his chest tighten. He just wished that people would at least try to believe in him a little more.

Regardless, he pushed that feeling aside for now-or at least tried his best to.

"I understand your concern, but seriously, he's not as bad as the rumors say. Please go easier on him, alright?" Shuichi said, beginning to fidget with his fingers underneath the table.

Tenko stayed silent for a few moments before eventually nodding. "Alright, fine... but don't hesitate to call me if he bothers you, okay?"

"Okay... then, is that all you wanted to talk about?" He asked.

"Yes. As long as you're aware, we'll stay out of your business." Kirumi added, standing up and swiftly brushing off her dress.

She then turned to look out of the window, her facial expression suddenly looking a bit dismayed. "Oh, dear... It's raining outside now. Would you two like a ride home? I insist."

"Oh, really? as long as it's okay with-"

Interrupting Shuichi, there were Tenko's squeals.

"Thank you so much, Kirumi! You're so awesome!" She gushed, jumping up and down.

"It's no problem," Kirumi chuckled, heading towards the door and opening it for the other two. She was always really mature and considerate.

With that, the three of them began to head home.

Shuichi remained pretty silent the whole time, leaning his head up against the car window as the raindrops ricocheted off of it. His mind was preoccupied with a whole bunch of things. Seeing how these rumors of Kokichi were pretty much warping people's perception of him, Shuichi wanted to get to the bottom of it.

He wanted to know why he really got expelled.

He didn't want to pry, but since his parents knew Kokichi's mother, he knew he had a chance of finding out if he asked them about it.