Sleep Tight, My Dear Kusuo

8. Remembrance

Why am I here...?

Saiki internally groaned, resisting the strong urge to slump in his seat on the couch. Sitting down with his class in a karaoke room, Saiki wanted nothing more than to leave. The annual end-of-summer class get-together was being held on Saiki's birthday, unfortunately for him. The party planner being Hairo, didn't know this. And with only two weeks until the start of school, Hairo was hoping to get his classmates fired up for the second semester.

Saiki was grateful none of his classmates seemed to know about his birthday, sparing him the unwanted attention as they all began preparing for the first singer for karaoke. None of it mattered, really. He only came for one thing.

The specialty item on the menu.

Dazzling!

Saiki winced, being sure that the dessert was sparkling off the menu. This was what made it worth the trip.

Picking up the phone, Saiki placed an order for the dessert and went back to his seat next to Atsuki and Kaidou.

"Excited?" Atsuki bumped shoulder's with Saiki.

Oh, and this guy would've just pestered Saiki into coming as well.

Kaidou turned to them. "So, what song are you guys gonna be singing?"

I didn't come here to sing.

"Think I'll just go for whatever." Atsuki shrugged, knowing the girls would probably make him sing. He cared for singing about as much as he cared for sports. Which was little to none.

Everyone turned towards the flatscreen when the first singer stepped up. It was Takahashi. As soon as he started singing, Saiki used a power to cancel the song. Oops. How did that happen? Anyways, it was better than hearing Takahashi sing. Everyone should think of it as a favor.

Hairo approached them with a tablet. "Hey! Saiki, Atsuki! In a way to ensure good memories, we have a class rule that everyone has to sing at least once!"

What a lame attitude. I hate it but oh well.

Saiki took the tablet and input a random song before passing it off to Atsuki. The song Saiki picked was weird, but he didn't plan on singing it anyway. Atsuki chose a song and handed the tablet back to Hairo, noticing the group of girls that slid in the seats next to him.

"Oh! I guess this is my cue to sing." Kaidou jumped off the couch with a confident smirk, grabbing the microphone as he prepared for his song.

"Yo," Atsuki greeted his random classmates whom he couldn't remember the names of. He wasn't sure why they suddenly decided to take their seats next to him. Honestly, he couldn't be bothered.

The girls decided to spark up a conversation when Kaidou began singing. Atsuki tried listening to them, but on inside, he wished he were bothering Saiki instead. His eyes drifted over to Saiki, who was still checking out the dessert menu.

Saiki kept his gaze on the menu as he internally monologued, What? Got a problem? Doesn't matter if I ordered my dessert. I can still admire this part of the menu.

One question in particular had grabbed Atsuki's attention.

"Atsuki. So, what's your love language?"

"Hm? My love language...?" Atsuki pretended to ponder, sneaking another glance at Saiki. It was a good question, one he has never thought of but could probably list a thousand different answers for. He'd just go easy on them by summing it up. "I guess, acts of service? I also like teasing them... but definitely gift-giving. Oh, and I'm a big fan of physical touch. I can't keep my hands off the person I love, you know?" He threw in a wink at the end, making the girls swoon. "And I have to always be around them. Spending time is my favorite part. Wait, I also love nicknames. Pet names? Whatever. I love it all."