Seat Partner: An Erased Fanfiction [Kenya Kobayashi x Reader]

Chapter 2: Thank You

My eyes are now affixed on the boy's face, feeling my chest tighten and heart begin to bump. This new look that has suddenly appeared on Kenya's face; caring and warm. Those are the radiating feelings involved in this look that compete with his expression only moments earlier.

As he walks past me, I let out a breath of air and follow closely behind. The halls are quiet as we make our way to exit the building, all I can hear are the sounds of our footsteps and the occasional deep breath. Say something. My eyes gaze frantically around as I walk, searching for something to say.

"So, this hideout.." I barely squeeze these words from my throat, picking up my pace a little to walk side by side with blondie. From the corner of my eye, I see his eyebrow raise and then a nod towards me. This most likely prompting me to continue. "What exactly is it?" I finish, the tension in my body slowly receding.

"It's like our gathering place," Kenya explains, "We often meet up there after school." He finishes, sliding his barren hands now into his coat pockets. As we're about to step outside, I notice the trees are flowing swiftly. I can just imagine the cool wind, awaiting to freeze anyone who steps outside. Sadly, I have no gloves, no hat, no means of protection against the cold besides my jacket.

Kenya pushes the door open, allowing me to walk through first, then coming out after me. I shiver a bit, my face catching the impact of the fierce winter wind. I cup my hands over my mouth and blow into them, hoping for my somewhat warm breath to soothe their coldness.

Kenya glances towards me, most likely taking note of my lack of warmth. "It's not too far from here." He mentions as we continue to walk. I don't say anything more, and in a matter of minutes we've arrived. How anticlimactic. Kenya leads me inside. The temperature in this building is no better than outside! He must have noticed my discomfort, as he knelt down by what looks like a heater, getting it running. "Thank you." I mumble, basking in the warmth that begins to fill the room.

He rises, flashing a comforting smile. "The others should be getting here any time now." He says, sliding off his coat. He offers a hand towards me and at first I'm confused by what he wants. My hand? I reach my hand out and place it on his, but he quickly speaks up. "Your coat." His eyes shift to the side and I urgently pull my hand back. My cheeks were burning now. How stupid of me, of course he meant the coat!

I fidget with my hands for a bit, "S-Sorry." I apologize, pressing my two index fingers together. "Don't bother." He gives an endearing smile, setting our coats down. He then proceeds to pull a book from his backpack, leaning against a wall as he opens it. E-Eh? He's just going to read? I look at the cover of the book, recognizing it in an instant. "Oh!" I blurt out, stepping towards him. "You're reading that book too?" I'm now beside him, staring at the contents of the book. "Yes, it's quite good. You have a nice taste in books I see." He compliments, bringing the book a bit closer to his face.

I'm now leaning somewhat on his side to get a better view of the book. Our arms are touching, I think to myself, blushing. Gosh, I really am just a kid. Kenya doesn't seem bothered, but when I first got closer against him I could feel his body rustle a bit. As we read in silence, suddenly the door slammed open. "Ohhh~!!" A boy chirps, stepping inside, followed by three others. Osamu entering first, then Kazu, Hiromi and Satoru. "Kenya's got guts!" Hiromi says, clasping his hands together.

At their appearance, I've now become conscious of my behavior. I separate myself from Kenya's side, flustered. I look over at his face and see his usual expression. I don't understand this kid. "I didn't know you were so bold! Our plan wo-" Osamu gushed, but was then hit by Kazu before finishing his sentence. Satoru just smiled sheepishly. Kenya sighed, composed as usual. "I suppose if you call reading with someone as being bold." He shrugs, setting his book down.

"So cool!" Hiromi smiles, "You get along really well with [First name]!"

"I suppose."

I let out a quiet chuckle, scratching my warm cheek lightly. Although I'm embarrassed, I'm also quite happy in this moment. I've already made a few friends. I was so easily welcomed, being with them puts me at ease. This experience, it's so different from the past. The few friends I had, it took a while to acquire them. No one approached me at my old school, it was during group work that I had come to know them. Even then, we never hung out. I guess we were just "school friends." Thinking about all of this now, I'm getting emotional. Tears well up in my eyes. "Are you alright?" Satoru asks, worry shown on his face. I look up, a smile on my face.

"Thank you everyone."