Yakusoku (Avara Stadium Book 1)

Scandals

"Hey, Bushida. Where have you been?"

Akiko—because Bushida was a boring-ass name—was not receptive to this asshole getting all up in her fucking business when she had a hangover that could blot out the world.

She'd gone back to the university just to sign some papers, an hour trip each way just to fill out some bureaucracy, and there was fucking Matsumoto, the guy who'd obviously been trying to hit on her but was too chicken to do anything more than sit next to her in class and try to explain things she already knew to her.

He was a tall, athletic guy, basketball player, with expensive clothes, an expensive haircut, and from what she'd heard, expensive tastes in parties. Not bad-looking at all, but he was a guy and also a pissant, neither of which she was interested in.

"I took the semester off for personal reasons," she said, and tried to get past him. He moved and blocked the hallway like it was the easiest thing in the world. Ugh, of course it was. Basketball player.

"Is everything all right? I know you don't have a lot of places to turn. I'm here for you if you need help."

She rolled her eyes. Straight from mocking her for being friendless in one sentence to self-aggrandizement in the next. "I was doing great until this prick decided to block the hallway."

"You're obviously angry about something." He took a step closer and tried to put a hand on her arm. She wrenched away. "Let me help you."

"Uh, no. Get away from me."

"What happened? Was it something with your family?"

Fuck off. She hadn't talked to her mother in two months, and the rest of her family had been turned to ashes. "Get out of my way."

"Bushida, I care for you," he said, looking her in the eye. He looked so condescending.

"Is this your idea of a confession?"

He swallowed. Judging by the look on his face, she shouldn't have said that. He probably thought of himself as the main character in a school life anime, with an impossible crush. "Yes," he said, and Akiko wanted to choke herself out with her hands then and there. "You're special to me."

"Great. Really flattered to hear it. I'm a lesbian. Please move."

"You're a what?" The color drained from his face. "You are not."

"Oh, really." She raised an eyebrow. "That's weird. I had a pretty good time the other night."

He went red and stammered, and that gave her the opportunity to push past. "Wait," he said. "I... can I change your mind?"

"What?" She looked back over her shoulder. "If another guy asks you out, how hard would it be for him to change your mind?"

"That's—that's different."

"Really." She turned and stormed back down the hallway.

"Akiko, wait!" he called, and for once, she wished someone would call her Bushida instead. Hearing him use her given name was gross. "I... still care for you. I won't get over you just like that."

"Sucks to be you." She pushed into an office and closed the door, and breathed hard. Looked like she'd managed to buy enough time to get to her paperwork date. She'd just have to hope he wouldn't stand outside and try to hold her up when she left.

*

Akiko got off one stop before her agreed-to meeting point with the flower boy, and stared at her phone with shaking hands.