A Tasty Treat

Haggle

  While waiting at the cash register for the woman to come back after rushing into the kitchen when there was a loud crash, something rested on my head. Glancing up, I saw Atsushi was using me as an armrest.

  "What are you doing?" His hand slid in front of my face, almost blocking out my vision from the sheer size of it.

  "....I don't know.... You're just so short."

  "I'm not short, you're just freakishly tall. It's like someone slipped fertilizer into your snacks or something."

  "Mmm." Atsushi simply hummed, and I sighed. When the woman finally came back, she was covered in smears of flower.

  "Sorry for the wait. New kid is getting used to the kitchen." She lightly chuckled. "Now, your total will be --.--." Nodding, I pulled out the cash to pay. "Have a nice day!" She smiled while completely ignoring the giant hand in front of my face the entire time.

  Going to sit down at our usual spot, I soon regretted it when I glanced across the street and made eye contact with Chiaki and her friends. I could already see her stupid smirk from where I sat.

  Even though I tried to ignore it and pretend I hadn't seen her, she was soon walking into the shop while searching for me. I groaned as I slouched in my chair to avoid being seen. I most definitely did not want to encounter her with Atsushi around.

  The giant looked at me with a bit of confusion, and I averted my gaze to the table. Maybe if I thought hard enough, I'd melt right into the furniture.

  That hope was crushed when a well-manicured hand slapped against the table in front of me.

  "Hello, Randy. What brings you here?" She sneered, and one of her friends snickered. I noticed the girl that had the common sense to leave me alone was no longer in the group.

  "Food, obviously. You?" I replied nonchalantly.

  "Just wondering what our little friend was up to. You're always so alone, I thought we could keep you company for a bit." Chiaki gave a sickly sweet smile, and giggling came from behind her.

  "I'm not alone." I waved my hand in Atsushi's direction as he was taking a drink through his straw. She probably missed the big guy because of the shelf a few feet behind his seat, but I couldn't fathom how she missed the giant when she got closer to the table.

  "....Your name is Randy?" Atsushi asked with a lazy tone, and I wanted to pinch the bridge of my nose as giggles turned to laughs.

  "They just call me that. It's a play on Candy."

  "....Oh....okay." He simply stuck a cookie in his mouth while not really caring, then glanced at Chiaki as she was staring at him.

  "Randy, why don't you introduce me to your friend here?" Chiaki's tone made me look at her and wonder what she was playing at. She actually looked....interested in Atsushi.

  "This is Murasakibara. I think I'm just gonna go now." I stood up and stuffed the snacks into my backpack.

  "Oh, too bad. Bye-bye, Randy!" Chiaki took my seat while waving. "I guess I'll just keep Murisakibara company instead." Even though she hadn't really insulted me yet, I had the strong urge to punch her. I wasn't going to dictate who Atsushi hung out with or not, so I just went to walk away.

  Until a hand rested on my shoulder, and I was surprised to see those violet eyes looking a bit angry when they were usually so calm.

  "These aren't your friends, are they?"