"Are you done?"
Ren looked up from his papers and glared. "You know, some people actually finish their homework."
"Sure." Shinobu went back to reading a manga he had borrowed from Ren. They had both accosted an empty classroom after the last bell.
"Idiot," Ren muttered under his breath and continued ploughing through the questions. A couple of them got him stuck.
He didn't realise how much time had passed until Shinobu stood next to him and leaned over.
"What are you doing?" Ren questioned.
"You're taking fucking forever. I want to get out of here."
Ren yelped in protest when Shinobu snatched his pen and scribbled. His watched as a mathematical solution formed on the paper. Listened to Shinobu's voice explaining the steps.
When Shinobu finished and dropped the pen on the desk. "Got it?"
Despite his general hatred for math, Ren did understand.
Then he exclaimed in shock. "You actually pay attention in class?"
Shinobu shrugged and mumbled in embarrassment. "Sometimes."
"You're so smart!" Ren's eyes widened. "I mean, I know you're smart but-"
"Can we go now?"
"After you teach me these too?" Ren rummaged through a few books and opened a page.
Shinobu glared at him.
"Please?" Ren smiled winningly.
After a few breaths of some very creative phrases, Shinobu took the book from him.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
He opened the locker and sighed as he saw a pastel envelope.
"Another one?" Izumi teased.
Ren took out a textbook and the envelope. He took a look at the handwriting. His name written in a very elegant script. The enveloped smelled of lavender.
"This is the second this month," Arai laughed. "I'm so envious!"
Ren had mixed feelings. It was flattering to receive such confessions but the problem was what followed. He would be obliged to meet the person at some designated spot. He would then decline such feelings as politely and gently as he could. What happened next was usually either tears or anger. He counted a total of two girls and a guy this year.
"Aren't you interested in any of them?" Izumi asked as they walked towards class.
"Nope. They don't even know me," Ren replied. In truth, even Arai and Izumi didn't know as much about him as a certain foul-mouthed and sullen individual.
He wondered if Shinobu had any letters in his locker.
Or did his admirers skip that part and went straight for it?
Ren found himself oddly annoyed at the thought.
"You're just too nice to everyone," Arai offered.
"Or do you have someone in mind?" Izumi speculated.
Ren rolled his eyes. "Why don't you focus on your crush instead?"
That worked as a distraction. Arai turned to Izumi and grinned. "Yeah, how's it going with Miyu?"
Izumi grunted. "Don't remind me. I think she's into someone else."
"Aww, man," Arai patted his back.
"Don't give up yet!" Ren tried to offer some encouragement.
"Easy for you to say," Izumi huffed.
"Who do you think she's into?" Arai queried.
"Probably one of the seniors," Izumi let out a long-suffering sigh. "Wait till you guys fall for someone. You'll get it."
Arai shook his head. "Too much trouble."
Ren wouldn't mind the trouble for the right person. Suddenly, he had an unsettling feeling, as if he should know who it was.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
He stared at the notebook intensely, trying to decide whether the budget was enough. His class was adamant about putting up the best booth at the school festival since they had a stupid rivalry going on with the class next door. So far, the plan was to have a café. The ideas for the theme then snowballed into the outrageous and extravagant.
Ren really liked working with his friends to put the booth together. He usually had great fun on the day itself and he was really looking forward to it.
If the numbers worked. Frankly, his mother and some of the parents would probably sponsor enough money. That seemed to defeat the purpose though.
"Kid, you've been staring at the page for the last ten minutes."
He looked up to find Shinobu's co-worker, a grizzled middle-age man by the name of Ueno, studying him curiously.
"It's some school stuff," he mumbled embarrassingly and sipped his cold tea.
As usual, he had turned up at the ramen joint at an early hour before the evening crowd. He even had his favourite seat now, at the right corner. They didn't seem to mind him too.
"You're probably a good student, unlike someone here," Ueno laughed.
Shinobu, who had just finished washing some dishes at the sink, ignored the comment and just sauntered over.
"You look stressed," he remarked wryly.
Ren confessed glumly. "The school festival. My class is going crazy trying to outdo the class next door."
"What's the plan?" Shinobu asked, probably out of politeness since Ren knew he didn't care about school activities.
"A café," Ren wanted to sink lower in his seat. "Cakes and stuff. Butler theme."
He could see that the two guys behind the counter were trying their best not to laugh. Ueno finally gave in to a chuckle. Shinobu's expression defined the word amusement.
"You fit the theme, kid," Ueno offered.
"It's not funny," Ren retorted.
Shinobu still had the blasted amused look on his face when he said, "So, what's the problem?"
Ren explained or rather, whined, "It needs to be perfect. They want fancy decorations, costumes and food but our class rep made a stupid bet with the other class rep that whoever makes the most profit wins. So now I need to make the budget work."
He wondered if Shinobu thought that this was so trivial that it didn't deserve his attention. Maybe he shouldn't care too. However, Ren didn't want to let his classmates down. Even Izumi, Arai and Nozawa had gotten into the competitive spirit.
"It doesn't need to be perfect," Shinobu shrugged. "You'll draw a crowd."
He said it so casually that Ren didn't think he heard the words or inferred their meaning correctly. He hoped he was not blushing.
Shinobu was going to say something else when a customer walked in. A couple of older women in cosmetics store uniforms.
"Kurosawa! I'm so tired today. Can you get me the usual?"
"Be right there," Shinobu returned and left Ren's side of the counter.
Ueno, who had been observing their exchange, commented astutely. "You know, Kurosawa's right. Look at the two ladies. You think they come here for our ramen?"
Ren watched as the customers tried to flirt with Shinobu.
"Didn't think you come here for our food too, kid," Ueno added slyly. "Figure you're normally the fancy places type."
That hit Ren hard since it was true. His mother's and aunt Minami's idea of a family dinner was a full-blown course at a private restaurant. His other friends' usual hang out was a hipster café downtown.
Instead, he found himself gravitating towards this small neighbourhood ramen store on the opposite end of the city from where he lived.
Ren stared at Shinobu again, oblivious and pouring a mug of beer.
"Shit," he blurted out.
"I won't say a word," Ueno ruffled his head sympathetically.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Why are you always smoking?"
"Because I want to?"
"Can I try?"
"No."
"Why not?" Ren pouted and tried to reach out to Shinobu's packet in his jacket.
He got a big smack in the head instead.
"Hey!" Ren glared. "I'm just curious. You can't seem to live without it."
"Don't even think about it," Shinobu threatened.
Ren grumbled. "Whatever. Doesn't look THAT fun."
"Let's just watch the damn movie," Shinobu sat on the couch. He asked distractedly, "Why aren't you out with your friends anyway?"
Ren opened his mouth and then shut it again. The truth was that he simply wanted to see Shinobu. Which was why he had invited him over to his place on Friday night instead of going to karaoke with his friends. Infatuation knew no logic.
"No one wants to watch the movie with me," he replied instead. What a lie. He didn't even ask.
"I'm leaving if it's boring," Shinobu muttered.
"You'll like it," Ren told him confidently. They broke out a couple of packets of crisps. Shinobu had brought over free beers from his workplace.
It was an old subtitled foreign film about a future where humans could be genetically engineered. A man conceived naturally who had fraudulently assumed the identity of a perfectly engineered specimen to achieve his dream of going to space.
They both made comments here and there but otherwise watched the movie in silence.
At one point, Ren stole a look at Shinobu. His side profile concentrating on the television screen.
He was incredibly good-looking, in a sharp and sort of dangerous way. A mouth that was usually in a grimace or a cool smirk. All rough edges and yet, beneath it all, someone who could probably hold your soul.
Great, now he was being dramatic.
It must be all the novels he had been reading.
Just then, Shinobu smiled at a scene playing out on the screen.
Ren's heart gasped.