Akimitsu's POV
I'm still a little hungry. I didn't expect lunch to be so disappointing. I wish I could eat something else right now. There aren't any breaks in between the subjects, so I think I might just have to hold out until dismissal time.
"Ah, Koizumi-kun." I could hear somebody call my name. I looked in front of me and saw one of Hayate-kun's friends, carrying a plastic bag filled with what looked like food. I forgot his name, but he was the really tall one.
"M-May I help you?" I asked.
He rummaged through the plastic bag and took a bun out. "I bought too much bread, so I was supposed to give it to Aoi, but I can't seem to find him. Would you like it instead?"
"Y-Yes please!" I immediately replied. I was so hungry that as soon as he offered me food, I couldn't stop myself from accepting.
He chuckled and gave it to me. "Here you go. Tell me how it tastes like later." He said as he patted my head and walked away.
I brought the bun back to the classroom and ate it there. It had a lot of chocolate inside. It was very sweet, but it was still really good.
Yesterday, it seems like Hayate-kun and I formed some kind of bond. He convinced me to go to a salon, but I made up some excuse to escape it. I just don't know what excuse I'm gonna use now if he invites me again.
I wish something miraculous would happen today just to get me out of going to the salon with him. I don't really mind his suggestion, but cutting my hair... I'm scared to do it.
The bell for dismissal rang. We didn't have any work to do for the student council today, so I guess I'll just head straight home. I'll avoid passing by Yanagi-kun's classroom just in case he pushes the haircut thing again.
I cautiously peeked out of the classroom to check if it was safe. Thankfully, Yanagi-kun wasn't around. I slowly walked out of the door.
"Koizumi-kun?" I could hear somebody call my name from behind me. I turned around and saw Yanagi-kun's friend from earlier. I still don't remember his name, which is really embarassing, considering this is the third time we've talked.
"Ah, h-hello again." I replied.
He smiled at me. 'You don't know my name, do you?" He asked.
I hesitantly nodded my head in shame.
He chuckled. "It's fine." He replied. "We weren't really introduced properly to each other. My name is Sato Masahiko. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm K-Koizumi Akimitsu. It's v-very nice to meet you."
"Hmmm." He suddenly patted my head. "I can see why Aoi took a liking to you. Are you going home already?"
"Y-Yes."
"Do you have something to do?"
"I d-don't."
"Then would you like to come with me? I need new glasses since my old ones broke. I was going to ask Aoi, but it seems that he already made plans with Masaru and Hayate."
"You d-didn't join them?"
"I'm not really a fan of going out. I went to the cafe last time just because I promised Aoi."
"I s-see. Then if you d-don't mind."
"Let's get going then."
On the way there, we didn't even talk. He had his earphones on for the whole trip, but... I don't know why, but I didn't hate it. I kinda like being with someone who was just as quiet as me.
I could feel somebody shaking me awake. I opened my eyes and saw Sato-kun. "We're here." He said as he stood up. I didn't really notice that I fell asleep. I stood up and followed him out of the train.
"Would you like to eat something first?" He asked as he checked something on his phone. "I'm a bit picky with my glasses, so we might be there for a while."
"I'm n-not really hungry." I replied.
"There's no need to be shy. I'll treat you for coming with me."
I shook my head. "You d-don't have to d-do that."
"I insist. Come on. My phone says there's a WcDonald's near here."
I followed him to the restaurant and we chose a seat by the glass window. Sato-kun ordered our food while I stayed behind and guarded our stuff.
Suddenly, I could feel my phone vibrate. I took it out of my pocket and saw a text from Mochizuki-kun.
"Wish you could've joined us." It said. There was also a picture attached to it.
It was a picture of Hayate-kun, Aoi-kun, and him, doing a peace sign. They were in what looked like a karaoke booth.
My phone vibrated again and saw another text from him.
"Too bad you already made plans with Masahiko."
Huh? Did I tell him that?
"Is that Masaru?" Sato-kun asked as he placed our food down.
"Y-Yes." I replied. "He s-sent me a p-picture."
"May I see?"
"Oh, yes." I said as I showed him my phone.
He chuckled. "They look like they're having fun." He took his phone out. "Smile, Koizumi-kun." He said as he was about to take our picture.
Instinctively, I covered my face and heard the camera shutter. "S-Sorry..." I apologized.
"It's fine. They already know you're here anyway. Let's eat up."
"Y-Yes. Thank you for the food."
Again, there was this overwhelming amlunt of silence. Sato-kun wasn't wearing his earphones. He just wasn't talking, but neither was I. He would look at me from time to time, but that was all.
When we finished, we immediately headed to look for Sato-kun's glasses. He wasn't kidding when he said he was picky. He showed me dozens of glasses and asked me my opinions on them, but frankly, he looked good in every single one. I guess that's one of the perks of having a good face.
"Oh, this is it!" He exclaimed as he wore glasses with a thin red frame. This was the one suited him the most. "What do you think?"
"I t-think that looks the b-best." I replied.
"That's great. We can go home after I pay for this. Wait for me a bit, okay?"
I nodded my head in response and watched him walk away. As I waited for him, I looked around for a little bit more. I came across a display of non-prescribed glasses, so I picked a pair up and wore it. I looked at myself in the mirror, and just as I expected, I hated what I was seeing.
"Those are nice." A male voice whispered in my ear. I jumped and turned around, seeing Sato-kun, wearing his newly-bought glasses. He chuckled. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you gonna buy those?"
I shook my head. "They d-don't suit me."
"I see. You're right. They don't suit you at all."
His words felt like they were stinging my chest. I already knew it, but hearing it from somebody else really hurts differently.
"You know, you should stop hiding your face so much." He said as he took the glasses off of me. "How do you expect to make friends when you're always hiding your face? You already have your hair covering your eyes, so why would you want to wear glasses to cover your face even more?"
"S-Sorry."
He patted me on the head. "I didn't say that to make you feel bad. I just don't think that hiding yourself is doing you any good." I nodded my head and he smiled as he took his hand off of my head. "Come on. It's time to go home."
The ride on the way home was just as quiet as the trip to buy his glasses, but the silence allowed me to think properly. I don't get why he would say those kinds of things... What would he know? He can say that hiding myself isn't doing me any good because he doesn't know what it feels like to be me. Hiding myself like this... It's my only escape. It's the only thing that keeps me in my comfort zone. With this, it separates me from people on the outside.
The train stopped and the both of us got off the station. "I'll walk you home." Sato-kun suggested.
"It's o-okay." I replied. "P-Please g-get home safely."
He smiled. "Alright then. Here." He said as he handed me a paper bag. "See you tomorrow, Koizumi-kun."