Soul for a Girlfriend?

I was walking downstairs, heading towards the playground as Kizhashi told me that Shiraishi was near the playground and it was a really good opportunity for me to talk with her in person.

I was feeling a bit nervous to face her because I have never had such an interaction with anyone. My heart was pounding rapidly, but my face was as unamused as it could. With my hands in my pockets, I kept walking as several thoughts ran wild in my mind.

I remember telling Reina to not overthink about stuff but I used to overthink a lot too. Though our circumstances were different as she used to overthink about her past which she had no control over, I used to dwell upon the endless possibilities of the future and how my current actions would affect the outcomes.

Still it was kind of hypocritical of me to say that to her.

As I was walking through the dark hallway with the noise students from surrounding class filling in the silence, I realised how dumb it was to actually ask for help from Kizhashi. I could've done it myself too, but I don't know why I got the urge to talk with her.

Considering how we couldn't tolerate each other at all, this was indeed quite a risky gamble from my side.. Also that I agreed to help her out in exchange for the information she provided me with. But a part of me used to wonder whether or not this deal was worth it 

Maybe my desperation to complete the contract overwhelmed me at that time and I took his decision in the heat of the moment but either way, I was stuck with her and her problems which I actively took upon myself.

As if dealing with my own problems wasn't a pain in the butt already.

I stepped out of the building and came to a stop near the announcement board as I looked around subtly, my eyes searching for Kizhashi. Not being able to spot her, I took out my mobile and texted her, "Where are you?"

The text got delivered and the status changed to online as if she was waiting for my text. The status then changed to typing as she texted, "Near the stage, they're standing right in front of me."

"Ok" I replied and put my mobile back in my pockets as I headed towards the stage which was right next to the basketball court. I have also learned that leaving Kizhashi on seen is a bad idea because she would annoy the fuck out of me until I send something in reply.

Keeping those thoughts aside, I walked through the admin building to get beside the stage and observe the situation before barging in on it. I walked out the stage from the side entrance and noticed Kizhashi standing there while fiddling with her mobile.

I looked around as I could see a lot of students around me. Some were talking in groups while others were playing on the court and the frequent sound of the basketball hitting the hard floor ringed in my ear along with the noise of chatter.

My eyes wandered around as I finally noticed Shiraishi standing near the pavement while talking with a boy. Looking at it from far, it appeared as if they were having a slight disagreement.

As I started heading towards them, Kizhashi slightly looked up at me as I walked past her and our eyes met for an instant. It's rare to see her standing quietly considering how she is the centre of attraction most of the time.

I was approaching them, as I could hear the voice of the boy who was yelling at Shiraishi and it definitely didn't seem like a disagreement anymore. I could feel the tension between them as the boy looked quite agitated. His fists were clenched as he was glaring at her.

Looking at her deep blue eyes staring at the boy in front of her, there was a bored look on her face. I slowly approached them and called out to her, "Hi… Shiraishi?"

Her eyes shifted towards me as the expression on her face changed into a surprised one and a slight smile formed on her lips as she said in a cheerful voice, "Oh… it's you!"

The boy turned around as his greyish eyes scanned me from head to toe, and he clicked his tongue with a look of irritation on his face. Shiraishi raised her hands up to her chest and, with an energetic tone, she greeted me, "Hellooo!!!" 

The boy who was tapping his foot on the ground came to an abrupt stop, as he looked at me and then over at Shiraishi with a shocked look and asked, "You know this dude?"

"Yes…" She bit her lips awkwardly with a sheepish smile on her face as her eyes wandered around, as the boy turned around facing me and narrowed his eyes, "And who is he?"

"Umm… he is… wait…" She hesitated for a bit as her eyes moved diagonally upwards and she stroked her chin while thinking about it. I obviously didn't tell her name, nor did she ask for it, as that was the first time I was actually talking with her after that kiss. 

The boy looked at her in disbelief as his jaws tightened up for a moment and he gave me a sharp look with pure contempt in his eyes. He looked at Shiraishi, who was laughing awkwardly with her hand behind her head, and asked her in a rough tone, "You don't even know his name?"

"Is it another one of those dudes you sleep around for fun?" The boy said, clenching his jaws in a bitter tone, as if he said that with the intention to hurt her. Shiraishi didn't say a word as she kept staring at him, but the cheerful smile on her face faded slowly.

Also, I was confused about what the other dude was talking about. He mentioned sleeping around for fun, as if Shiraishi were having sex with random dudes. I glanced at his face as he had a wry look, with his eyebrows tensed up.

His eyes suddenly shifted towards me and it felt like he was holding himself back from just punching me in the face, as I narrowed my eyes and sighed, "Huh?"