Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Hello!

I am Reo Mikage! I’m the protagonist of this shoujo manga~

17 years old, the campus princess, and the most beautiful girl in the world (as so I’m told.) I got 48 valentines gifts last year, and there is no heart or boy who has not fallen for me~ Even my teachers have confessed to me!

I am pretty, rich, popular, talented, top of my class and adored by all. There’s nothing I can’t do, since I’m amazing!

Reo had lived her years in bliss, bad luck simply didn’t exist to her. Her whole life had gone smoothly, being pampered by her billionaire parents. She had never met a single person who had never adored her wholesome beaming smile, her beautiful long purple hair tied in a ribbon, and amazing skinny hourglass figure. Reo’s personality was perfect too, kind, charming and generous and excelled in everything she did.

One day, a gear slips in her perfect charmed life.

There’s a crowd gathered around the test rankings, whispering and murmurs echoing in the hallway.

“Ah! Reo-sama!” The boys and girls part like the Red Sea, bowing as Reo makes her way to check her #1 ranking as always. She smiles and waves, expecting another wave of praise as she takes the top spo-

World History Results

Nagi Seishiro

#1

100 points.

Reo Mikage

#2

99 points.

Reo is staring at the rankings, her smile frozen on her face.

What the fuck. Someone had beaten her…?

That was impossible, right? Who had stained her perfect record?!?

“Great score as always, Reo!” One of the girls says nervously, as Reo quickly erases the emotions from her face and replaces it with a smile.

“Nagi Seishiro…who is that?” Reo asks politely.

“The transfer student? We call him a thousand year netaro, since all he does is sleep in class.” A black haired boy replies. “You’ll know him by his white hair.”

“D-don’t worry Reo-sama! You’ll crush him next time!”

They all clamber to reassure her, their blatant sucking up only annoying her further. She plasters on a grin.

“Of course I will. Don’t worry about me!” Reo laughs. “I better go study!”

Reo leaves with a swish of her skirt, as her new mission in life was to find this “Nagi” person. Being beaten by a guy who slept through all of class? He must’ve cheated, there’s no way.

After asking around, she finally stumbles upon Nagi in the hallway.

Oh. He’s really tall.

That’s the first thing she notices, the second was that his eyes were glued to his phone and wasn’t paying attention to her.

“Nagi!” She calls out. His pale golden eyes flick up to meet hers.

Reo flips her hair, and bats her eyelashes. The lethal combo that she uses to impress anyone, up to government officials to the royal family. For extra measure she tucks her stray bang behind her ear as she does it. It had a 100% success rate, soon she’ll have this guy wrapped around her pinky finger.

Nagi gives her this deadpan look and walks past her without missing a beat on his game.

EHHH???

He didn’t even pause, whereas everyone on the street would give her a double take and stop to stare at her. Hell he didn’t even acknowledge her existence or reply- was he deaf? Was he blind???? Did he have a mental condition?!

Was he gay?? No! Even gay guys liked her!!! Every person of all genders, ages and sexualities unanimously fell in love with her- even animals did! Even God, Jesus, Buddha and every other deity worshipped and blessed her with good fortune!

No, no this can’t be it? Someone who isn’t swayed by her?

She turns to go after him, but this motherfucker walked fast, he’d already vanished. Like a ghost.

Reo collapses in the hallway on her knees. No way…

Reo is in a daze for the rest of the day. Her many sycophants had started fanning her with their textbooks, getting her snacks and water, holding a sun umbrella over her, asking if she needed to go to the nurses office.

She felt suffocated by the attention, she needed space. Reo manages to shake off her adoring fans and get some breathing room by the stairwell.

As she tries to catch her breath, she stumbles and trips over her own designer shoes. Crap. She realizes far too late that she was going to tumble down these stairs and break her neck-

A hand reaches out and grabs her by her school uniform collar, and hauls her back up to the top of the staircase. It’s all happening in slow motion, sunlight engulfing the scene in a warm glow.

Huh? I’ve been saved?

Reo turns to thank her saviour-

It’s Nagi. He’s gazing right into her eyes, her vision taking on a pink hue as shoujo bubbles and sparkles appear around him. He looks like the perfect prince to her heroine, the hero of this story. Her soulmate.

Her heart is racing- it never does that.

O-oh. I like him.

Reo Mikage has fallen in love for the first time in her 17 years on earth.

I..I want this guy!

As she’s hauled back onto her feet, she immediately bursts out her gratitude.

“Thank you for saving me!!!” Reo cries out, bowing. He’s not smiling or anything, but that was okay, she could deal with a stoic prince!

“You’re the rich girl?” Nagi asks.

Oh?? He knows of her after all?! Reo smiles so hard she can feel her heart exploding.

“I like you! Go out with me! It is your destiny!” She suddenly shouts, fists bunched up next to her skirt. These feelings she’s had for the first time, everything bad happened today was meant to lead to him. To catch her on that staircase.

“Sounds like a pain.”

A PAIN???

“Don’t wanna. Being a boyfriend sounds like a hassle, I just wanna nap and play games. Pay me.”

Huh, aren’t the roles reversed…unusual for a guy to be a gold digger. Well money wasn’t a problem..

“Haha! You’re interesting. You don’t have to change~” Reo grins. A challenge to win his heart? Why not? She’s nothing but a hard working heroine, after all!

Nagi lowkey feels like he’s gained a stalker. Or being hunted down for sport. This nepo baby chick was following him to his rooftop haunt, asking to pick him up in her limo, sitting next to him in class, kabe-donning him in the hallway. She was shockingly persistent too, being never told “no” in her entire life.

He’s not used to this amount of attention, usually he was invisible his entire life even to his own parents. It was a pain, since his classmates were giving him the evil eye because he somehow managed to entrance Reo.

-Mikage’s guide on seducing a boy-

Being an excellent chef.

“I made you a bento, Nagi!” Reo declares, slamming down her bento she had tirelessly worked on with 10 trial variations over the weekend. She had a Michelin star chef teach her how to make it. See, she even had bandages over her fingers, which would obviously melt his heart on how much effort she had gone through.

“…I only eat jellies.” Nagi had answered, pushing back the bento. “Reo, you should eat it instead.”

Wha-

“Reo-sama I’ll eat it!”

“Reo-kun, give me a taste!”

“No, me!”

Before she can protest, her classmates had swooped down on her lovingly handcrafted bento like a group of starved seagulls.

“Wow, this is delicious! Reo you’re so good at everything!”

Reo feels the homicidal urge to slaughter her classmates for the first time in her life. Nagi ignores them, drinking his jelly pouch as a fight breaks out in the classroom as people fist fight for the last grains of rice on the floor.

Buying him gifts. He did like money, after all!

Reo presents Nagi with a gift bag, filled with all her favourite designer items. There was an expensive Rolex, Gucci clothes, branded shoes, and keys to a new Tesla.

Nagi glances at it dispassionately.

“It’s not my birthday or anything though…”

“I want you to have it!” Reo declares. “My treasure and future husband deserves the best!”

“I don’t really need that.” Nagi refuses to take the gifts, and swiftly dodges the gift bag being shoved in his face.

“Just take the gift!” Reo whines. What kind of guy asks for money then refuses it? He wasn’t even gold digging right! She wouldn’t mind having a trophy husband to spoil, he should just take her money.

Nagi just runs off, leaving her standing dumbly with a bag of stuff worth $400k.

What was this creature…

What did boys like…

Right!

S-sex, obviously. Well she was a virgin, saving it for that special person. All men wanted was sex, Nagi would have no choice after she seduces him. Reo will offer up her body, and he’ll fall desperately in love with her.

Reo gets her nails done, hair and eyelash extensions in, a new hair ribbon, makeup done, and her skirt even shorter than normal. Her first few buttons are undone, showing her cleavage, knee socks instead of stockings. She had caused a few car crashes on her way to school as she rode her bike. When she arrived at school, medical staff had to attend to the students who fainted in her presence. Security had to hold back the crowd of paparazzi banging on the fence of the school.

She finally corners Nagi, who was napping in his corner of the classroom.

“Nagi!” Reo steps over the corpses of her classmates who were decimated by her aura.

Nagi blinks up at her. He’s adorable, his messy bed hair sticking up in all directions. She gives in to the urge and ruffles it into something manageable, despite his protests.

“Do you…want to come to my house after school..?” She says slyly, tilting her amazing cleavage in his direction. Her boobs were amazing, perky, and two mountains of pure gold.

“Can’t, I’m playing games.” Nagi answers.

Tch.

“Really? I know games better than the ones on your phone.” She protests. “Don’t you think I look different today?”

Nagi’s face scrunches up, like he’s been given a last second pop quiz he didn’t study for.

She plonks her boobs on the table, (it’s okay, they were still clothed) and the noise finally drags his attention to her jugs.

“Reo, you should wear a jacket.” Nagi replies. “You’ve disrupted the class.”

The pair looked at the classroom, even the teacher was unconscious with blood running down their noses. Ah, that was no good.. she shouldn’t have gone all out, for the health and safety of her schoolmates. It was like the aftermath of WW1 here.

By the end of the week she was exhausted. By now she was huffing and clinging onto his uniform pant leg, as he tried to shake her off.

“Reo, I’m not interested in romance. You should invest in something else worth your time.”

“But you’re special…no one can replace you…” Reo whines breathlessly as Nagi drags them through the hallways. It was extremely undignified, to see the People’s Princess reduced to this.

“You read too much shoujo manga.”

“You’re in one! You think this happens in reality?”

“Please pick a different character love interest option…”

They both stumble into an empty study room, and Nagi peels her off him.

“Is…is there something wrong with me?” Reo asks finally.

“There’s nothing wrong with you.” Nagi mumbles solemnly. “Someone as amazing as you shouldn’t be sticking with someone like me.”

Huh? Did he just call her amazing?

“You’re the most popular in school and I’m the least, isn’t that odd? Like some sort of reverse bullying..? Did someone dare you to do this because of my test scores?”

Wha- did Nagi think she was harassing him?

“I can score lower, if that’s what you want.” Nagi says resolutely. “I don’t really care.”

“No! No Nagi! I really do like you, it has nothing to do with that! You saved me that day, I wanted to thank you.” Reo cries out, distressed.

“There’s more worthy people out there. I’m not rich or anything. I’m lazy too.”

“That’s fine with me! Love is like that.”

“Love? Sounds troublesome.” Nagi looks out the window dispassionately. “Are you sure you got your feelings mixed up because I helped you once?”

“You don’t get it! Love is sparkling, magical, the most powerful thing on earth! And I felt it for the first time! I won’t give up, so prepare yourself!” Reo announces, eyes shining.

What a pain…

Reo didn’t get it. Nagi thinks that from the bathroom stall, as one of the guys from Reo’s fan club throws a bucket of water on his head. He was completely soaked, as he listened to his laughter from outside the stall.

…….

Seriously…

Getting bullied was troublesome.

“Why would Reo pick a loser like you???” The boy named Koji mocks him. He kicks down the bathroom door, and drags Nagi out by his collar.

“I didn’t ask her to.” Nagi replies impassively.

“Yeah right, you’re probably blackmailing her!”

“Nagi! Stop hiding out in there, just because it’s the boys bathroom doesn’t mean-” Reo’s musical voice rings outside the bathroom.

Koji lets go of Nagi’s collar before she opens the door. Reo looks at Nagi in surprise, he looks like a soaked puppy. His hair was dripping, his gym clothes sticking to his skin.

“Why are you wet??” Reo blinks, before grabbing some paper towels and dabbing his face. Nagi just lets her do it, exhausted from the events of the day.

“Reo, you should go out with me! Not this piece of garbage.” Koji declares. He was built like a linebacker, tan, and short cropped black hair.

“Huhhh, what did you say?” Reo says tersely, her perfect mask cracking. No one insulted her treasure.

Koji suddenly grabs her by her wrist, the one that was trying to clean up Nagi.

Nagi’s body moves without him thinking.

“Hands. Off.” The look on Nagi’s face was deadly, his pupils completely black. His hand on Koji’s wrist was coiled so tightly it threatened to snap. Nagi at his full stature without slouching, a deadly skull aura had come out causing Koji to shiver.

Koji backs off, intimidated. Nagi dwarfed him in size like this, his demeanour had completely changed from a victim to something deadly. He opens and closes his mouth, before deciding not to say anything and running out of the bathroom.

They watch him go, before Reo turns back to Nagi.

“Ooooh! Is my treasure jealous???” Reo says excitedly. “Like don’t touch her, she’s mine?”

“No, he’s just the one who threw the water on me.” Nagi squeezes the water out of his jacket.

“Oh. Because of me?” Reo says blankly, before guilt sets in. “I’m sorry I…” She has a terrible look on her face as she sees the broken down door and the bucket on the ground.

“Hm? You don’t need to apologize, Reo. It’s not your fault.” Nagi says. He hesitates for a second, then slowly reaches out.

His fingers find her hair, and she finds herself having her head petted like she had done for him.

“..?” She looks up in surprise.

Nagi sneezes, a cute puchiin noise. It’s criminally adorable, but also shoots concern up her back.

Reo takes off her jacket and covers him with it. It’s half his size, so she resorts to patting him down with it like a towel.

“Don’t get sick.” Her tone is anxious. “I’ll make sure he’s taken care of tomorrow.”

Her eyes narrow.

Scary, Nagi thinks.

“I’m stronger than I look.” Reo says earnestly, then shakes her head. “I’ll get strong enough so I can protect you instead!”

“Hm? How?”

“I’ll go to the gym, and get so strong I can carry you on my back and beat guys with one hand!” Reo declares cheerfully.

“Pff.” Nagi stifles a snort. Reo smiles at this, it was probably the first emotion he’s done in front of her.

“I am class president after all. Bullying is not tolerated. The world is just ignorant to your charm!”

“…If Reo says so.”

They do get a little closer, after that. Or at least Nagi allows her to join him in the study break room during free periods.

“Uh, you’re kind of close, Reo.”

Reo is sitting on his lap instead of the other chairs in the room. She really didn’t know how to measure his distance from others.

“Gonna have to get used to it, as a future Mikage. Or would it be Nagi? Oh, who will take on the last name?” Reo contemplates. “Will I have to call you Seishiro?”

“Marriage is too much. I’ve never even had a friend before.”

“Really?” Nagi was 17, and never had a single friend?

Reo thinks for a second, then announces, “I’ll be your first then!”

Nagi tilts his head. “Just a friend?”

“It’s my first step on the ladder on my way to the top of your heart! Of course I shouldn’t skip so many steps.” Reo takes out her hand, in a hand shake. “We have the rest of our lives.”

Nagi takes her hand in his. Her hands are small, and dainty. She vigorously shakes it, sealing the deal. “Pleased to be your first friend, Nagi.” She cutely sticks out her tongue.

Being Reo’s “friend” was like being with royalty. Limos, fancy dinners, yachts, the newest tech, she even had an attendant who used to serve in the military. She had an extraordinary amount of power, having access to unlimited funds and connections which made a girl as pretty as her that could send a guy to his knees just by looking at her even more lethal. Koji “mysteriously” vanished too, rumours had it he was sent to Siberia.

Her life was so different from his, she had made fun of his Hakuho student dorm, while she bragged about her many real estate assets. She was like one of those comically rich characters, but with the charisma to back it up.

It’s not like anything she said was untrue, and her generous nature and sparkling expression made her impossible to dislike. Sometimes Nagi felt bad that he couldn’t return anything she had tried to give her, so he refused to accept any of her gifts that he couldn’t reciprocate. Just one of her shoes was worth more than his entire net worth.

“Have you thought about what university you’re going to?” Reo asks, as she rides her bike with Nagi on the back to the riverbank. They end up stopping to rest, and lie down on the hillside.

“Not really..”

“If you can’t decide, we should go to the same one. Then we can work at the same company, and always be together!”

“Hm. I guess.” Nagi agrees. He never really thought about his future. But being with Reo wasn’t too bad. If she was happy, then her good fortune would trickle onto him.

Reo picks up a flower. “Loves me, loves me not.” She chants happily, as she rips each petal off. Because the gods love her, it ends up on “loves me” and she grins, showing off the empty stalk. Nagi groans internally and shifts onto his side.

She ends up making them a pair of flower crowns, and plonks one on his head.

“So how high up am I in your love meter? I must’ve raised my specs by now!” Reo asks cheekily.

“About a 2.”

“Out of 2?” Reo asks hopefully.

“Out of a hundred.”

Reo pushes Nagi on his back onto the riverbank.

Chapter Text

There was gossip going around Hakuho High amongst the students. 

Reo, who used to be everyone's princess, had become Nagi's caring wife. But what annoyed everyone the most, was that her affection was completely wasted on Nagi. 

He didn’t even seem to care, which just made Reo try even harder. 

“Why is Reo following me?” Nagi asks, as he’s walking home. 

“I want to see what it’s like living like a commoner!” Reo replies cheerfully. 

It was just like Reo to say something blatantly offensive but with a smile. She was way too out of touch with reality.

Unfortunately other students start catching wind of this, and a crowd starts forming. 

Nagi hates crowds, it made him claustrophobic. He just wanted to be left alone and play video games, not get shoved aside by clambouring bodies.

“Reo-sama is walking alone from school today?” A NPC questions.

I’m right here though? Nagi thinks. 

“Did Reo’s limo break down??”

“I’ll walk you home, Reo!”

She is so distracted by the mass of students around her that she didn’t realize that Nagi’s vanished. 

Nagi changed his route because dealing with so many people was a hassle. 

Reo was a people magnet, and he just wanted to live his life in peace. He stops by his favourite convenience store to pick up his afternoon snack and hide out from Reo and her army of simps for a while. 

Nagi is flicking through one of the Shonen Jump magazines and wondering if he had enough coins leftover from his allowance when Reo appears out of nowhere and grabs Nagi by the backpack.

“Hey!!! Why did you run away!!” Reo pants in indignation. Ah, the hassle was back again. Did she place a GPS on him? 

“Reo should just take the limo. You don't have to walk with me.” 

“But I want to! If we are going to integrate our lives together I should know what it’s like to live like you!” 

“No thanks. I don’t think Reo wants to hang in places like these.” Nagi gestures to the slightly run down konbini. 

“Oh my, I’ve never been. Are you shopping?” She looks at his basket. “I guess I should try shop like a commoner too! How much could a banana cost? $10?”

Nagi sighs in annoyance and tries to lose her in the aisle, but she follows him anyway.

“What are these?” She plucks out his lunch from his basket, inspecting the plastic package with her acrylic nails.

Nagi doubts Reo has even touched plastic before. 

“Melon bread.” 

“Oh. I don’t really eat ultra-processed things. Just fine dining for me!” 

Nagi ignores her crap and goes to pay at the till. Unfortunately as he rings up his order and hands him his bag, the cashier catches sight of Reo and starts gushing. 

“Oh wow! You’re so pretty!!! Can I take a photo with you to put on our board of celebrities??” 

“Sure!” He snaps a photo of her, but Nagi is already walking out, chewing on the bread. 

“Wait!!!” She runs after him and when she’s caught up, steals a bite to get his attention. 

Reo is hit by an obscene amount of sugar. It hurt her teeth, the processed junk shocking her refined tastebuds. It was full of forever chemicals and microplastics that’s for sure. 

Reo spits it out. “O-oooh… yummy.” Her smile looked more like a grimace.

“Reo, you don’t have to pretend to like this. We’re too different, you shouldn’t lower your standards this much.” 

“I’m not! Anyway, you’re free now right? Let’s go to karaoke!” What Nagi didn’t know was that she was an amazing singer. Nagi will hear her beautiful voice and fall in love. They could sing a beautiful duet together, and Nagi would realize his feelings. 

She manages to kidnap him and force him into a private karaoke booth with her. How did he become a hostage anyway? Nagi just wanted to be at home playing his games, not be a crazy billionaire's plaything.

He was sure any of her sycophants would be foaming at the mouth to be in his shoes. Reo should just give up, he was never going to be the husband she wanted. Even being “friends” was too taxing. 

“Right Nagi, what do you want to sing?” Reo pipes up. 

“Nothing. Let me go already.” 

“Okay, I’ll just sing this one!” She’s not listening to him, as usual. Lost in her own delusional world. Reo is an amazing singer, he gives her that much credit. 

Nagi didn’t know any of the songs, so he tonelessly bangs on the tambourine.

As she scrolls through the catalogue, Nagi reveals that he only knew one song, which was a kids show opening. 

“Bonobono? Alright then, I’m versatile!” She chirps. 

They sing it together, and Nagi finally looks like he’s enjoying himself. 

Perhaps she had sung too beautifully, because after two hours in the booth she had drawn a crowd who were listening in outside the door.

Representatives from the big companies JYP, HYBE, SM, YG, Starship Ent and reps from AKB48 burst in.

“Ma’am are you a kpop idol?! I’ve never heard such a beautiful voice before!!!” 

“Please sign into my company!!!!!”

“You don’t even need to audition or train!!! Please!! You have superstar quality!! Would you like to join KATSEYE?? Or be our opener for the BTS world tour?” 

“You’re even more beautiful than our top idol Jang Wonyoung! I didn’t think it was possible!!?? I’ll make you the next It girl of our generation!”

“I’ve judged many survival shows but I know. You are born to be an idol.” JYP himself says. 

“Will you come to my party???” Jackson Wang begs. 

“Can’t you see I’m on a date right now?” Reo scolds, grabbing onto Nagi’s waist. The group stares at him in disdain. Nagi can already see the pitchforks. 

“I know idols aren’t allowed to have boyfriends. I want to be together with who I like.” Reo continues, and Nagi tries to squirm out of her iron grip.

“I’m not her boyfriend.” Nagi says hurriedly. “Reo, don’t turn down opportunities for me.”

“You could be a star. Why would you choose him over fame and money?”

“I already have fame and money. I’m after true love, and this is a shoujo manga not an idol anime.” Reo shoots back. 

“But you’re so talented it would be a waste!” The crowd presses tighter, scrambling to get a piece of her. Nagi moves in front of her, blocking them from getting any closer.

“I’m talented at everything! I’m not interested in being exploited by the industry and ruining my health and precious childhood!” Reo gripes. “I’m rich enough to make my own agency anyway, why would I need you?” 

“You heard Reo. Go.” Nagi says, a murderous look on his face. His skull aura suddenly appears, and the crowd backs off. 

Nagi manages to intimidate them enough that they leave, grumbling. When he turns around he’s back to looking innocent, and Reo wonders if she imagined the whole thing. 

“Thanks Nagi! Those guys can’t take a hint.” 

“Did Reo want to be an idol?” 

She shakes her head. “Nah that’ll be way too easy. I'm thinking about taking up a sport in the future, maybe. But for now I want to enjoy my peaceful high school days.” 

Days with Reo were anything but peaceful, but as they continued to sing more video game songs Nagi figured Reo could be fun sometimes. Even if she was a massive pain. 

——

“Ah, the classic beach episode!” Reo calls out, having dragged Nagi out here with her to the beachside. She had made Nagi wear this atrocious looking blue Hawaiian shirt and straw hat, while she wore a matching purple flower print bikini. 

This decision proved to be causing another national emergency. Crowds had gathered to take photos of her in it, there was even a helicopter above trying to get a look at her. 

“Reo, I can't keep doing this.” Nagi groans. “It’s too much for me with all these people. Plus it’s hot.” 

“I think you mean that I’m hot.” Reo cups her boobs in her scantily looking bikini top. “What do you think?”

Nagi takes off his ugly Hawaiian shirt and drapes it over her shoulders, and starts buttoning it up. 

“Oooh, possessive much?” Reo smirks. 

Nagi plonks the hat on her head. “You’re gonna get a sunburn.” 

“Ahh, this doesn’t look good on me.” Reo complains as she unbuttons the shirt. “I want to show off my bikini.”

“I hate crowds. You’re a crowd magnet.” 

“Don’t worry Nagi. I’ll just contact God to get rid of everybody.” Reo quips, raising her hands towards the sea. 

“You what-”

She lifts her hands up, and inexplicably causes a mini tsunami. The next wave goes around the both of them like she was Noah, and crashes into the crowd. 

“Reo!”

Was Reo Jesus? A waterbender? How? 

Nagi watches dumbly as the crowd sweeps away, as they scramble to get to higher ground. The people perving on her get pulled back into the ocean, and have to swim back to the rocks. 

They’re both perfectly dry. Reo grins proudly, like it was an everyday occurrence. 

“Reo… you do know this is not normal.” Nagi looks around in concern. She scared him sometimes, like a crazy cosmic entity that latched itself onto him. 

“Don’t worry so much. See? Everything went the way I wanted to.” She says smugly. The beach was now clear, like she had made it her own personal island. 

Reo held so much power, it was amazing and terrifying at the same time. 

“What happens if things don’t go the way you want them?” Nagi doesn’t even know why he’s asking this. Would something devastating happen to the Earth if she got upset? 

She cocks her head to the side. “But I always get what I want.” 

“What happens when you don’t?” Nagi asks uncertainly. 

“Well then, I get you.” 

“Huh?” 

Reo reaches out and cups his cheeks in the palms of her hands. 

“It’s fascinating. You're the first thing I haven't been able to get. What makes you so special? It’s like an anomaly.” She looks at him, like a curious science experiment. 

“Are you doing all this to prove something?” 

Reo’s eyes turn sharp. “What do you mean?”

“Like. Being all nice to me. Trying to win me over. If you win me over, you’ve proved to God that you get everything you want?” Nagi challenges. He is probably going to get bombed after this for even going against her.

The wind blows her long hair, her expression unreadable. She lets go of his face, turning around to look at the ocean. 

“Well. Honestly it’s nice having someone not fall down to my feet. Like you see me as a person, and you don't want anything from me. Even if I don’t win you over, it’s fun.” The waves lap at her sandaled toes. 

“Is it fun? Being with me?” Nagi can’t really comprehend it. No one had ever called him that before, then again he’s never had any friends. Even being at the beach here with Reo was completely new to him, his parents hadn’t taken him anywhere growing up. 

“Of course it is. Since meeting you, every single day has been fun. I’m really happy I got to meet you.” 

Before Nagi could answer, Reo pulls him towards the rock pool. 

“Look! Here you can fish for crabs.” She says, picking one up. She places it on his palm, and it scuttles away. “There’s a ton of little fish here too.”

Nagi peers into the rock pool, and she’s right. They swim in the shallows, their silver forms flickering around. 

There’s a lot to do at the beach, actually. Reo builds an impressive sandcastle, while Nagi sips on a coconut under the beach umbrella she brought. 

Since she’s wearing his shirt now, Reo helps lather on sunscreen on his back so her treasure doesn’t get burned. Nagi’s back is broad, and she admires the back muscles and the grooves of his spine. She takes her sweet time and nags until Nagi does the same to her back. 

She produces a watermelon patterned ball and they play beach volleyball. Nagi is exceptionally talented in ball sports for some reason, and Reo loses 3-1. In another life, maybe she would’ve pressed him to play soccer. When she gets tired of beach volleyball, they go for a swim.

The water is clear and calm, no traces of the previous tsunami wave to be seen. Nagi wanders out too far, so Reo’s feet can’t touch the bottom. She clings onto his back with a laugh, as Nagi carries them out deeper. Reo finds some bubble seaweed, and starts playfully throwing them at Nagi until he throws them back at her. It’s an all out war now, that results in splashing and kelp bullets pegged back and forth. 

By the end they’re exhausted, and settle under the umbrella together with their lemon flavoured ice blocks. Reo licks it suggestively to get a rise out of Nagi, but he just kicks sand in her direction. 

Ba-ya picks up the two now very sandy, tanned, damp teenagers in the limo. They immediately fall asleep on each other's shoulders.

——-

“The equation goes like this, I think..” Reo muses, on her tippy toes as she tries to solve their math homework on the chalkboard during their self study free period. 

Nagi’s half asleep, watching her struggle through the question. Reo clicks her tongue and throws the chalkboard eraser in his direction. 

“Hey are you even paying attention?” She gripes. “This is due tomorrow, and you’re still slacking off.”

“I am.” Nagi yawns. “Also you’re doing it wrong…”

“Eh? Really?? I never get it wrong.” She frowns. It was a particularly difficult problem, and she scrunches her nose flicking through her textbook. 

Nagi reluctantly stands up, the back of his chair screeching on the linoleum floor. He plods over and places his hand over hers and writes on the chalkboard. Reo blushes at the contact, how close he was as he leans over, casting her into shadow. 

He easily corrects the equation, and looks back at her for approval. 

“Waah! As expected of the #1 genius!” Reo beams in admiration, stepping back to write the answer on their respective homework assignments. 

Nagi carries on solving the rest, and Reo watches him with adoration and pride as the chalk keeps scratching numbers on the board.

“Isn't this kinda ero? Like you’re my sexy teacher and I’m your student?” Reo sits on the table, her legs crossed. 

“Has anyone told you you’re really bad at flirting?” Nagi answers, not even bothering to look at her as he jots down another math symbol.

She slams her fist on the table. “Excuse me!? Well I never had to! They just confessed to me without me doing anything.” 

He knows that. He can feel their classmates' beady eyes watching them from the doorway. Their glaring gaze prickled on his neck. 

Nagi rolls his eyes and continues writing. 

“Done.” 

“Oooh! Thanks Nagi!” She jumps on him, grabbing his arm. Nagi shakes her off like she’s some sort of pest. 

“Hey, I’m not diseased.” She pouts. “You didn’t mind me touching you at the beach.” 

“Reo, not so loud.” Nagi indicates to their classmates poisonous glares. “I just don’t like having so many people around. It’s ok if it's just the two of us.”

Reo’s eyes light up. 

“Shoo boys.” Reo tuts, and they scatter upon her order. She watches them go, and shuts the door suggestively. 

“Since we’re alone now…”

Reo bounces over and jumps up to kiss him on the back of his neck. It’s a quick peck, she was too short to reach his face after all. 

“Reo?!” Nagi slaps a hand over the back of his neck in embarrassment. She left a lipstick kiss mark there. The skin flushes red where her lips touched, and it gives her a huge sense of satisfaction. It kind of looks like a claim.

She breaks away laughing, enjoying seeing Nagi get flustered. 

“Don’t do that.” Nagi gripes.

“Whyyy, is Nagi-kun a virgin?” Reo teases. Of course she was a virgin too, not that Nagi needed to know that! 

“Reooo.” Nagi whines. “Quit teasing me.” 

“Nah, how can I stop when you look like that?” 

Nagi grabs her precious hair ribbon and holds it up high in retaliation. 

“Ah what are you doing!?” Reo jumps to get it, but Nagi is holding it out of reach. 

“Hey don’t make me sicc God onto you!” 

“I thought your powers don’t do anything to me?”

Reo’s eyes narrow and she does a running start and tackles him so they both land on the ground. They end up sprawled in a heap on the floor, Reo on top of Nagi. 

“Reo get offf.” Nagi groans.

“Is your heart beating fast? Did I go up in your love meter? Surely it’s above a 2 by now!” She says eagerly.

“It decreased.” Nagi replied, deadpan. 

She was sitting on him, her short skirt splayed out on her thighs. 

Oh, this might be bad. Something was stirring down there.

He was still a guy, after all. He was not immune to physical reactions. Not that Reo was aware, treating him as a plaything. She was always so brazen, testing the limits of her power over people.

She shifts and Nagi knows that she needs to get off him immediately. 

“You’re heavy.” he says instead.

“Are you calling me fat?!” She says in indignation, climbing off him.

He quickly readjusts his pants and pretends to give her a once over. Not because she was, but because a riled up Reo was entertaining. She had so many different expressions while he had none, and he was curious to see all her reactions.

“You’re the worst!” She shoves him, but it does little since Nagi was built like a brick house.

“If I am, you’re welcome to leave.” Nagi says casually, like he was testing her.

Reo sees through him immediately. “Nice try. Can’t get rid of me that easily.” She says confidently, brushing down her skirt. Reo extends a hand to help him up.

Nagi hesitantly takes it and stands up. As he does, she snatches her hair ribbon from his other hand with a cheeky grin, poking her tongue out.

“I win~” She says cockily. “You owe me a soda.” 

“Only if you carry me to the vending machine.”

“You’re like twice my size! How can I carry you there???”

“I thought Reo was all powerful like a god?”

“I told you it doesn’t work like that. Not on you, anyways.”

“What a paaain. Can you at least try?”

Reo puts a finger on her chin, thinking. “What if I got you wheelie shoes and I drag you everywhere?”

Nagi considers it for a moment. 

“Would that work?”

The next day Reo ends up wheeling him around hallways class to class by his hands. It was kind of like rollerblading, except they have too much fun as she swings him around in circles and crashes him into a teacher. 

“Nagi! My office now!” The teacher barks, and Reo yelps and pulls Nagi into a sprint. 

“Crap! Run!” She and Nagi run through the corridors and up fleets of stairs until they reach the top of the school building. Reo opens the emergency exit and they end up on the rooftop. 

They’re panting, trying to catch their breath after their great escape. It’s nice up here, the roof is barricaded by a green fence and has a nice view of the Tokyo skyline. 

Reo starts giggling. “Did you see his face??”

Nagi huffs. “How come I’m the only one in trouble? If I get detention it’s your fault.” 

“It’s fine, I’ll talk him out of it.” Reo grins. 

The bell rings signifying the next class, and Reo goes to open the door. She’s always had perfect attendance, after all. 

It’s locked. 

“Ah crap.” Reo says. Nagi goes to try to jiggle the doorknob, but they’re stuck up here. 

“Who designed this door? Should we call someone?” Reo fishes around her skirt pocket for her phone. No signal.

“Hey Nagi! Don’t nap!” She admonishes. Reo spots an open window, just out of reach. This gives her an idea. 

“Nagi, give me a lift.” She says. 

“What? Do I have to?” 

What Reo wants is what Reo gets. She makes Nagi lift her on his shoulders until she’s tall enough to shimmy through the open window. 

“Don’t look at my panties, pervert!” Reo jokes as Nagi shoves her through. She hops down and unlocks the fire door, and gives him a thumbs up as Nagi walks out. 

“Hm. Nice one, Reo.” He acknowledges. 

“Come on, we’re late to class!” 

Reo manages to prove that wheelie shoes aren’t banned in the handbook, so Nagi gets off with a warning instead. She also guilts the janitor into giving her an exclusive copy of the rooftop keys citing her safety, and Nagi and Reo start using that rooftop haunt as their private lunch spot. 

——

Nagi and Reo are alone one afternoon, sitting in an empty Hakuho classroom after school had already ended. The clock on the wall ticks to 3:40, the hum of the radiator quietly reverberating. Everyone had already gone home or were at their respective clubs, but they had stayed behind.

They’re sharing the same cramped small desk for one. Reo is sitting backwards in a chair so she’s facing him, happily watching him game on his phone. She’s way too close as usual, but Nagi had gotten used to her intruding on his space.

Sunlight streams through the open window, letting a small breeze through. Reo starts getting sleepy, the sounds of the shooting game lulling her into a daze. She lets her eyelids flutter closed. Her breaths grow steady, as she naps on the table. 

Reo’s hair looked so shiny and soft. When she was quiet, Nagi thought she looked beautiful. Reo always launched herself at him 1000%, so he never had time to appreciate it like now. 

He’s not even paying attention to his game anymore, the enemy team shooting his character. The “You Died” screen appears and he turns off his phone just to watch her sleep.

Slowly, carefully, he extends a hand to touch her hair, being careful not to wake her up. Nagi rubs the strands between his thumb and index fingers. He curls it around his finger. Reo always liked to ruffle his hair like it was a force of habit. He never did it back to her, afraid of everyone’s ire if he touched the Hakuho Princess.

The classroom curtain flows with the breeze, tickling the back of his neck. 

There’s a strange ache in his chest. The feeling was new, he had no idea what it was.

Nagi’s eyes soften as he folds his arms and puts his chin on it, just admiring her. 

He watches the shadows of the sunset on her face, illuminated by the sun. Memorising the slope of her nose, the shape of her soft lips as she breathed in and out. 

He looks at her slender fingers and manicured nails. Nagi’s hand inches towards it across the table and lightly touches the tip of her finger. It was as much as he dared to do.  

He hated all the people vying for Reo’s attention all the time, and all the hassle that came with it. He hated having to share, having Reo’s light attract everyone like moths to a flame. 

If only we were the only two people in the world, just like this…

The thought surprises him. Self consciously he snatches his hand back. 

Reo stirs at the movement, her hazy amethyst eyes opening. Nagi stares at her dumbly as she blinks a bit, then smiles at him like he’s the whole sky. 

Oh, god. 

His heart does this stupid clenching backflip thing when it really shouldn’t, or he’d be just as bad as all the other NPCs. Crap, his heart was beating really fast and his palms were sweaty. Nagi hoped she didn’t notice he had touched her hand when she slept. He wasn’t supposed to feel this way, that’s what made him special. 

“Did you finish your game…?” Reo mumbles, still half asleep. 

Nagi’s mouth goes dry. He turns away, cupping chin with his hand, trying not to look embarrassed. 

“It’s fine, go back to sleep.” Nagi mutters into his hand.

“Mm, okay.” She closes her eyes again, the ghost of a smile on her face. 

“Stay with me a bit longer…” She murmurs sleepily. 

Nagi couldn’t move even if he wanted to. 

——

“Nagi! You’re soaked!” Reo’s boots splash in the puddles as she runs over with an umbrella. It had been raining hard that day, and her crush had gotten caught out in a rain storm. 

Nagi sneezes, and it reminds her of the time that horrible NPC threw a bucket of water on him. Reo takes off her blazer and tries to pat him dry with it.

“I’ll call Ba-ya to pick us up. We can’t bike in this weather.” 

Nagi doesn’t show up to school the next day. It has Reo anxious the entire morning, as she sends endless texts questioning his whereabouts.

Reo: Where are u???? Why are u not here today??

Reo: hello??

Reo: nagiiiiiii 

Reo: I’m boredddd

Nagi: I’m sick.

Reo: UR WHAT?? IM COMING OVER 

Nagi: No. You’ll get sick too 

Reo: DONT WORRY MY TREASURE I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU

Nagi: Don’t come, you have school 

Reo: I’ll come after!! I’ll bring your homework so wait for me!! Leave the door unlocked!! <33333333 

This was perfect! Also yes it was unfortunate that Nagi was sick, but everyone knew the way into a shoujo love interest's heart was nursing the ill boy to health. Perfect time to show how good of a wife she could be if Nagi gave her a chance! 

Reo knew his address by heart since Ba-ya always dropped him off at his place. Before she arrived she made sure to drop by the grocery store to have a bag of soup ingredients. One leek, an onion, cream, chicken stock, some rice… a frilly apron, some snacks, medicine, her laptop and notes. 

“Tadaimaaaa~♪” Reo sing songs as she bursts in through the door of Nagi’s apartment. She takes off her shoes on the welcome mat and looks around.

So this was Nagi’s place! It was a lot smaller than she thought it would be.

She knew he was a scholarship student, but wasn’t this a bit much? His dorm was the size of one of her closets. Nagi didn’t keep many things here either, it was pretty empty besides the bare essentials. She liked to decorate her apartment floor with art and sculptures, though he only had manga and video games. 

Reo spots Nagi in his bed, pillows strewn on the floor. He peers up at her cutely, his face flushed.

“Oh Reo. You’re here.” He coughs, eyes half lidded. Nagi’s in his sleepwear instead of the Hakuho uniform, and it makes him look a little vulnerable. “I told you not to come.”

Oh my godddd sleepy and affectionate Nagi??? She’s hit the jackpot. 

“Here I am, coming to your rescue.” Reo places the shopping bag onto the kitchen counter. She rummages in it for the medicine she picked up for Nagi on the way back from the pharmacy. “How’s your fever?”

“Bad.” Nagi complains, one arm flung over his forehead. 

“Do you need me to rub your chest with vaporub?” Reo jokes, but in this state Nagi just groans.

She kneels by his bedside and checks his temperature. It’s slightly hot to the touch, so she applies a cooling patch on his forehead. Nagi is a bit sweaty, so she gets out a cool damp cloth and wipes the sweat down. 

“Did you have any medicine?” 

Nagi shakes his head. Reo wonders what he’d do without her, just rawdog the illness and wait for it to go away probably. 

She pops out a tablet and places it on his tongue and makes him swallow it with a glass of water. 

“Have you eaten?” Reo calls out from the kitchen, which was literally a metre from Nagi’s bed. 

“No.” Nagi’s stomach gives a loud gurgle. “There’s nothing in the fridge.”

“I told you Nagi, you’re going to die like that.” She sighs. “You can’t just have jelly and bread. How did you even get so tall on a diet like this.” 

“Cooking is a hassle. There’s too many steps.”

Reo takes out her shopping bag and starts expertly cutting up the ingredients like the way her private chef taught her. She makes an exquisite leek soup that looks like it’s fitting for a high end restaurant. 

When she presents it to Nagi, he looks at it skeptically. 

“I thought shoujo girls can’t cook?” 

“Uh obviously I can, because I’m better than them all and I can do anything.” Reo had seen the manga when the heroine would cook up a batch of something nasty and the love interest would force it down with a smile, but she could never bring herself to make Nagi eat something horrible. Her ego would never take it. 

Nagi lets Reo spoonfeed him the first bite, and his eyes widen. 

It’s unironically the best thing he’s ever tasted. His palette was exploding with flavour, filling him with euphoria and sending him into another dimension like he was the damn critic from Ratatouille. Food could actually taste this incredible? What kind of magic was she doing there in his unused kitchen?? How could he go back to melon bread after this, Reo’s ruined him forever. 

“Good?” Reo grins. 

Nagi nods vigorously and wordlessly chugs the entire thing straight from the bowl. 

“Hey, slow down! It’s still hot.” 

Nagi licks every damn drop of that soup. He feels like one of their classmates fighting over the last grains of rice on the floor of Reo’s bento, finally he knew what the hype was about. Reo really was dangerous. 

Reo dabs the remainder of the soup from the corner of Nagi’s mouth with her handkerchief. 

“That was really good. I’ve been missing out.” Nagi says, and she preens with pride. 

“That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard you say.” Reo remarks. “Where are your parents anyway? Shouldn’t they have stocked up the fridge or cooked you food?” 

“I live alone, except for Choki.” 

“Who?”

Choki turned out to be a bunny shaped cactus sitting on the windowsill. Nagi naming a plant was inexplicably cute! She had to make a good impression and win Choki’s approval since Nagi seemed to treasure Choki a lot. Most kids didn’t accept their stepmother, so she had to turn up the charm. 

“Hi Choki! I’m Reo~ nice to meet you. I’m Nagi’s classmate! Thanks for having me.” Reo tells the potted plant. 

She thinks Choki likes her. Everyone did, after all- flowers bloomed when she walked and she didn’t think the cactus was any exception.

“You can try petting him.” Nagi offers.

She does and his spines gently brush against her. Reo glances up for a sign of approval, and thank god she seemed to have passed.

“Choki always pricks me. He must like you.”

“I like Choki too! You’re a very handsome cactus, aren’t you? Thank you for watching over Nagi and keeping him company all this time.” Reo beams. 

Nagi is watching her with a soft expression, she bites her lip to stop herself from smiling too hard.

They put on a movie on Reo’s laptop as Nagi half watches and half dozes off. She sits on top of the covers on the edge of the bed. Was this the infamous Netflix and chill? 

It’s a horror movie, so she uses it as an excuse to cling onto Nagi. It’s about a scary and possessive girlfriend who had been cursed by her a wish from her coworker to love him. He twitches at the jump scares, and by the end she’s terrified as well, having forgotten her original motive. The movie ends with everyone’s corpses around her as she wails and sobs. 

It actually was scary and might’ve worked a bit too well, because now it was dark outside and they were both unsettled. Reo was getting hungry as well, so she got up off the bed. 

“I’ll make you dinner. Some porridge maybe.” Reo ties her hair up in a ponytail and dons the apron she brought. On the tiny stovetop she whips up some porridge and eats the konbini snacks for her own dinner. She hums the bonobono opening song as she works, wondering if she was also acting like the crazy guy in the movie.

Reo places the leftovers on the stovetop to cool, and puts in the soup and remaining snacks in the fridge for Nagi to eat later. 

“Hey Nagi, wake up.” Reo nudges him, pressing a spoon to his lips. Nagi obediently swallows.

“Yummy.” He murmurs. She spoonfeeds him the rest and then goes to do the dishes.

“You want help bathing?” Reo calls out. She goes to the bathroom and turns on the taps and draws a hot bath for him. 

“I don’t wanna get up…” Nagi complains. “Carry me.”

Reo manages to haul his sick body into the bathroom, thankfully it was only a stone throw away. It was way too soon for her to see him naked, so she leaves Nagi alone to bathe and hopes he doesn’t crack his head on the floor from dizziness.

Once he’s done, she blowdries his hair. It’s soft to the touch, and she starts combing out the knots. Reo helps him get dressed again into a new set of pajamas and puts the discarded clothes into the laundry basket.

“Feeling better?” She asks as she tucks him back into bed.

“Mm. Thanks Reo. For being here.”

She stops in surprise in the midst of putting his clothes in the washing machine. 

“Wow, you must really be sick to be saying that.” She changes the cooling patch and passes the soothing chest balm to Nagi to apply. 

She looks at the clock on the windowsill. It was around 10pm, she probably had to get going by now. 

“Right, I trust you’re all fine here? It’s late, I should head out.” Reo starts putting on her shoes and packing up the things she brought into her bag. 

“Noooo.” Nagi whines from the bed. “Stay here. It’s too dark outside, it’s dangerous. We can have a sleepover.”

“Aw, still scared from the movie?” Reo grins. “I can’t. I don’t have a toothbrush or pajamas.”

Nagi pouts. “I have a spare one. You can borrow my clothes.” 

Reo thinks for a minute. Her dad will probably be pissed, but she couldn’t miss out on this needy, clingy version of Nagi. Who knew when she could get this chance again, after all her hard work. 

“Okay, I’ll stay.” Reo goes to the bathroom to brush her teeth and freshen up. She fishes out her phone and shoots Ba-ya a text. 

Reo: staying over at Nagi’s :)

Ba-ya: Please use protection, young Master. 

Reo: WHAT 

Ba-ya: I will contact a clinic tomorrow to get you on birth control. 

Reo: WE HAVEN'T EVEN KISSED 

Ba-ya: I know how things go. I will arrange for a plan B pill for you in the morning.

Reo: that is NOT necessary!!!! Nagi doesn’t even like me yet!!? 

Ba-ya: [Condom brand link] Best of luck, young master Reo.

Reo’s blushing into her hand as she goes back into the bedroom. Despite herself, she checks the link to the condom in the nearest konbini.

“Reo? Who are you texting?” 

Reo nearly screams and almost drops the phone, hurriedly turning it off. 

“Just Ba-ya, letting her know I’m at yours.” 

“You look a bit red. Did you catch my fever?”

“No! A-anyway, what PJs do you have? I’m not sure any of it would fit me.” 

“Just take anything.”

Reo turns around and rummages through his drawers. She picks out a black hoodie, the one she sees Nagi wearing to school. It’s her favourite one, and he seemed to have multiple of them. When she puts it on, she finds that it drowns her, it was basically like a dress. 

The sleeves hang off her hands, and it dawns on her that she’s wearing the infamous boyfriend kare shirt. Reo’s worn Nagi’s clothes before at the beach, but this time it seemed more?? Intimate??

“A-anyway, where’s the couch? Or did you want me to sleep on the floor?” Reo asks, looking around the dorm. It was so tiny that it was just the bedroom, corridor and bathroom. How anyone could live here was beyond her.

“It’s fine, just get in the bed.” Nagi replies, opening up the duvet cover and indicating for her to get in. 

Crap, was Ba-ya right? She hadn’t even prepared?! Shouldn’t she have a shower first, and rush down to the konbini? Reo heard that the first time hurt, so she probably needed some lube and condoms, and oh god she didn’t even have proper cute lingerie on! 

“Come on Reo, it’s getting cold.” 

Nagi suddenly pulls her into a back hug. His face is flushed from fever, making him look even more adorable.

Waaaaahhhh so cuteee! Her treasure is so cute! Delirious sick Nagi was the most adorable creature in the world?!!

“You’re warm.” Nagi’s voice is muffled. The feeling of victory like a stray cat finally accepting pets. They’re cuddling now in his bed, and Reo’s heart could burst with joy.

Ahh she loved Nagi so much! Now this was peak romance!!! 

“Should I water Choki too?” Reo asks, suddenly self conscious of the PDA she was doing in front of his cactus.

“Nah, he’s okay. He doesn’t need much watering.” 

“Right. I guess we should go to sleep now then.” Reo takes off the hair ribbon and places it on the windowsill next to Choki and lets her hair fall down on her shoulders. She leans over Nagi to turn off the bedroom lamp.

Moonlight streams from Nagi’s window, and there’s nothing but the sound of the quiet ticking of the clock.

Unable to sleep, Reo turns around in bed and is surprised to see Nagi looking back at her. He looked pretty, the moonlight lit up his hair in an ethereal kind of way.

“Have you ever had a sleepover before?” She asks, with a lack of better things to say. 

“No, you’re the first person who’s ever been here.” Nagi admits. 

Reo’s shocked at the admission. “Not even your parents??” 

Nagi shakes his head. Her legs nudge him under the covers in a comforting way. 

“That makes me feel special.” There’s a warm glow in her chest. She wonders why more people hadn’t tried to go after Nagi, but then thanks her luck that she didn’t have any competition. 

“Mm. Have you done sleepovers before?” Nagi asks.

“Uh, sometimes? With my fathers clients' children when I was young. Not really now…” She muses.

“I thought Reo had a lot of friends?” 

“Not really… The guys just want to sleep with me and the girls are too nervous or jealous around me. And when I do talk to them, they spread rumours… or they want something from me like money or whatnot.” 

“They’re all losers then.”

“I almost got kidnapped once! But Ba-ya used to be in the military and she pummeled the guy.” she laughs. 

“Reo should be more careful…”

“I’m pretty strong and I’m lucky too. And I have you around, so!”

“Am I your best friend?” Nagi asks suddenly. It’s a random question, and it takes her off guard. She wonders if she wandered too far into the friendzone, and it was too late to turn back. Ideally she’d like to be his wife and soulmate bonded until the end of time rather than just a friend. But then again Nagi never had any friends and possibly didn’t know the difference. Or was he jealous and wanted to be her top friend rather than the other classmates?

Reo must’ve paused for way too long, because Nagi was getting that kicked puppy look. 

“Y-yeah, I guess….” She amends quickly. “Am I your best friend?”

“You’re in my bed in my clothes.” He says deadpan, like it was self explanatory. “Also you already know I don’t have other friends.” 

“True.” Ba-ya was an idiot, she should know by now all her advances would be shut down. Reo switches the topic to something else to avoid injuring her own feelings. 

“You should come to my place for our next sleepover. It’s in a tower. We have a movie room, a gym, a pool, a spa, and private chefs. I can get chef Jiro Ono to make you omakase.” 

“Reo’s cooking is better.”

“You think so? He has 3 Michelin stars. Though I could get him to teach me.” Reo plays on her hoodie strings. She did put a lot of love in her cooking, maybe that’s why? 

“Yeah. It’s a shame what happened to the bento. I get why everyone was fighting over it now.” 

“Hey, you didn’t even want it.”

“That was before I tasted your cooking.”

“Did you want me to make you another one?”

“Yes please.” Nagi says eagerly. “I feel bad though. You do so much for me and I haven’t done anything.” 

Reo opens her mouth to selfishly say ‘then be mine’, but the earnest look in his eyes stops her. It took a lot for Nagi to even admit they were best friends, and she shouldn’t push. 

She scratches the hair behind Nagi’s ear instead. 

“It’s fine. I like spoiling you. Your company is enough.” 

It was strange. At the start she had boasted so much about love while not knowing anything about it. But the closer she got to Nagi, the more precious he got. She never wanted to force him to love her like the boy from the movie, despite all her posturing. For now she was content as long as she was the person closest to Nagi.

Nagi places his hand on her wrist, nuzzling into her palm like a tamed beast. “If Reo needs something, let me know.”

She smiles, tangling their hands together comfortingly. They continue whispering in the dark until they get too tired to keep talking. Reo’s never had someone like this before, that she could talk endlessly to about literally anything. 

“Goodnight Nagi.” She yawns, settling into one of the pillows. “Goodnight, Choki.”

“Goodnight, Reo…” Nagi murmurs softly. 

They fall asleep like that, their hands still laced together. 

Chapter Text

Reo loses her lucky powers for a day. It all started when the Gods pulled Reo into their board room meeting in Heaven. 

“We’re tired.” God yawns. “We need a day off.” 

“Huh???” Reo gapes in the meeting room. All the other deities across the other religions nod their heads solemnly. They had been working overtime for months to cater to Reo, and they had wives and kids to attend to.

God pressed his hands together and placed them under his bearded chin.

“I already did you a massive favour earlier. We made a deal, remember? That you'd get Nagi to fall in love with you. If you don't, I'm cancelling your wish.”

“What? Just give me more time! Please!” Reo begs. 

“We've given you everything you wanted and all the luck and beauty in the world. It should have been easy.” Aphrodite points out. The Mikage headphones translated her words from Greek to Japanese efficiently enough. 

“Nagi’s just being a bit difficult. It won't take much longer, I swear. We’ve upgraded to best friends. Once this is over you all can take a long paid vacation.” 

Buddha is meditating in the corner, legs crossed. “The root of suffering is attachment. Nothing is forever except change. We already told you, dear Reo. Your wish is the wrong decision.” 

“Falling in love with Nagi would never be the wrong decision!” She shoots back angrily. “Screw your wise quotes, you know I’m richer than God so just do as I say!” 

“Enough, Reo. We are already short staffed and underpaid as it is.” Odin slams his spear into the ground. “The gold donations and blood sacrifices have really dwindled lately in this economy and we had to lay off a lot of gods last month.”

“Right? Most of the population are becoming atheists, and we're running out of business. We’re barely being funded by the Mormons and Evangelicals.” Jesus mutters, scrolling through the Excel spreadsheet on his laptop as he tabs through to Xero. “The Reserve Bank of Heaven increased interest rates so we had to stoop so low as to accept your commission.” 

“Yeah, and Poseidon quit when you made him work on your beach episode in the middle of a date with his wife on a weekend.” Isis snaps. 

“That barely took a minute to do!” Reo objects.

“Well Poseidon already threw his work phone into the ocean. Don't make us set up a workers union.” 

The other gods looked at each other uncomfortably at them fighting. They would’ve quit ages ago but rent and bills were high in Heaven and their savings were dwindling.

The job market was even more abysmal with jobs being offshored to Hell. The demons down there invented AI and were taking all the jobs, so they had no choice but to open Teams when their manager God contacted them for a stupid request. 

Vishnu was already brushing up his resume and applying on LinkedIn as the board members argued. No money was worth this troublesome client. He should just reincarnate and go on a Europe trip. 

“This is our strike. Get it done. You have one more month.” God says with finality, and sends Reo back down Heaven’s escalator. 

——-

“You lost your powers?” Nagi asks in surprise. 

A bedraggled looking Reo who looked like she had fallen in a puddle appears late to class. A bird had pooped on her hair, she had crashed her bike, and her and Nagi’s bentos fell into the lake. 

“Ahhhhh I’m so pissed!!!” She sulks. “I’ve always been lucky, how do people deal with this???”

Nagi rummages around for a tissue and his water bottle to wash the bird poop out of her hair. “Well I’m normal and I deal with this every day.”

“But tonight is the summer festival!!! I wanted to go with Nagi!!” Reo stamps her foot, pouting childishly as Nagi dries her off. 

“We could just stay home then and play games instead.”

“No, I’ve been looking forward to it all month!! I want to go!!” 

The bad luck continues throughout the school day. She nearly falls down the stairs, she gets a bad grade, a door slams in her face, someone cuts in line in front of her for the cafeteria and the last of her favourite food had been sold out. 

There was only one thing left and it had mushrooms in it. The cafeteria lady even charged her full price. 

Reo is sniffling in the corner of the courtyard, muttering to herself and emanating a depressing aura. “I worked so hard on making Nagi’s bento, and- and I hate mushrooms and-”

Nagi sighs. “Come on, I’ll trade with you.” He swaps the cafeteria bentos and eats her mushrooms, even though he didn’t like vegetables either. 

Nagi walks to the vending machine and kicks it. It jolts a drink to fall down and he picks it up. He has enough foresight to let it burst as he opened it before it got to Reo, and once it stopped fizzing he passed it to her. 

“Soda?” 

Nagi pats her head as she accepts the drink. 

“Sorry for being so moody, Nagi. I’ll make sure we have fun at the festival. I just wanted today to be perfect, and this happened.” 

“Maybe bad things happen in order for you to appreciate the good. It makes you stronger.” 

“Man, you sound like Buddha. I guess even the worst day with you is still better than the best day without you.” She grins, tilting her head. “Haha, are you going red?”

“I’m not.” 

“Yes you are!” She pokes his blushing cheek and makes a tsss noise. “Ah, hot! Like you are!”

“I’m taking back the soda.” Nagi drinks from it, but Reo has a mischievous look on her face. 

“Indirect kiss??” 

Nagi spits out the orange soda in shock and it hits Reo in the face, who screams shrilly about her hair.

——

Reo had come prepared tonight to knock the socks off of Nagi. Even if the board room was on strike, she still had her dazzling good looks even before she made the deal. 

She had on a light purple yukata with leaf patterns decorating the exquisitely luxurious and expensive silk. Her long hair was tied up in a bun with the front strands loose, and she wore flattering makeup with tinted lipgloss.

When she meets Nagi downstairs in the lobby, she does a little twirl in her sandals to show off her outfit and the big bow in the back. 

“What do you think?” She chirps merrily. Nagi does a brief double take, but recovers quickly. 

“…Pretty. Though Reo always is.” 

“Praise me more!”

“Seeing Reo in costume is enough to make the festival fun.” 

“You got that right! Also you look handsome in your black yukata too, we make such a dashing pair.”

Ba-ya drops them off in the heart of the festival. There were many market stalls, carnival games, rides, and the whole place was decorated from head to toe with lanterns.

As they walk together, Reo spots a small fortune teller carnival tent. 

“Hey Nagi, let’s get our fortunes read!” She pulls them through the curtain drapes into a room lined with rugs and fairy lights. There’s crystals and bottles lining the bookshelves inside with candles making for a mysterious atmosphere. 

“Welcome. I am Reiji Hiigari.” A tall man with his black hair tied up in a bun with two dot tattoos under his eyes greeted them. “Would you like your fortunes told?”

“Yes please!” Reo sits eagerly on the open chair along with Nagi. Hiigari takes out and shuffles his tarot cards. She draws a card.

“The wheel of fortune, reversed. A bad fortune will happen to you today.” He says spookily. 

“I knew that already. What about romance?”

“No, something really bad will happen tonight.” Hiigari says, a little caught off guard by her flippant response.

“Whatever, read my love line on my palm.” 

“Uh. Okay?”

She subtly slides him $100 under the table and pointedly tilts her head at Nagi. Hiigari pockets the cash and takes her hand to trace down her love line. 

“You two are soulmates. It’s destiny. You are tied together forever as partners in every lifetime for all eternity.” 

Reo fist pumps the air. “Yes!!!” Who needs luck when she has money??? 

“You hear that Nagi?” She says smugly. “You can't avoid your fate.”

“Reo is too obsessed with love and romance…” Nagi replies as he takes a tarot card from the deck. The fortune teller inspects his palm as well.

“Your future… Death. It means ceasing, separation and game over.” Hiigari says ominously. 

Nagi yanks back his palm. “I don't like this Reo. I’m leaving.” 

Reo clears her throat, kicking Hiiragi’s chair leg under the table.

“It can also mean transformation, endings and new beginnings.” Hiigari corrects. “Your world will end, but as one door closes another one opens.” 

“Sure. Let’s go, Reo. I want to get some snacks.” 

They make their way outside again into the festival, and share a packet of onion rings they get from a stall. Reo jokingly puts one on her ring finger. 

“See? Married.” 

Nagi eats the onion ring off her finger, and licks his lip. 

“Hey!” 

After they finish, they end up at a carnival shooting game. There’s a stack of toy prizes at the back and moving targets. 

Reo misses every shot. “This is rigged!” She shouts in frustration as the last of her nerf gun bullets bounce uselessly on the sides. 

On the other hand, Nagi is an expert with his background in shooting games. He hits them all with targeted precision and wins a lion plushie for Reo. 

“I love it!! How’d you know it’s my favourite animal??” She squeals, squishing Nagi and the lion into a hug.

“It’s your favourite animal?”

“Well, it is now because Nagi won it for me! Let me get us some dessert as a thank you!” Reo takes off to go line up at a candy apple stall before he can object. 

Three delinquent looking teenage boys in hoodies are behind Nagi, lingering near a bridge tunnel away from the crowds. 

“Wow she’s gorgeous in that yukata…” The blonde one murmurs. 

“I have the knife so she doesn’t scream.” A black haired guy with a long spiked haircut says. “You got the camera?” 

Nagi’s head whips around in shock. Normally Reo could hold her own, but not today. Hiiragi’s prediction echoes in his ears.  

“Honestly, I can't wait to have our way with her. You corner her here, then you pin her down-”

Nagi punches the guy before he can finish. The boy falls to the ground as the other two watch him, stunned. 

“The fuck??? Who are you??” 

“I’m Reo’s best friend.” 

He grabs the guy sneaking up behind him and flings him over his shoulder. Nagi starts pummelling them, and kicks the knife into the river with the back of his foot. He swiftly breaks his legs and shoves a shoe in his mouth like a stuffed pig to stop him from screaming. 

Nagi grabs the other guy into a chokehold and grabs him violently by the hair and throws him into the other boy. His eyes are pitch black swirling irises, the skull of the grim reaper was filling the tunnel. 

He proceeds to break the other guy's arms. “I’ll destroy you all. You’ll all wish you’d never been born.” Nagi snaps his finger backwards.

“Aghhhhh!!!”

“If you ever touch Reo, I’ll hunt you down every day of your life. I’ll break every single bone in your body, and when you’ve healed, I’ll do it all again. In fact, I’ll end each one of your bloodlines right now. None of you will ever use your lower half again.”

“Please god no!!!”

“God isn’t here. But Death is.”

Nagi crushes his balls underneath his feet. They scream, but Nagi claps a hand over their mouths and he systematically destroys each one, blood pooling on the ground. 

“Nagi?” Reo holding the candy apple and tanghulu, her eyes wide in shock.
“What are you doing?”

They all turn to look at her, and then each other. Nagi drops the boy and instantly puts on the innocent fat baby seal eyes. 

“Reooo~ these scary guys…They started fighting each other in front of me, I was just breaking them up.” Nagi switches up to his cutesy voice, the one he knew Reo always fell for. 

She believes him immediately. “Oh Nagi, you must've been so scared!” Reo starts checking Nagi’s face to see if he was hurt anywhere. “Is my treasure okay? I know you’re a pacifist.”

One of them makes a pained groaning noise from the ground. Nagi blocks the view of the carnage from her with his body. 

“Don’t look, Reo. I’ll text Ba-ya to clean them up.” 

“Good idea. Poor things, they need medical attention. Are you all okay?” 

The three guys were moved by her words, her concerned face made her look like an angel. How could they have thought about attacking her like that and defiling someone so pure of heart?

Nagi bends over, pretending to tend to their wounds. “Get ready for round 2. Ba-ya’s a military veteran.” He whispers, sending the text that will send them to their doom. Shitheads like them didn’t deserve to exist, if it wasn’t Reo it would be another innocent girl. 

“They’re fine, Reo. Let’s go.” He holds her hand to lead her away from the mangled bodies. 

“Haha of course, treasure! The fireworks are starting up soon.” She takes a bite from the tanghulu and offers Nagi the rest.

They get a better view of the firework show from the bench by the river. It’s more quiet here. 

After some waiting, sparks fly up into the air and explode into the sky in large colourful booms. The fireworks light up the night, dwarfing them in size. 

“Wahh! So pretty!”

Nagi isn’t looking at the fireworks. Instead his gaze is trained at Reo’s delighted face and long eyelashes. He sneaks his phone out to take a photo.

“That Hiigari guy was full of shit about my bad luck. Tonight was perfect!” She hugs the lion plush to her chest.

Nagi sees Ba-ya dragging three bodies through the bushes into the back of her trunk. 

“Perfect.” Nagi agrees. 

He walks her back to her apartment, he doesn’t trust her luck today. 

She’s skipping down the road and she nearly falls into a pothole. Nagi grabs her hand before she can.

Nah, he won’t risk it. 

“Can I sleep over at yours tonight?” Nagi asks. 

She’s a little taken aback at the sudden last minute request. “Sure?” 

It’s a very glamorous apartment, with a view of the twinkling city lights. Nagi helps her undo the yukata and sits outside the door like a guard dog as she changes into her pajamas.  

The thought of anything bad happening to her had shaken him to his core. Reo should always be happy, after all. If he hadn’t been there, what would have happened to her smile? 

Nagi stays awake in the bed next to her sleeping form with his head on a swivel until the clock hits midnight. 

Only then he can calm down enough to fall asleep next to her.

You owe me, God. 

The next day for their PE dance class, Nagi is distracted. All the boys are in the inner circle, practicing the steps to the waltz with the girls in an outer ring. They shuffle and switch partners with every step, but his eyes are fixed on Reo. 

The boys are delighted at holding her hands and twirling with her, then visibly disappointed when she has to switch to the next partner. 

By the time he gets to Reo and it’s time for her to go to the next boy, he doesn’t let go in time. The next guy crashes into him, ruining the formation and they go down like dominoes.

“Oh sorry.” He says flatly, as everyone groans around him. 

He told Reo she should find someone else, someone who would treat her better and be much better than him. But even seeing Reo dance with another guy made the berserker in him go crazy.

She wasn’t in danger this time, so why did that feeling still remain? Why did he want to snap the fingers of all the guys touching her? 

Crap what’s happening to him… 

All these stupid thoughts were making him tired. Every thought in his head seemed to revolve around Reo these days, like a brain eating amoeba. 

During break, he finds her on the bleachers of the field. She’s locked in watching something on her phone. Reo cheers, and he spots the flashing 3:0 Nigeria on the screen. 

“Reo?”

“Oh, Nagi.” Reo scooches over. 

“You were watching soccer?” 

“Yeah, the U20 World Cup. It’s Isagi. He’s as crazy as ever…” 

She shakes her head and turns off her phone. 

“Anyway, what university should we both go to? Should we do the same subject? Maybe start a company together?”

“What company does Reo want to start?”

Reo’s smile falters. “I’m not sure yet. Anyway, are you free tomorrow? I want to go to the aquarium.” 

——

She’s wearing a long white sundress for their aquarium outing, with a matching white ribbon. Reo’s hair is in a braid this time, and she looks like a princess. He’s wearing a white cardigan with too many buttons instead of his usual daggy hoodie. 

“Reo looks good in white.” Nagi says automatically, his words coming out faster than his thoughts.

Reo blinks and laughs. “Is that a proposal?”

“Uhh…” 

“I'm kidding! Still it makes me happy to get a compliment from you~” Reo says as she scans their tickets to go through the turnstiles. 

Nagi is deep in thought as they walk past the jellyfish in the dark room. He is wondering what these new feelings he had towards Reo were. He’s never cared about anyone before.

The fish were all following Reo around as she walked. Dolphins were doing tricks to get her attention in their tanks, squeeing that a celebrity had visited their aquarium. 

Right, he was just going insane. Just like everybody else. He was being brainwashed by the Reo propaganda and falling down the alt Reo pipeline. 

How frustrating, what made him special was that he didn’t bend to her will unlike everyone else on the planet.  

Yet here he was on a Saturday afternoon in a bloody aquarium, and he was enjoying every second. Dammit. 

They stopped by a craft station where they could get temporary tattoos of sea and zoo animals. 

“I’m gonna get a seal! It looks like you when you give me googoo eyes.” 

“I’m going to get this chameleon.” Nagi picks up the green tattoo and a damp cloth. 

“Oh? Why?”

“It’s you when you stick out your tongue.” 

“Haha! I do that a lot, don’t I?” 

The two of them get animal tattoos, and put their wrists together to admire their work. 

“I don’t want this to wash off”. She grins. “I gotta put something on my wrist so it stays on. Isn’t matching tattoos so romantic?” 

“Mm.” 

“Not gonna say anything? Where’s my sarcastic comment?”

Nagi shakes his head. “I don’t want mine to wash off either.” He says honestly. 

“Oh? Wanna get them tattooed on for real?” She dares.

“I don’t have that kind of money…”

“Only money is the issue?” She laughs. 

——-

Valentine's Day has arrived at Hakuho. It was the worst day of the year for Nagi, especially.  

A truckload of flowers were being delivered, and the classroom was full of roses and blooms. Reo was positively drowning in them, as they started overflowing out the windows. They had to swim through them to get to their seats that day. 

Reo spits out a petal. 

There’s mountains of chocolate piled around the classroom too, it made it look like the Willy Wonka factory. Someone had even paid for a chocolate sculpture of Reo, which had slightly melted.

Outside there’s a huge line wrapping the block with boys with love letters, all ready to confess to Reo. 

It was a logistical nightmare. Reo had gotten even more popular, somehow. 

“Should I reject them in groups?” She muses as she sticks her head out the window. The boys shriek from below, and lift up their posters and love letters like she was a rockstar.

Nagi should’ve just stayed home. And stuck his head in the microwave while he was at it. He rolls his eyes and opens his locker.

To his surprise there’s a letter in it. He’s never gotten a letter on Valentine's Day, not even once. 

The fuck?

Did Reo get him something? 

No, this handwriting wasn’t hers. It’s from a girl named Emi. 

Nagi-senpai 

Please meet me at the rooftop at 3pm this afternoon. I have something important to ask you. 

Emi <3 

Reo appears out of nowhere and snatches the love letter from Nagi’s hand so fast he almost gets a paper cut. 

She reads the whole thing and by the end she looked homicidal. “Emi? You’ve been talking to other girls?”

“No. I don’t know who that even is.” Nagi backs away, Reo’s hair is floating around her head like a banshee. 

A girl? Was confessing to HER future husband? Not on her watch. How could she have let her guard down?! 

Reo was the one who was going to confess to Nagi! She had painstakingly made homemade chocolate and commissioned a bouquet for him. 

“Well. You’re going to turn her down, aren’t you?” The letter crumples in her fist. 

“Er. Yes boss.” 

“Good boy. Now let’s go to the rooftop and you reject her, before I push her off myself.”

Nagi reluctantly heads upstairs while Reo rolls her sleeves up and ties up her hair. 

Sure, she might get suspended for punching a schoolmate. But the fate of her future children hung in the balance. If Emi’s confession goes well, Reo will be stuck being Nagi’s best woman at their wedding. Kidding, she’d have Emi assassinated before then. Reo won’t have any love rival, since she’s the only option for Nagi. No stupid background character would snatch him away after all her hard labour. 

Reo hides on the staircase, watching them both. 

It’s a short looking girl, with orange bob length hair. She looked nervous, her hands bunched on her skirt. 

“Nagi-senpai!” She bows. “Please.. please give my confession letter to Reo!” 

Reo stops.

Hah?

“Reo gets so many confessions, I know she will never receive mine. But if I give it to you, can you pass it to her directly?” 

“Why would I do that.” Nagi says coldly. “I’m not a fast pass so you can skip the line.”

“Please, you’re her best friend. I know it’s a little unconventional but I know I can make her happy!”

Nagi’s eyes are narrowed, glaring at her like she’s a disgusting worm. His lip curls up in disdain, expression stormy. Reo’s never seen that look on her treasure’s face before. It kind of gives her the chills- but it was oddly hot as well. 

“Well, you can’t.”

“Wha?! Who are you to say that?! Didn’t take you for a homophobe-”

“You don’t even know anything about Reo.” He interrupts. “Why would she want your half assed confession? You can’t even say it to her face.” He sneers unkindly. 

Emi’s face flushes, mouth hanging open. “Well I know that Reo is perfect and kind. Unlike you.” 

“Does she even know you exist? If you really knew Reo, you’d know she’s forceful, selfish, and spoiled. She always gets what she wants, and never settles for anything less.”

Ok why was she getting flamed here… 

“Do you even know her favourite animal?” 

“Aha! It’s a seal! I saw it on her wrist.” Emi challenges. 

“Nope. Her favourite animal is a white lion.”

“Wh- I can learn when we date! You can’t gatekeep her! You’re just some poor nobody, a lazy loser!”

“I’m sure Reo would love to be with someone who insults her friends. Do you even hear yourself? I’m done here. I don’t speak to cowards.”

Nagi rips up her confession letter and lets it flutter away in the wind. 

Emi gapes at him in anger. 

“Why you-” She goes to lunge at him, her fist raised.

Reo runs forward and grabs her wrist. The both of them turn to look at her.

“Reo-kun?!! I- uh- that was-” She stammers. 

“Oh Reo. I knew you’d be here.” 

“Emi. I think you should apologize to Nagi.” Reo lowers her arm, and Emi shakes in her shoes. 

“Sorry, Nagi.” Emi says meekly. 

“Hey Nagi, you should apologize to her too.” She scolds.

Nagi childishly sticks out his tongue at Emi. “Sorry.” 

“Now shake hands.” 

Nagi looks like he’s been asked to swallow a cockroach. He does it quickly, then wipes his hand on his trousers. 

“Nagi, can you give us a moment?” Reo asks.

Nagi lets out a deep sigh and walks out back down the staircase. Emi chooses this moment to continue her confession. 

“Reo senpai. I’ve always liked you… since our first day here. I know you probably don’t like girls, but- you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, and I couldn’t forget you!”

“Thank you Emi, for telling me your feelings.” Reo says gently. “It’s brave of you to do.”

She looks sad. “But?”

Reo closes her eyes in resignation. “You know this seal? On my wrist?”

“Huh?”

“It’s supposed to be Nagi.” 

Emi’s mouth drops yet again. She swallows. “So the chameleon on Nagi’s wrist is…?”

“It’s me.” She gives her a strained smile.

“But- but you’re just best friends…you’re not dating.” She tries to protest.

Reo bites her lip. “You know Emi. When I saw that you gave your letter to Nagi, I really wanted to punch you.” 

“Um. What?” The blood drains from her kohai’s face. 

“I didn’t want you to take Nagi away from me. Now I know it’s for me, I could laugh. I’m not perfect, and I’m not kind. Nagi was right about me, but he’s still by my side anyway.”

“…So you love him?”

Reo glances at the door to see if Nagi was listening in. Thankfully he wasn’t. 

“I do. I knew it from the moment I met him. I can’t accept any of the flowers, chocolates, or confessions from anyone. He’s who I want.”

Emi is looking tearful now. She brushes her face with her sleeve.

“I’m really sorry, Emi. I’m sure the perfect girl is out for you still. It’s just not me.”

“Is it because ..I’m a girl and he’s a boy?” 

“No. It’s because it’s Nagi. I’d find Nagi if we were both boys or both girls. Always. It’s the God's will.” 

Emi sniffs. “What’s so special about him? He does nothing but nap and play games.”

Reo looks away shyly. “I’d do anything for him. Nagi is the only real person here who sees me. The only person who matters in this world.” 

—-

Nagi has an angry thundercloud over his head, sitting on the bottom of the staircase. 

“Are you sulking?” Reo asks as she walks down the steps and wraps her arms around his shoulders from behind him. 

“I’m not Reo’s secretary. I shouldn’t have to apologize.” He says moodily. 

“Nagi.” She rummages in her school bag. “I made you chocolate.”

Nagi perks up. “Really?”

Reo smiles, handing him the purple box. She had made individual chocolates with a ganache centre in different flavours, including lemon.

“Reo, feed me.” He opens his mouth and Reo happily places the chocolate onto his tongue. 

“Reo’s baking is the best.” Nagi murmurs in contentment and feeds her the next one. They finish the box on the stairs where they first met, Emi long forgotten. 

“Now I expect you to give something back on White Day.”

“Only if we both skip school for next year's Valentines.” 

“Deal.” 

They seal it with a pinky promise.