0𝙁𝙇𝙐𝙊𝙓𝙀𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙀ˢʰⁱⁿˢᵒᵘ

𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕃 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕ᵗʰⁱʳᵗʸ-ᵒⁿᵉ

THE "L" WORD —

chapter thirty-one

"Gran, meet Hitoshi Shinsou." Korei introduced, motioning towards her boyfriend as she stepped aside. Shinsou waved at the elderly woman, not caring that her narrowed eyes were scrutinizing him. "My boyfriend."

"Duvshanit, are you sure?" Gran asked, turning her gaze from Shinsou to Korei. "You could do much better."

"Gran! Don't talk like that!" Korei scolded, suddenly afraid of what her grandmother would do to her. She shouldn't have raised her voice, but she couldn't help it! Her grandmother had just disrespected her and her boyfriend! The purple-haired male didn't care that much, not seeing Korei's grandmother as someone important anyway.

"I'm just telling the truth, Korei. This one doesn't even know how to brush his hair," Gran spoke, making a weird motion over her head to symbolize brushing her hair. Shinsou could have said something rude right back to the old woman but he decided not to. There was no reason to upset her because she might make Korei break up with him. Not that Korei would, he was certain that he could do something to persuade her into breaking some rules with him.

"C'mon Gran, be nice? I like him," Korei mumbled out, flushing red as she glanced from her grandmother to her messy-haired boyfriend. Shinsou smirked, the tips of his ears turning pink. Gran rolled her eyes and grabbed onto her granddaughter's arm, yanking her out of earshot of the boy. She tugged Korei down to her height, smacking her upside the head.

"Is this the reason why you signed up for that wretched high school? Bat-zonna! Do you really think that he likes you? Look at you! He doesn't like you for you!" Gran whispered aggressively, wanting to clarify that she was meaning Shinsou only wanted Korei for her body but deciding not to. She believed that her message was clear enough. To Korei, it sounded like her grandmother was just pointing out that she was fat and therefore not good enough to be with Shinsou, which is what she thought already.

"I-i..." there were no words that she could stutter out that would combat the feelings she was suddenly drowning in. "Is it okay if I show him to my room? He was planning on spending the night..." she choked out, keeping her tears from falling. Gran's eyes widened and she realized her mistake. Huffing angrily, she nodded and then stomped out to where Shinsou was waiting. Korei quietly followed, a pouty look on her round face. Shinsou took notice of this and immediately felt his chest tighten. What was said back there? Instead of asking her if she was okay, he let her take him by the hand and lead him down the hallway to what he assumed was her bedroom. He took notice of the lack of pictures on the walls, feeling sort of bummed out about the place. It was like he could feel how much Korei has suffered here.

"Korei, is everything alright?" Shinsou asked before entering the green-haired girl's bedroom. His eyes scanned the door and almost completely skipped over the fact that the lock was on the outside of her door. His mind began racing with thoughts. Is Korei being abused? Neglected? What the hell is going on here? Korei sighed softly, turning around to face him. Shinsou searched her golden-brown eyes for a sign of anything. A cry for help maybe? "You can tell me."

"Do you...like me, Toshi?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper and her cheeks burning so brightly that they'd light up a dark room. "Like, do you actually want to be with me? Or am I just...someone that you f-felt bad for?" She looked so sad and upset, and not at all like herself. There was something off about this and he just wanted to fix it but he didn't know how!

"Korei," he began, squeezing her hand slightly. "Do you think that I'd waste my time on someone that I felt bad for?" Korei didn't understand what he was getting at, looking up at him with wide doe eyes. She looked like she was about to cry and Shinsou didn't like it one bit. "I'm with you because I like you. There's no other reason, just my complete and utter adoration of you. Of course, I like you! What's there not to like?"

"W-well," she trailed off, her blush intensifying somehow. Shinsou's words went straight to her heart, making her fall even more for him. This boy was going to be the death of her. She was so glad that he was her first(and hopefully last) boyfriend. "I'm a bit on the chunky side, you know? I just don't see how someone like you...could like someone like me."

Shinsou didn't hesitate, didn't even skip a beat. He saw an opening and he took it. This was his time to finally man up and show his girlfriend that he thought she was worth more than the sun, the moon, and all of the stars. He would never care about another person in the same way and she needed to know that."I think I'm in love with you."

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