I DON'T LIKE COFFEE [SAIKI K.]

[11] I DON'T LIKE LOVE WARS

GOOD GRIEF. WHAT the heck, Toritsuka?

Thought Saiki while his eyes burned with rage. His anger was towards himself rather than his opponent, but he still was irritated by Reita's sudden love declaration.

Kusuo had been weak and reckless. Choosing this day to use his Germanium ring was an awful decision. He never made wrong choices, yet this time, he had. Once again, because of [L/N] [Y/N].

"What did you say back?" asked Saiki, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice but failing to do it a bit.

Is he annoyed...? I can't tell if he is.

I couldn't recognize his emotions even before his green glasses covered his eyes, so I thought I would do it now that he's not wearing them. Still, I don't know. Saiki is such an enigma... A handsome one, in fact.

I wonder why he doesn't have them on, though. Is he really trying to impress someone? I hope not.

Hm, I wonder why, haha. I'm sure it's not because the writer forgot what the Germanium ring could actually do and what it couldn't. What are the odds? Tch! He's wearing contact lenses, though. So don't worry. Just ignore it.

TVA, please don't come for me!!

... Okay.

[Y/N]'s face remained pale, but now that she had mentioned to Saiki what Toritsuka confessed a few minutes ago, she felt somewhat relaxed. Yet, she was worried about what Kusuo was thinking at the moment.

"Nothing, really," she answered, her cheeks blushing in embarrassment. "I ran away before Toritsuka could ask me anything else... But I don't like him back, you know?! Just as a friend!"

I already knew that, obviously. Only a fool would believe you like that perv... Still, why do I feel so relieved?

"Okay. Let's just go studying," Saiki started walking towards the exit, leaving [Y/N] dumbfounded.

After a couple of seconds, she followed him outside, questioning his reaction. Though it wasn't unusual, [Y/N] thought Kusuo would at least ask her more about the situation, but instead, she got nothing.

Her eyes tracked down Saiki's back. His posture was straight and elegant, as always. His head moved from side to side every couple of minutes, inspecting the area. Sometimes, he would get startled by every little thing that happened around him, almost like he wasn't very aware of his surroundings.

He was Saiki Kusuo... but not his usual self. And [Y/N] quickly noticed it.

Saiki's constant calm demeanor seemed off. He wasn't as steady as always. His eyes were open wide all the time, and he gripped his bag firmly with his hands.

Is it because of what I said about Toritsuka?

"Are you okay, Saiki?" [Y/N]'s face was normal again, her bright appearance coming back to its original place. Upon popping the question, Kusuo's body made a little jump and then instantly relaxed. "If you're not feeling well, you can go home and rest. I can definitely study on my own."

No. I'm fine.

Saiki said nothing but began shaking his head. He certainly was in a bad mood, and it was clearly Toritsuka's fault. Even if he already knew [Y/N]'s feelings towards him, he felt shaky and hesitant. What an awful way to ruin a date.

It's not a date.

Whatever.

I haven't asked her out yet.