I DON'T LIKE COFFEE [SAIKI K.]

[14] I LIKE YOU

"I LIKE YOU."

A shocked expression filled [Y/N]'s face. She blinked a few times, trying to process the words that just came out of Saiki's mouth, and stood up from the bench she was sitting on.

"Really?" was all that she could say before her hands started sweating. "A-as a friend?"

Are you kidding me?! [Y/N] that was a stupid question!

I'm freaking out. Don't talk to me.

You got this!

Kusuo stopped himself from becoming a statue again and shook his head, almost wordless. He ignored the absurd nature of the question [Y/N] asked and opened his mouth to answer.

"You know what I mean," he simply said.

"Okay, okay, no need to be rude."

"I wasn't being rude. I was just stating the obvious, [L/N]."

"W-well it wasn't obvious to me, Saiki Kusuo!" she raised her voice, crossing her arms. "You literally froze when I confessed to you yesterday! I went home thinking I had embarrassed myself in front of you."

Saiki looked away from [Y/N]'s face, defeated. She was right: he had been a coward. Yesterday's actions were nothing but a huge mistake he made, almost like his soul was taken over by a coward. He was not being himself: he was like a Saiki in disguise.

A fight seemed to be starting between them, so he decided to lower it down.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to react," Kusuo answered, looking back at her. "I can't say I wasn't expecting it, but I hadn't thought about how to react until you said it."

"Was I that transparent?" [Y/N] redden upon his words. "I thought I was being discreet... Did my grandma tell you? That evil old woman!"

"I told you she was evil... But no, I figured it out myself," Saiki tried not to smile, yet did it anyway. The butterflies inside his stomach now felt like mere tickles; they didn't hurt, but they still were annoying. "You weren't transparent at all. I had a lucky guess."

... Besides, I am a simple psychic who read your thoughts, but that's a story for another occasion.

A moment of silence followed the awkward situation until [Y/N] spoke. Her mind had been racing since Saiki had confessed what he felt, wondering about what to do. She had been in a situation similar before —Toritsuka had literally annoyed her with his love—. However, this was maybe the first time someone had reciprocated her feelings.

"So... you like me, I still can't wrap my head around it!" [Y/N] let out a nervous laugh. "Why?"

Another stupid question!

Stop.

"I'm sorry, but that's a stupid question," Saiki admitted, agreeing with what I've just said.

"It's not stupid to me," a serious expression appeared on [Y/N]'s face. Scary. "I was the tasteless girl with no friends a few months ago, and now you like me? It sounds very surreal, to be honest."

Saiki stared at her, wondering what she meant. Kusuo exhaled and tutted, annoyed. Who would've thought confessing was this hard?

"Remember Christmas? You got me a present. Or the day that you asked me to hang out?" Kusuo said. "Those situations have one thing in common."

"... You like me because I got you a dumb coffee jelly?" [Y/N] inquired, raising an eyebrow, not believing what Kusuo was saying. "That's ridiculous!"