Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 3 (Return of the Oumeno)

The Bad Boy (4)

     Later that evening, Tomiko knocked on the door to Kokichi and Gonta's room. Kokichi opened the door and smiled. 

   "What's up?" he asked. 

   "Can I talk to you about something?" Tomiko asked in a quiet voice. Kokichi's smile faded, and his face turned serious. 

   "Sure," he said, allowing her in. He gestured for her to sit on his bed while he grabbed his desk chair and sat down in front of her. "What's the matter, Tomiko?"

    "I'm just...well...I'm kinda...nervous...about my date with Kenzo tomorrow," Tomiko admitted. "I kinda wanted...a boy's perspective on something."

  "'Kay," Kokichi replied, nodding to Tomiko. 

   "Um...well, I wanted to know...what do boys like in a girl?" Tomiko asked. "I want to keep dating Kenzo, but...I don't want him to stop liking me." Kokichi nodded in thought.

   "Well, Tomiko, it depends on the guy, honestly," Kokichi replied. "I mean, yeah, you hear a lot of guys saying they want a girl with BiG bOoOoBs and a hOt ASS, which is true for a lot of us around your and my age. However, there are guys who are willing to look past all that, and maybe just...want a girl who shares the same interests as them, or want a girl who's fun to be around. Like I said, it depends on the guy." Tomiko nodded.

   "So, what do I need to do to keep Kenzo from breaking up with me?" Tomiko asked. Kokichi shrugged. 

    "Honestly, I don't have the answer to that," he admitted. "But, instead of worrying about trying so hard to keep him, Tomiko, you just need to be yourself."

   "But, I hear that all the time, and it doesn't work for some people," Tomiko said. 

   "That may be true, but what's the point in trying to change for someone who might not even care about you?" Kokichi asked. "You say you're so sure that Kenzo cares about you, but you clearly have doubts. Otherwise, you wouldn't be coming in here asking me for advice. Why go through all this for some guy you yourself are unsure about?"

   "I just...I don't want to lose him," Tomiko replied in a teary voice. 

    "Listen, Tomiko, you just need to be yourself," Kokichi insisted. "Pretending to be someone you're not just to please that guy will only make you feel bad about yourself. If he doesn't like you for who you are, well, that's his loss. Or...maybe there's something about you he didn't like. That could be a possibility, too. People have preferences, that's just something you can't control, and that only becomes a problem if they start treating you like crap for not 'living up to their expectations,' or whatever. But, if you lose Kenzo, so be it. I'd rather have you lose him than to lose yourself. There are other boys out there who would genuinely want to be your boyfriend, the boys who won't make you feel like you have to change yourself. And that's what matters, okay?" Tomiko's eyes filled with tears. She nodded.

   "Okay," she replied. Kokichi smiled and held his arms out to her. Tomiko reached in for a hug. After a few moments of hugging, they pulled away. "Thanks for helping me, Kokichi...again."

   "Hey, no problem," Kokichi said. 

   "It's just...easier talking to you about this than it is to my sister," Tomiko said, sniffling. 

   "Tomiko...Himiko has your best interest at heart," Kokichi said with a serious face. "She's just trying to look out for you is all."

   "She didn't do that before, when she was living back at home with us," Tomiko muttered bitterly. "She used to play with us and be happy all the time, but she just stopped. It was like she didn't even care about us anymore." Kokichi thought that must have been the time when Himiko felt that it was her fault her master disappeared. "But, ever since she came here, she started opening back up again."

   "Yeah, a few of my classmates and I helped her with that," Kokichi replied. 

   "I feel like that's the only reason why she cares," Tomiko mumbled. "Because you guys told her to."

   "The important thing is that she's trying," Kokichi said. "Would you rather have her not care about you at all?" Tomiko shook her head. "Give your sister some time. She's not perfect. Her heart is in the right place."

   "Okay," Tomiko replied with a small nod. She stood up from Kokichi's bed. "Well, thanks again for helping me." Kokichi replied with a modest shrug. With one last smile, Tomiko left the room.