Tsubuzaki Anko smelled bad, had a wasp's nest for hair and was infamous for her terrible posture. Not like it mattered to her anyway; she didn't go to school to discover her very own teenage dream. Yaoi existed for a reason.
As the morning bell rang, she let out a lazy yawn as the teacher conducted roll call. Unsurprisingly, she quirked an eyebrow when a high-pitched and elegant voice rang from behind her.
"You're going to swallow a fly if you don't cover your mouth, Senpai," Kaede said, her violet eyes in an icy, disapproving glare. Anko returned her nagging with a droll grin, her slender finger reaching up to pull her face into a textbook akkanbe. "The only bug I see here is you... Well, I guess you're so small that you'd fit anyway."
Fuming, Kaede thumped her hand onto the older girl's desk. "I know it might seem alien to you, but there's a little something called manners. It doesn't hurt to try and learn some for once." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the teacher's concerned face. Slumping back into her seat, she muttered "I was being serious..." Anko could've sworn that she spotted the slightest dusting of pink on her underclassman's cheeks.
The next time she yawned, Anko made sure to make a most elaborate show of it. Although Sakura gave her the thumbs up and swiftly followed suit, she couldn't help but frown in disappointment when she realized Kaede wasn't even looking.
The high school and middle school students were given separate times for recess. As Anko looked out the window to see Hinata pathetically trying to piggyback Kaede, and failing, she couldn't help but notice the faint sting in her chest. This wasn't like her at all. Angrily, she turned back to her phone.
***
"I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I finally give her the time of day I thought she wanted so badly, and now I feel like an idiot for it," she exclaimed to the redhead. Nozomi closed her eyes and nodded, the love guru clearly in a delicate thought process. (Really though, she was just hungry) Anko tucked her chin into her knees and sighed, and for once Nozomi was surprised. Never before had she seen her senpai in such turmoil, especially over another girl.
It had been common knowledge that Anko was the biggest adversary of the 3D world, clicking her tongue in disgust whenever Asuha and Renge would gush over each other. For the longest time, Nozomi had imagined the Anko of the future sitting upon a throne of video games, alone, but nonetheless cackling over her full combo. And so to have her here, small in her presence and face burning with embarrassment... Nozomi couldn't help but to pinch herself.
Nozomi turned to face Anko and laughed; the other girl was on her phone, her attention already having shifted away in the few moments Nozomi had taken to ponder. She patiently waited for her to finish her game before she spoke. "I'm happy that you're finally showing interest in something for once," she paused and waited for Anko's scorn to dissolve, "but if you hadn't told me, I'd have no idea that anything changed at all. You don't give off the most friendly impression, unlike a certain somebody..." She trailed off and looked back at Anko, whose eyes were casted down, and couldn't help but to feel bad. Hinata and Anko were polar opposites after all, so it was unreasonable to suggest for her to act more like--
"So what you're saying is, I should talk to her more?" Anko said, interrupting the redhead's thoughts. She had a look of determination on her face that she had never seen before, and Nozomi couldn't help but to smile. "Not just about anything. Compliment her, make her feel special. If you fix yourself up a bit too I'm sure that'd be all it took to knock her dead. No homo, but you aren't unattractive at all." Nozomi got up from her chair and brushed off the dust from her skirt. "I have an appointment with someone else now, but I'll be rooting for you, ok? Give it all you got."
Anko's heart sank watched the other girl walk away. She felt worse than ever; how was a loser like her ever going to amount up to anything, never mind a potential love interest for Kaede?
***
"G-Good morning... Sendoin..."
If you were to ask Sendoin Kaede what the thing she'd expect the less was, it'd be for Tsubuzaki Anko to ever be so kind as to flash her smile. Yet here she was, pearly whites exposed almost viciously, and she seemed more confused about it than anyone else. "And a good day to you, Tsubuzaki-senpai," she said tentatively, careful not to stir another fight with the other girl.
Anko sat down, eyes still glued onto the blonde. Seeing as her greeting didn't seem to give off the best impression, she forced a wider smile. Kaede shrieked in surprise and jumped back in her seat
"W-What's your problem?!" Anko snapped, the edges of her lips curling down into a tenacious scowl. "Do you not like this either? What can I do to please you for once, O gracious princess Sendoin?" Her voice started to falter and she pinched her the skin of her purlicue. She couldn't cry; not here, not ever. "Whatever, I'll go and ask Sensei to change the seating plan. I'm done with this..."
As she got up to leave she felt a tug on her hoodie, so faint that she hardly noticed it was there. Her heart beat fast in her ears, drowning out any thoughts she had of giving up as she turned to face a teary eyed Kaede. If not for her stoicism developed from many years of reading doujinshi in class, she would've passed out right there.
"I... I'm sorry. I was being insensitive. I've been hoping that this would happen for so long now, and yet..." Kaede trailed off with words unspoken, and at that moment Anko desperately wished more than anything for the power to read minds. "Tsubuzaki-senpai, I want to get to know you better. Will you give me another chance?"
If Anko had been braver, as confident as she made herself appear she would've kissed her red-faced underclassman right there. But all she could manage was an offhand, "Just Anko is fine."
Nonetheless, Kaede beamed.
