Pterodactyl - Tsukishima Kei x OC

Chapter 70: It's a Pterodactyl, Stupid

Chapter 70:

15 years ago

"Dad! Dad! Where are you?!"

Mizuki scurried down the stairs hurriedly, wanting to show off her receiving skills which she had learned and nearly perfected from copying her father.

"Sweetheart, we're in here!" Her dad called out.

She sprinted to the kitchen to find her mother, her father, and her 4-year-old brother, Jun, sitting by the dining table about to eat breakfast.

"I want to show you what I've been practicing!" Mizuki beamed excitedly.

"Alright, alright," Her father chuckled, "Let's eat breakfast first, okay?"

"But dad-"

"Mizuki... Breakfast first." Her mother warned sternly.

Mizuki gulped and reluctantly sat on her chair. She looked down at the hot soup in front of her - it had noodles, broccoli, carrots, celery, and an egg. Mizuki grimaced at the celery - she didn't like celery but her mother insisted that she eat it because it was "healthy".

"Eat your soup, sweetheart." Her father smiled tenderly.

"Okay..." She sighed, unwillingly picking up her spoon.

"So, I heard that it's your friend's birthday today..." Her mother brought up.

"Friend?" Mizuki pursed her lips together skeptically, "Who?"

"Tsukishima Kei..." Her father chimed in.

"He's not my friend..." She frowned, "He doesn't like me."

"I'm sure that's not true," Her father chuckled softly, "Maybe he's shy..."

"It's true dad!" Mizuki huffed, "Well, to be fair, he doesn't seem to like anyone."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked curiously.

"He doesn't have any friends..." She explained, pushing the celery away to the side of her bowl, "He sits by himself during lunch, and he doesn't really talk to anyone."

"That doesn't sound good... Have you tried talking to him?" Her father asked.

"Yeah!" She sighed gloomily, "I tried being nice and sharing my snacks with him but he just ignores me."

He nodded understandingly and said, "Mizuki, sometimes, people are like books."

"What do you mean?" She gazed up at her father quizzically.

"Well, some books are very colorful and easy to read..." He explained warmly.

"Like picture books?" She clarified.

"Exactly... But, there are other books which are harder to read and understand..." He continued as Mizuki tried her best to follow her father's puzzling explanation.

"Like the giant books you have in your office?" She mumbled slowly.

"That's right... I think Tsukishima is like that." He smiled gently.

"Really? He's a book?" Mizuki raised an eyebrow doubtingly.

Kei and Mizuki attended the same elementary school but it was only the year before when they officially met. They were placed in the same class, and although Mizuki tried her best to befriend everyone, Kei himself seemed indifferent to her advances. He even mocked and teased her, which irritated the soul out of her. Now that they were in the same class again, he switched tactics and actively decided to ignore her.