Chapter Text
…
Behind the gym, Shoko sticks her hand into her pocket.
Empty.
She checks her jacket, also empty.
“Shit.”
She lost her lighter.
Suguru studied her for a moment, then stepped a little closer without saying anything.
He tilted his lighter toward her.
Shoko leaned forward slightly, letting the tip of her cigarette catch the flame. The tobacco glowed faintly as she inhaled.
For a second they were standing closer than usual.
Close enough that she noticed small things she normally wouldn’t.
His long dark eyelashes lowered slightly as he focused on the flame, fluttering faintly before he snapped the lighter shut.
Suguru leaned back again, taking another drag from his own cigarette like nothing had happened.
Shoko exhaled slowly, watching the smoke drift upward.
“…Thanks,” she muttered.
Suguru shrugged lightly.
“Don’t mention it.”
They stood there quietly for a moment, smoke curling into the cool air between them while the distant sounds of students moving through the school drifted from the other side of the building.
Shoko glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
“Tell me something, president.”
Suguru hummed softly in response.
“How long have you been pretending to be a good student?”
Suguru let out a quiet chuckle, tapping ash from his cigarette.
“Long enough that people stopped questioning it.”
Shoko smirked faintly.
“Figures.”
“I heard you’re going to a championship next month.” She glanced at him. “Yeah, how’d you knew that?” He looks at her. “I heard the teachers talking about it, good luck on it.”
He chuckled lightly hearing her response.
“No one ever really congratulated me like that .” He exhaled softly. “They only ask if I won or not.” He carefully flicked some ash off of his cigarette.
“Sounds annoying.”
Suguru shook his head, “I guess, but I’m used to it.”
“Getting used to something doesn’t mean you like it.”
He looked at her.
For once he didn’t have anything to say to her.
He sighs and took one last drag. He crushed the cigarette with his foot.
“I’ll see you later.”
Shoko nods as she left.
Something had shifted that day.
…
Suguru went to the bathroom.
He walks up to the urinal, relieving himself.
After that, he went to the sink to wash his hands.
“Hey Suguru.”
He recognized that voice, “What is it Satoru?”
He turned around and shook his hands off.
“Where were you at yesterday’s party? I thought we were supposed to drink shots, the alcohol was on you and you weren’t even there.”
Suguru reached for a paper towel, drying his hands slowly. “I was there.”
“For like ten minutes,” Satoru scoffed. “Then you disappeared.”
Suguru tossed the towel into the trash. “I got bored.”
Satoru tilted his head, studying him with exaggerated suspicion.
“You?” he said. “Bored at a party?”
Suguru slipped his hands into his pockets, unfazed. “It happens.”
Satoru narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly unconvinced.
“Funny,” he said slowly. “Because I also saw you leave.”
Suguru didn’t respond.
Satoru’s grin widened.
“And you weren’t alone.”
That finally made Suguru glance at him.
Satoru leaned forward a little, lowering his voice like he was sharing a great secret.
“The cigarette girl.”
Suguru sighed quietly.
“You mean Shoko?”
Satoru snapped his fingers, “Yeah, her.”
He straightened up again, looking far too pleased with himself.
“So,” he continued, “you ditch my party, steal my alcohol, and run off with the mysterious girl behind the gym.”
Suguru walked past him toward the door.
“You’re imagining things.”
“And to be fair it wasn’t your party.”
Satoru followed immediately.
“Oh I definitely am not,” he laughed. “You never ditch parties unless something interesting is happening.”
Suguru stopped walking for a second. Satoru leaned closer with a smirk. “So tell me, Suguru.
His voice dropped into a teasing whisper. “How interesting was it?” Suguru looked away and sighed.
“This doesn’t concern you.” Suguru huffed softly.
“Oh it does now.” Satoru smirks and kept asking him.
After a whole thirty minutes of asking and prodding him.
“You’re not gonna stop are you?” Suguru held his head and let out a huge sigh.
“Absolutely not.” Satoru laughs and smirk.
Suguru glanced at the empty hallway before speaking, “We ditched the party.”
“That’s it?” Satoru looked at him.
“We got some beer.”
“Okay.” Satoru asks again. “Went drinking on my rooftop.”
“With who?” Asked Satoru, even though he already knew.
Suguru looks at him flatly.
“Shoko.”
“Oh man, this is real shit.” He slaps his hands together and smirks.
“Don’t even…” Suguru groaned. He walked away, leaving Satoru alone.
Suguru ignored him and continued walking down the hallway while Satoru immediately followed, still grinning like he had just discovered the most entertaining secret in the school.
“You ditched a party,” Satoru said, counting on his fingers as he walked beside him, “to buy beer and sit on a rooftop with the scary cigarette girl.”
“She’s not scary.”
Satoru stopped walking. Suguru took two more steps before realizing his friend had frozen behind him, so he turned slightly to look back. Satoru was staring at him like he had just heard something unbelievable.
“You’re defending her?” he asked.
“I’m correcting you.”
Satoru slowly walked up beside him again, lowering his voice a little. “…Suguru.”
“Yes.”
“You like her.”
Suguru rolled his eyes and kept walking. “That’s a ridiculous conclusion.”
Satoru laughed loudly. “You left my party for her.”
“I left because you were making people drink vodka out of a flower vase.”
“That was funny.”
Suguru sighed quietly.
Satoru suddenly leaned closer, lowering his voice like he was about to uncover the most important mystery in the world. “So,” he said with a grin, “did anything happen between the two of you?”
Suguru sighed calmly. “We woke up in the same bed. Clothes messy and everything. But neither of us remembers anything.”
Satoru blinked once, then slowly grinned.
“Oh,” he said. “That definitely means something happened.”
…
They both walked back home, and on the way, Satoru spots something.
“Bingo.” He smirks and ran.
“What are you doing?” Suguru sighed softly.
“Oh, you’ll see.”
Satoru ran towards Shoko, “Hey cigarette girl!”
Satoru stopped right in front of her.
“Well, this is convenient.”
Shoko glanced at him, unimpressed. “You again.”
“Miss me already?” he grinned.
“Not really.”
Suguru finally caught up, stopping a step behind Satoru, already rubbing his temple slightly. “…Of course.”
Shoko’s gaze shifted to him briefly before she took another drag from her cigarette.
“You following me now?” she asked flatly.
“Blame him,” Suguru replied, gesturing lightly toward Satoru.
“I prefer the word ‘fate,’” Satoru said.
Shoko scoffed softly.
Satoru looked between the two of them, his grin slowly returning like he was putting pieces together again.
“Perfect timing,” he said. “I was just thinking we should all hang out.”
Suguru frowned slightly. “We were not.”
“We are now.”
Shoko flicked ash onto the ground. “Depends.”
Satoru leaned in slightly. “On what?”
She glanced at Suguru for a second before answering.
“Who’s paying.”
Satoru immediately pointed at him.
Suguru sighed.
“…Of course.”
…
“Three of this please.”
Suguru bought three cups of ramen noodles.
“And…” He sighs, it was not the usual store he goes into.
“Hey, can I get two of those?”
He pointed at the cigarette shelf. The cashier chuckled. “I’m sorry, we need to see your id.”
I mean it was obvious, he was wearing uniform.
Suguru sighs calmly, “Nevermind, how much was this?”
Suguru paid the total and quickly heads out of the convenience store.
“No cigarettes.”
Satoru blinked, “What?!”
“They asked for ID.”
There was a slight pause.
Then Satoru started laughing.
“Seriously?” he said. “You? The responsible one?”
Suguru gave him a flat look.
Shoko exhaled slowly, watching the smoke drift upward before reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a slightly crumpled pack and tossed it toward him.
“Here.”
Suguru caught it easily.
“…I thought you lost your lighter earlier,” he said.
“I did,” she replied. “Not my cigarettes.”
Satoru looked between them, grin slowly returning.
“Oh this is nice,” he said. “You’re sharing now.”
Suguru ignored him, pulling one out and placing it between his lips before looking at Shoko.
“…Light?”
Shoko stepped closer without a word, flicking her lighter open.
For a second, it felt a little too familiar.
And Satoru, was thinking, that his best friend had definitely changed.
…