Chapter Text
The gentle rays of sunshine peeked through the curtains of their dorm room, another day had begun at last. Mariya gently tucked in his covers as he quietly jumped out of bed, opening the curtains as he thought of ways to troll Kanako, still in deep sleep. Looking down to Kanako-- as peaceful as spring breeze, he tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear as he kneeled by the side of her bed, pecking her cheek then whispering in her ear.
"Good morning, Kanako~" A sly and confident smile spread on his face as Kanako quickly backed up as she screamed, flailing her arms and legs around.
"Don't get closer! I'll break ou... huh?" Unlike the usual burning sensation that came after the itch, Kanako felt up her cheek as she noticed that there was no sensation or indication of hives on her face after Mariya had kissed it. Mariya's eyes slightly widened as he stared at Kanako in confusion, Matsurika tilting her head as she looked towards Mariya.
"Oh, Shizu-chan? Heeey~ you should've let me know before you came to the dorm!" Kanako scratched her neck as she cheerfully exclaimed— blushing, Mariya standing back up as he sighed, Matsurika following.
"I'm not Shizu, unfortunately. Have your hives gone away or something? Actually, I should call Father Kanae instead." Rushing to pull out his phone, Mariya began to text an email to Father Kanae but was interrupted by Kanako- falling down off her bed onto the floor as she tugged on his vest.
Practically on the floor, her hair was a mess and her face was desperate. Mariya never got to take a good look at her or see her beyond an ill-mannered cockroach, however upon noticing her small flyaways and how the sun reflected on to her eyelashes, he began to feel light in the head.
“Don’t call him, Mariya! Uh.. we can work this out! Maybe take me to the nurse~?” Correcting his thoughts, he realised that the only thing that had gone away were her hives, not her perverted tendencies. Kanako began to fantasise about the nurse taking care of her, blood rushing out of her nose like a waterfall.
“In your dreams, you psycho lesbian.” Gently pulling Kanako’s hand off of himself, he dusted off his vest as Kanako wiped her nose with her handkerchief. He facepalmed, hairs peeking through the spaces between his fingers. Thinking back, most of the reason why Kanako had such an aversion towards him was because of her hives. Therefore, he could tease and torture her by triggering them. What’s different now— is that not only is a way to bully her gone, but that if he wanted to lean in to kiss her, she wouldn’t be very resistant.
Thoughts racing through his head like crazy, he felt his temperature rise up as he thought of a way to try get away from her in case of his heart beating any faster towards her.
“Mariya? Is something wrong? You seem quite different today.” Matsurika ignored Kanako as she cleaned up her abundant blood spills on the floor, suspecting something was wrong. Mariya doesn’t get flustered usually— nor at all. Not even when talking with beauties the flowers turn away from in embarrassment from, or guys so handsome simply walking by them would make you go head over heels, so it was unusual how such a girl not even interested in men was making him lose his cool-- and the fact it was possible Mariya could be falling for someone at all.
“..I might have a fever or something. I’m gonna go. You’re spreading your diseases to me right now.” Mariya groaned, taking Matsurika with him as he dashed out the door, closing it harshly.
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“Are you bothered by the loss of Kanako’s hives? You’ve been acting strange this whole morning.” Slight concern in her voice, Matsurika looked to Mariya— struggling to hold up with his fake angel front. It was clear something was on his mind, but every time this happened everything would continue to go smoothly. It came across to Matsurika that he was worried about Kanako, awfully so.
“It’s.. not that I’m bothered she doesn’t have her hives anymore. Rather, I’m even happy about it. It’s just..” Mariya paused. He let out a deep sigh, fixating on a spot on the ground.
“Knowing Kanako, she’ll probably try something funny and get herself in danger. That idiot doesn’t have enough brain cells to trigger her damn survival instincts.” Mariya’s face scrunched up in irritation as he became annoyed at both the possible actions Kanako may be thinking or doing now that this sudden change has occurred and why he was worrying so much about her in the first place.
”She’ll be okay. However, if you’re really concerned… why don’t we go check up on her?” Her eyes narrowed as she took in Mariya’s remarks.
“I’m not concerned for her— I’m concerned for everyone around her. Like hell I’d want to visit that woman.” His eyebrows furrowed, annoyed by her response. It wasn’t.. the worst idea, though.
They continued to walk down the hallway before a tall, slender, blue-haired figure begun running their way like a wild animal.
“There’s no way this girl is serious.” Mariya paused in surprise as he clutched on to Matsurika’s sleeve, backing up ever so slightly as he continued to watch the teenage girl embodiment of The Rake charge towards them like there was no tomorrow.
Among the hallway were students, making way for the feral animal before them. There was no way Mariya could scold her in front of so many other people, and if Kanako were to act out he’d have to fight to keep up his act.
“Good morning, Kanako! Is there anything you need..?” His under eye twitching and his hands beginning to sweat, he forced his voice up into a falsetto as he tilted his head, facing Kanako.
“You’re.. actually Shizu-chan! I knew that it was you!” She hunched over as she spoke breathlessly, a bright gleam in her eyes.
“U-Uhm.. I wouldn’t know who you’re talking about..” Eyes of the students all focused on the three, Mariya gently grabbed Kanako’s wrist as he dragged her out the hallways to the outside.
“The reason why my hives weren’t here is because you’re actually Shizu-chan, right?! I was talking about this whole thing to Nanami and Sachi-chan, and they said that it’s possible that the reason my hives weren’t appearing is because a man didn’t touch me — meaning that you’re actually Shizu!” Her speech was fast and hard to keep up with, eyes shining with stars as she continued to delude herself further, Mariya taken aback.
“Listen,” he flicked her forehead to get her back into the right mindset to listen. “I don’t know what you said to Momoi and Kiri, but I thought you know that we don’t act.. even the slightest bit similar. I’m not Shizu nor a woman, and I don’t know why your hives aren’t there. If you can at least get that much information into your pea-sized brain, please stop trying to convince yourself I’m Shizu.” His expression was stern and solid, crossing his arms.
Kanako froze in shock, locking eyes with Mariya for a moment before looking down to the ground with a dejected frown. She’d been in denial ever since this morning, but after having the reality shoved in her face had she begun to accept it.
“If that’s all, I’ll get going.” And without a word, Mariya turned around and walked away, along with Matsurika.
The girl the two left behind stood still as she watched them walk away, pursing her lips while clasping on to the rosary Mariya had given her a few months before.
“…Right. That’s.. right. It’s not like.. Shizu-chan would want to visit me.. nor would anyone else.” Letting out a light chuckle, Kanako composed herself before returning to the building, in low spirits and energy.
—————————————————————
The last bell had gone and everyone had returned to their dorms— except for Mariya and Matsurika, staying back to sort out papers with the teachers.
Leaning in closer to Matsurika to quietly whisper to make sure nobody would hear what he was about to say, he laid his papers on his desk.
“Do you think you could cover for me? I’m worried that giraffe might still be outside. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I’m sure it’s not about going back to the dorm.” In a hushed voice, Mariya pinched Matsurika’s sleeve as he whispered to her.
“There’s no way she wouldn’t have returned yet. After school, Father Kanae would be seeing everyone out. If she was still outside, I’m sure he would have sent her back inside.” Suspicious, Matsurika whispered back in a monotonous voice.
“But.. whatever. If you’re too long, I’m not covering for you. So make it quick.” She sent a small thumbs up to Mariya as she grabbed his papers. A little smile spread across his face as he quickly grabbed an umbrella and snuck out the door, running down the hallways.
“You’re causing a lot of damn trouble for me just because I have a hunch you’re still outside. I could care less for whatever you have going on.. but.. I just want to make sure you’re alright.” He thought to himself— running through the empty hallways, down the staircase as fast as he could, hearing the heavy rain fall outside.
Right before he ran out the exit, he opened his umbrella in order to not get himself wet, the sight of Kanako, sitting on the fountain’s edge— appearing before him the moment he held the umbrella above his head.
“So I’m right. You are here.” He heavily sighed, walking towards her slowly.
The short-haired girl was drenched in rain and in her own tears, the two running down her face as she sniffled, her wet bangs covering her eyes.
“If my hives are really gone.. Mariya’s just gonna have another stupid reason to bully me. It’s not like I asked for them to go away..” Kanako mumbled to herself, not noticing Mariya— who was right in front of her.
”Hives happen because of anxiety or stress. They go away when you’re no longer bothered by something. I don’t get your deal, but.. just worry about it when you get back to the dorm. You’ll get sick.” Holding out an umbrella to her, Kanako looked up at Mariya, who had a softer expression than usual.
“…Is this another one of your pranks? You just want me to take that umbrella because you put something in it or something, right? You don’t even care about if I get sick or not!” She retaliated through her tears. For the first time, Kanako lashed out at Mariya. She never genuinely got upset or angry at him— this being the first.
“Think what you want. Unless you want me to drag you back to the dorm, take the umbrella and go back.” A little shocked, Mariya was at a temporary loss of words. He put the umbrella’s handle in her hand, opening his other one he placed in his pocket as he ran back into the building.
“This.. umbrella is actually normal? No— that’s not it. Mariya.. I never knew that.. he could make that sort of expression. I thought he hated me.” Looking down at the umbrella Mariya placed in her hand, she wiped her tears with her other hand as she dusted off her skirt and walked back to the dorm, glancing once at the place Mariya ran off to.
The handle was warm. It felt like Mariya had been holding on to it for a while. The warmth was in the shape of his hands— significantly smaller than hers. She could feel a slight wetness to it, wondering if it was the rain or if it was sweat. Kanako was cold all over, but she started to feel a little bit warmer.
“Jeez.. I don’t get Mariya. First— he bullies me and scolds me for no reason, second— he lends me an umbrella in the rain and tells me he’s worried I’ll get sick. I can’t stand boys.” Kanako sighed, pouting. She gripped the handle a little tighter. “I also.. never realised that his hands were this small. I knew he was shorter than me, but I didn’t know that his hands were.. this tiny.” She mumbled, looking at her hand overlap the place where Mariya had his hand before.
Kanako frowned, continuing to walk forward.
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Mariya ran the same way back to the office he took to get outside the office, realising how much time he spent just trying to give an umbrella to Kanako. As he reached the door, he pulled it open gently as he placed his wet umbrella on the rack as softly as he could in an attempt to go unnoticed— which worked. Matsurika turned her head as she greeted him, papers in hand.
“Is Tokyo Tower alright? It seems she was out there in the end, considering you took so long to get back.” Matsurika stapled the papers together as she sorted them into files. Mariya made his way next to her as he tried to blend into the atmosphere, picking up the last batch of papers.
"She probably won't be tomorrow. That long-legged spider was out in the damn rain that entire time." His face was flushed and his breathing was laboured from having ran outside and back. It'd been a while since he had gone out for a run. Upon observing his state, Matsurika could only stare.
"Why do you do so much for Kanako? I never really understood the reason." Mariya was kind to everyone. Even if he hated people-- he never let it show too much. But.. he didn't hate Kanako. He didn't like her either. As 'the last angel on earth,' he was an all-forgiving, all-loving saint, or rather he tried pretending to be.
"It's not something deep. I just want her to be a good person outside of being a perverted freak. Haven't we had this conversation before?" While sorting out the papers, Mariya was focused on what was in front of him-- unknowing that Matsurika was looking straight at him, barely convinced by his answer. She felt as if something was off each time he spoke of Kanako-- but she wasn't sure what it exactly was.
"I see. We have, I just needed a reminder." She turned away as she smiled warmly, Mariya finishing off the last papers and packing up. As he turned to Matsurika-- she dropped her smile and returned to her usual robotic expression.
"Let's go. I'm scared the dorm floor is drenched in rain because of slenderwoman." Mariya was in a hurry to return back to the dorm rooms, quickly putting his stationary in his bag as Matsurika opened the door for him, waiting for him to follow.
Mariya and Matsurika then made their way to the dormitory— the floor wet in a trail which lead to their room, unmistakably from Kanako.
“It’s good that school had ended already. If she had came in all soaked like that a little earlier, this would’ve been a slipping hazard. I wonder if.. God is scolding Kanako right now.” Facepalming straight after letting out a disappointed sigh, Mariya followed the trail to their door to see Kanako— laid in a starfish position on her now exaggeratedly drenched bed.
“Really, Kanako? You aren’t even going to.. clean up after yourself or anything?” Spoken in an irritated tone, Mariya pinched his eyebrows as he squinted at the half-asleep Kanako.
“It’ll dry up tomorrow. It’s just rain, right? Plus— beds absorb liquid so it’ll dry out faster!” Waving her arms up and down, too unbothered to move from her position.
“It’s just rain my foot! Clean your ass up or I’ll throw your mattress in the wash along with you.” He dragged Kanako out of bed by her ankle carefully with both hands, panting as he hunched over in exhaustion. The stars were out and the moon was shining, it was way too late to be cleaning at this point.
“Man.. okay! Fine! I’ll clean up! You guys better be cleaning with me too. If I’m losing sleep I’m not going down by myself!” She whined, forcing her eyes open as she turned to the two— sending a harsh grimace down her way. The silence told her all she needed as she retracted her statement.
“I-I’ll clean up alone..” Forcing a smile out of fear, she stood up as she grabbed her sheets and mattress and went downstairs to the school’s laundry.
“Why am I doing all of this alone?! It’ll be midnight before I know it and I’ll just be stuck here cleaning.” Kanako tirelessly spoke as she fit her mattress, pillow, blanket and sheets into the washer. She was still half-asleep and became gradually more sleepier as she proceeded to clean up the rain trail on the floor starting from the entrance, getting closer to the entrance of their dorm room.
After successfully cleaning up after herself, she put her tools back where they came from and walked into the dorm proudly and accomplished. She expected Matsurika and Mariya to already be asleep— then realising all she has left of her bed is her bed frame— not even her pillow or blanket.
“MY BED——!!” She yelped, her eyes widening and her hands on her head as she snapped out of her dream-like state. She had realised that yes, she had just put her entire bed into the wash.
“Shut the hell up. It’s 9:00PM.” Mariya groaned, looking away from his book as he sat up on his bed. On the tabletop was a dimly lit lamp.
“What am I supposed to do?! I can’t sleep on my bed until all my stuff is done washing!” She paced around the room, regretting her past choices. Mariya sighed as he closed his book and placed it on the tabletop, sitting on the edge of his bed.
“Oh no.. I guess you don’t have much of a choice but to sleep next to me, Kanako?♡” Mariya spoke in a high, sing-song voice as he tried to shut Kanako up. Flowers and sparkles surrounded him as he calmly smiled.
“R-Really?! Is it really fine?!” Wiping off the drool coming from the corners of her mouth, she slapped her cheeks with both her hands as she shook her head. “I.. won’t be fooled! You’re not a woman!” Mariya sighed.
“I’ll leave you alone, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m only interested in bothering you when I need to wake you up.” He tilted his head, making space on his bed as Kanako leaned against the table.
Kanako was reluctant to join him— but the only choices were to sleep on a hard, cold bed frame or on the floor, which isn’t.. the most hygienic. Thinking about her choices, she glanced at Mariya— who made space for her on his bed, then at Matsurika, who was too busy focusing on her game than on the current situation.
“You better keep your promise..” Kanako huffed, walking towards his bed. Mariya then turned away as she tucked herself in, glancing towards him every few seconds or so. She was still unsure about sleeping directly next to him, but it’s not like it was any worse than him climbing on her bed some mornings to wake her up.
Forgetting to shut off the tabletop lamp, Mariya sat up once more as he reached over Kanako to reach it, turning it off. As he went back down, he felt his arm gently brush over hers, shivers running down his spine. He wasn’t interested in this girl— or anyone at all, and only accommodated for her because of pity, but something felt wrong as he laid next to her.
Mariya; unable to sleep for what felt like hours— watched the small rays of moonlight peek through the curtains and illuminate her sleeping face. Her lashes curled ever so slightly and her bangs remained undisturbed, the blue rays of light complimenting her hair colour. Mariya turned to his side to get a better look at her, unconsciously admiring her. As his eyes went to her eyebrows, they slowly drifted to her eyes.. then to her lips.
He wasn’t sure if it was that he’d never been so close to another woman other than his little sister that made him feel this way— or whether it was that he hadn’t been in such a close proximity with any woman in that matter, for a few months. He’d had grown out of needing someone to sleep next to him years ago, Kanako being next to him felt a lot more than just strange. It was uncomfortable, odd, distasteful even. But.. it was something he didn’t understand, or didn’t want to understand just yet. He knew exactly what he was feeling, and chose to ignore it. Not because he was embarrassed of his feelings or because he was shy— but because he was afraid.
Kanako never once, ever showed any genuine attraction to him, only ever giving attention to Shizu. So Mariya was scared— scared that she’d walk away. He was scared of his feelings and her, because she was his first love.