Ghosts and Aliens Aren't Real, Stupid

by Caike

Summary:

No powers AU, very slow burn romance.

The road to romance began that fateful night when Ken Takakura and Momo Ayase made their bet. In one world, they both won, meeting aliens and spirits, and from then their fate unfolded. But in this world, no such things exist, and so neither of them won the bet. Without being bound by a curse, can love still find a way to blossom? Find out!

Chapter 1: Is This How Love Starts?

Notes:

Hi! Welcome to my first story on here. I binged all of the Dandadan anime and then the manga and couldn't get this concept out of my head, so here it is. It's almost completely written, so chapters will be posted regularly, probably weekly. I'll even put the first two chapters up right away so we can get started. As I tagged it, it is a slow burn, so I hope you will be patient!

Part 1: Is This How Love Starts?

“So, uh…” muttered Ken, rubbing the back of his head.

“Yeah…” mumbled Momo, looking away.

“What do we do now?” His question hung heavy in the late night air. 

Sunday evening had proceeded differently from how he had hoped it would, though perhaps he should have lowered his expectations. He had hoped that Momo Ayase would have encountered an alien and thus not only have to eat crow for her assertion that they didn’t exist, but also be forced to do whatever he said for having lost their bet. He had hoped his special interest would be validated and he wouldn’t feel like such a loser for believing in the presence of the extraterrestrial on earth. Instead, he proved he was what he knew himself to be deep down: just some four-eyed nerd obsessed with something stupid.

Of course, she seemed to be somewhat embarrassed too. After all, he hadn’t encountered a ghost despite hanging around the extremely creepy tunnel for far longer than he’d wanted. Maybe she felt bad about believing in the paranormal without proof, just as he did for aliens. Afterwards, they had met up again, confirming that neither of them had encountered their supposedly destined targets. Now they stood facing each other, both unsatisfied with the way things had shaken out.

“Well,” said Momo, “Neither of us won the bet. So I guess… this is just it, then.”

Ken’s heart panged at that. It felt so final. He’d had one day of talking to someone in a way remotely resembling the friendly and now it was done. No more. Ever. He desperately wished he could do something to stop this, to draw her back into associating with him, just for a little longer. But there was no hope. It would be back to crushing solitude for him, hoping despite the lack of evidence that aliens would come and be friends with him.

A sensation stirred within him, a burning need to say something, something important that he couldn’t leave unsaid before they parted ways forever. “I’m sorry!” he blurted out, dropping to his knees.

“Huh?” Momo looked at him curiously. “Sorry for what? Not finding a ghost? It’s not your fault. It’s not like you scared it away.”

“No, I’m sorry because,” he clenched his fist, “I made fun of you for believing in ghosts!” What she had told him just a few hours earlier, that she had been tormented in her early childhood for believing in what her grandmother told her, stayed with him. He couldn’t help but position himself as one of those mean kids and he needed to make it right, no matter how the night would end. 

Momo let out an amused puff of air. “Yeah, well, I can’t exactly stand by it. You went to a well known ghost sighting spot and got nothing. I guess I was just being dumb.”

“No!” insisted Ken, “You’re not dumb! Absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence! We don’t know what conditions may be needed to summon a ghost. We could have just done something wrong, or come at the wrong time. Maybe if we get it right a ghost really will appear!” 

Momo was somewhat taken aback. This was unexpected. “Occult-kun…”

He gave a full deep bow, forehead to the ground, the sort of bow one gives when they have either no more pride to uphold or are willing to cast it away. “Either way, I don’t think it’s dumb that you believed in what your grandmother told you. I’m sorry I said it was. And I’m really, really grateful I got to spend this time with you.”

Momo couldn’t help but smile. She made a rising gesture with her fingers. “Alright, geez, apology accepted. Get up already.”

He obliged, coming to his feet. “Thank you. I just wanted to get that out before…” before we never speak again.

She folded her arms and closed her eyes, gaining a contemplative look. “Okay. So, we both lost the bet. That means both of us have to do what the other wants, right?”

Ken blinked. That wasn’t right. The terms were that the loser would do what the winner wanted. But there was no winner, and so no prize to be awarded. He needed to correct her misconception. 

“I suppose that is correct,” he replied. The socially starved part of him had overtaken his honest side and he immediately regretted it. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to correct her fully. Instead, he simply added, “But, doesn’t both of us being the loser mean it cancels out?”

“Hmm, you’re right,” said Momo, chin between her fingers in contemplation. “But I’m not gonna welch on no bet. We’ll change the terms slightly - if one person demands something, the other can’t refuse. Deal?” She extended her hand

He was in deep now. The opportunity of a lifetime was in front of him. There was no chance he would turn her down. He took her hand in his, found it so warm and comforting, and answered, “Deal.”

She grinned. “Great. Then that’s that.” Her look soured. “But no weird pervy stuff, or I’ll put my foot so far up your ass you’ll taste shoe polish. Got it?”

“I would never ask for something like that,” he replied quickly, his face red at her implication.

She gained an amused look and pointed a finger at him. “Oh? Then what’s the blush for? You a closet pervert or something?”

“N-no!” He put his hands up defensively. “I’m just shocked you would think that of me!”

“Well, feel free to prove me wrong, uh…” She got a sheepish look. “I’m terrible with names. What’s yours?”

“Oh, uh,” he muttered, “It’s Ken. Ken Takakura.”

Ken didn’t understand why her eyes widened and her hands flew to her heart, nor did he understand why she suddenly shouted, “No! No way in hell am I calling you that! Never use that name again!”

“B-but it’s my name,” he uttered weakly.

“Never use that name in front of me! That’s an order! From now on, you’re, uh… well, you like the occult, right? You’re Okarun from now on, got it?!”

Okarun pushed his glasses up. It wasn’t such a bad thing to be nicknamed. Friends did that with each other, right? “O-okay.”

Order #1: The True Name

“Good. Now, my second order,” she thought for a moment, “Carry my books to school.”

“You get two orders in a row?” he asked weakly.

“Yup!” She grinned. “We didn’t make any rules about that!” 

“Uhm, but I don’t know where you live,” he protested.

“We can fix that. You’ll walk me home tonight.”

“Is that a third order?”

“No, it’s a necessary part of the second order. It doesn’t count as a separate one.”

“Okay… Let’s do it, then.” In truth, it wasn’t objectionable to him. He’d never walked anyone home before. He was actually pretty excited, though he wanted to hide the extent of it.

“Good! Come on, then, Okarun!” She waved to him and he began to follow her.

Order #2: The Burden

Soon he kept pace with her, deciding he didn’t like the idea of trailing behind. Throughout their journey, he kept shooting what he hoped were stealth looks at her, trying to gauge how she was feeling about his company. She probably would prefer to be alone more than with me…

“What’s up?” She looked at him inquisitively.

“Huh?”

“You keep looking at me.”

Not so stealth, then. “Oh, uh, n-nothing.” He averted his gaze, a hand unconsciously reaching for his glasses. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”

“It’s fine,” she said easily. “I was just wondering why.”

 “N-no reason.” Lame. Totally lame. She probably thinks you’re a freak… even more than she already did. “Sorry,” he said again. “I am an awkward fellow.” 

Momo stumbled, suddenly, her arms flailing out in a way that would definitely not catch her if she fell. “Ahh!” she squealed. 

“Ayase-san, are you okay?!” He rushed over to help her balance.

“I’m fine!” She steadied herself and put on a smile that, to anyone else, would not be convincingly calm. “I’m fine. Just… tripped on a rock.”

Okarun looked around where her gait had failed her. No rocks to be found. “Okay…”

“Anyway, we’re here!” She gestured to the torii gate in front of them and the house behind it. “This is my place. Now you know how to get here, right?”

“Yes.” He paused and began to turn around. “Well then,” he began.

“See you tomorrow!” she called exuberantly.

He looked over his shoulder. Unable to verbalize anything, he simply nodded and headed off. 

As he left, he ruminated on the events of the night. It hadn’t been so bad, despite the rocky start. He certainly got to spend more time with her than he’d anticipated after the alien thing was a bust. Now he was roped into mutual servitude. It wasn’t exactly a friendship, but maybe, just maybe, if he went along with it long enough, it could become one.

The possibility of making a true friend put a skip in his step and soon he was in bed at home, too nervous and excited to sleep properly.

Notes:

That's chapter 1! Chapter 2 is already posted, so go ahead and continue if you wanna keep going. If you liked it, please leave a comment!

Chapter 2: Maybe

Summary:

The friendship begins! Momo and Okarun start to get to know each other. It'll require effort on both their parts, but a connection may spring forth just yet!

Notes:

As promised, the second chapter right away! I hope you enjoy it!

Part 2: Maybe

Momo stepped out of her house and was surprised to see Okarun already there. “Hey, there’s my servant! You’re here early. You coulda knocked on my door; I woulda let you in.”

“Oh, well, that’s okay, I didn’t want to impose.” Despite his lack of sleep, Okarun hadn’t wanted to be late for three reasons. First, he felt it was simply impolite. Second, he didn’t want her to think he was welching on the bet. Third, he wanted to spend as much time with his new acquaintance as possible. 

“You worry too much, you know that? Next time, go ahead and knock.”

He gained a shaky smile. “A-alright, I will,” he said with more confidence than he felt.

“Here!” Momo thrust out her backpack with a cheerful look on her face. “I tried not to make it too heavy for your first day. I’ll let you get used to the weight over time.”

“My first day?” He grabbed the bag. “This is going to be a regular thing?” 

She nodded. “I didn’t say carry my books once , did I?”

“Until when?”

“Until I decide I don’t want it anymore, duh.”

He sighed, but inwardly he was glad. That meant more time to make her into a friend. “Shall we get going?”

“Mhm,” said Momo and the two began to walk.

After a few minutes of silence, Okarun spoke up. “Uhm, Ayase-san?”

“What’s up?”

“I know I didn’t see a ghost yesterday, but, well, I was thinking… there might be other ghosts out there, right? Maybe… we could try again?” His heart pounded in his chest. This was pure audacity, no other word for it. He knew he had to take it back immediately.

But before he could, Momo replied, “Are you still worried about that? It’s fine. You already apologized. No need to go the extra mile.”

“N-no, that’s not it!” he said with an unfortunate level of vigor. “I mean, I just thought it might be, you know, cool… and we might find one this time.”

She gave him a half-smile. “Maybe.”

Maybe. “Maybe” was better than “no.” Way better. This was going well. “I don’t know much about spirits, though, so you’ll have to tell me about them.”

“Oh, uh, sure,” she said, caught off guard by his interest. “Let’s see… there’s the slit-mouthed woman,” she began.

Okarun listened dutifully as she explained a number of ghosts and spirits, unaware that inside, Momo was wishing she had paid more attention to her grandmother’s lessons on the various spectres that supposedly haunted the world. Surprisingly, he found himself interested in them. The way she talked about them, they were almost like aliens. Creepier, and admittedly still less plausible in his mind, but kind of like aliens from other dimensions instead of other worlds. 

“We’re here,” said Momo as they approached the school. “I can tell you about more spirits later, if you want.” Truthfully, she planned on googling whatever yokai-related information she could and acting like she knew it all along before they next met. “Hey,” she said as a thought occurred to her. “You still haven’t given me any orders.”

“Oh,” said Okarun, somewhat embarrassed, “I mean, I don’t know if I should…”

“Why, are all the ones you can think of pervy?”

“No!” He put his hands up, blushing again. “I told you, I’m not like that!”

“Well, I don’t like being the only one giving orders, since you weren’t the only loser of the bet.” She crossed her arms. “So go ahead, pick something for me to do!”

“Uhm…” Okarun thought for a moment. Should he tell her something trivial, like, say, give him a high five? She might see through that as his way of trying to deflect. But if he asked for too much, he risked her scorn. Digging deep, he decided on one thing, something that actually mattered to him. “Eat lunch with me in the cafeteria.”

Momo blinked. “Lunch?” Was he asking her on a kind of date?

“Yeah…” He looked off to the side, a hand at his glasses again. “I always eat lunch by myself in the classroom. Whenever I try to eat in the cafeteria, it’s so crowded, and no one wants to sit with me. I can never get a table. If you’re there, we can share a table and I won’t have to eat alone. If that’s okay, I mean.”

She gave him a sympathetic look. Poor bastard. Not a date, then. She chided herself for thinking it was. Grinning, she replied, “Well, an order’s an order, so sure. I’ll eat with you, Okarun.”

Okarun’s face lit up, far beyond how she expected it would. “Thank you!” He said with a quick bow. 

She chuckled. “It’s your order, dummy. See ya then.” She waved and headed off to her class.

“See you,” he said quietly, waving back.

Order #3: The Feast

In class, Okarun could not focus at all. His mind was bound to his upcoming lunch, the first of its kind for him. He didn’t want to blow it and make it a chore for her. He had to think of a way to make it interesting and enjoyable. What did interesting and enjoyable people do at lunch? He had no idea. 

Maybe he could buy her lunch. No, his funds were already fairly depleted already; it would be irresponsible. Maybe he could talk about something interesting. Gah! All I know how to talk about are aliens and cryptids! His head hit his desk, his hands clutching his hair. If he didn’t figure this out, he was done for.

Meanwhile, Momo sat in class with a faraway look in her eyes. Why was this occult-otaku four-eyes on her mind so much? He wasn’t cool, he wasn’t good looking, he wasn’t a smooth talker, he wasn’t anything except a totally awkward nerd with a bad haircut. It couldn’t be just his name; she wasn’t that shallow. 

But something made her look forward to eating lunch with him. Maybe it was his earnestness, like the authenticity in his apology yesterday, and how he seemed to genuinely listen to her talk about a subject he’d ridiculed just the day before. Usually boys weren’t quick to apologize after making fun of her, especially not with a full dignity-shedding bow like the one he’d given. 

Or maybe she just felt sorry for the lonely chump. Maybe.

“Hello? Earth to Momo?” Miko’s voice cut through her fog.

“Hm?” Momo looked to see her friends with concerned looks on their faces.

“You’ve been spacing out all morning. Something up?”

“Oh, no,” said Momo, somewhat self-consciously. “Just… thinking about stuff.”

They seemed unconvinced. “Uh-huh. Well, we were gonna go to the courtyard to have lunch. You coming?”

“Ah, sorry, I can’t. I have, uh, a thing.”

Muko raised her eyebrow. “A thing?”

“Yeah, I kinda promised to eat with someone.”

“Who is it?” Miko smiled wolfishly. “Is it that guy you were tangled up with on Friday?”

Momo blushed. “G-guy? No!” She paused. “Well, yes, but…” 

Miko and Muko simultaneously let out an “Oooh” that embarrassed Momo thoroughly.

“It’s not like that! He’s just…” She stopped herself from revealing the bet. She knew it would be more embarrassing if she did. “He’s just a friend, okay? A new friend.”

Her friends gave each other a glance, entirely unconvinced. “Alright then. Enjoy your lunch with your ‘new friend.’ Tell us all about it later.” Miko winked at Momo, who grumbled in response.

Whatever. It didn’t matter. She just had to fulfill her end of the stupid bargain they’d made. 

But when she picked Okarun out of the crowd in the bustling cafeteria, a dopey smile on his face, she couldn’t help but give a small smile of her own back. Over the heads of the people around them, she pointed to a table. He nodded and the two sat themselves there.

He gulped as he pulled out his bento box. God, he was nervous. He hadn’t come up with anything to talk about all morning. All he had managed was to think about how nice it would be if he could think of something and have a good conversation with her. Nothing else had come to mind.

Momo sat across from him, noticing the total absence of people around them. It was like he projected some sort of aura of avoidance. If she were more sure in her belief in the supernatural, she might have guessed he had a curse on him.

She stared at him, still trying to suss out why this guy had so much of her attention, when she noticed his demeanor. “What’s up? You look nervous.”

“Ah, well, uh,” he desperately searched for an excuse, “I’m just excited to hear more about ghosts!”

“Oh!” Momo perked up, pleasantly surprised that he was showing more interest in the subject, but also panicked because she had been so distracted by thoughts about him that she had neglected to research more spiritual knowledge. “But, um, I’ve already talked so much; why don’t you tell me about, uh, occult stuff?”

“R-really?!” He looked so excited she had to suppress a laugh. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to bore you.” Eagerness radiated from him like a space heater, or perhaps an outer space heater, as it were.

“Go for it!” She was enjoying his excited energy. She wanted more of it from him. 

“Well, ah, okay, there’s this one called the Jersey Devil…”

“Uh-huh…”

She listened as he went into detail after detail for cryptid after alien after kaiju. At first she was listening out of obligation, but before she knew it, she started to become engrossed in what he was saying. The subject matter was fine for what it was, but his passion, his clear devotion to the body of information and her education therein, it was all, well, captivating. If he had a BooTube channel or a podcast, she might tune in, at least have it on in the background while she did homework. She had to remind him to take breaks to eat, but otherwise he was on a tear and she didn’t want to stop him.

“Wow,” she said after he wrapped one odd, almost certainly fictional creature, “You really know a lot, Okarun!” She was genuine when she said it; arguably silly though the topic was, it was admirable that he would become so invested in it.

He smiled with a blush and, despite herself, she found it kinda cute - in a puppy dog sort of way, she decided quickly. Not in a cute boy kind of way. No way. Couldn’t be.

“I-it is my favorite subject, after all,” he said bashfully. 

“I’d love to hear more, but lunch is over.” She got up from her seat.

“Oh,” he said, disappointment plain on his face. “Yeah.”

“But I’ll see you at the end of the day, right?”

“Huh?”

“You’re carrying my books home for me, remember?”

How could he remember something neither of them had said? Whatever. “Um, okay. See you then.”

Okarun sat through the rest of his classes with a smile on his face, pelted though he was with papers and erasers throughout. The admiration of a girl, however superficial, was a powerful elixir and he knew it would sustain him for a good long time.

“So, how’d it go?” asked Muko as Momo returned to her desk. 

“Good,” she replied easily.

“Did the flame of love spark up?” Miko asked with a cheeky grin.

Momo scowled, insisting, “Of course not! Me and a nerdy loser like that? You’ve gotta be kidding!” As she said it, she heard the harshness in her own voice and felt bad. 

“I was kidding, actually,” said Miko, her grin turning yet more cheeky. “But it’s funny you took it so seriously.”

“Shut up,” Momo replied weakly. Her expression grew thoughtful. “But he does seem like a decent guy.” She wouldn’t tell them that she was looking forward to seeing him at the end of the day.

When the time came, he met her at the school gates. He seemed less nervous than he had at the start of the day, though his posture still betrayed some fear. It was kinda cute. Like a puppy dog, of course. “Hey.”

“H-hey,” he replied.

“Here you go.” She hefted her books towards him. “Onward!”

“R-right…” 

They began the trek to Momo’s home in silence. Seeing Okarun’s expression steadily deteriorate, Momo knew he was already worrying about something, and so she decided to intervene. “Hey, do you like manga? You seem like the type.”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yes,” he replied, grateful for a conversation topic he could relate to.

“What series do you like?”

“Mostly sci-fi series,” he admitted. “But I also like the classics, not just stuff with aliens, believe it or not. Everyone likes Dragon Ball, right?”

“Dragon Ball has aliens,” Momo pointed out pleasantly.

“Ah, true.” He glanced at her. “What series do you like?”

She thought for a moment. “I like a lot of different stuff, but one of my favorites is Golgo 13.” 

“I don’t think I’ve heard of it,” said Okarun. He quickly whipped out his phone and googled the title. “Oh, wow, it’s been running since 1968? And it’s still going even though the creator died?!”

“Yeah, he wanted it to live on past him. It’s a good series. But the real reason I like it is because I saw the movie adaptation of it when I was younger.” It was one of her favorite Ken Takakura flicks. “I loved it so much I immediately read as much of the manga as I could get. I wish I could watch it again, but I don’t think they reprinted the DVD or released it on Blu-Ray or anything.” 

“So it’s rare, huh…” Okarun looked thoughtful.

“Yeah. But I can catch it when it comes on TV sometimes. It’s great, you should totally watch it if you get the chance.”

“I’d like that.” I’d like to watch it with you. That would be a ridiculous thing to ask. Way too out of bounds. At least, for now.

They were able to keep the conversation going as they walked, all the way until they reached Momo’s place. “Well, this is my stop,” she said, extending her arm. 

“Yeah…” Okarun passed her her bag.

“Thanks for carrying it again. I appreciate it, even if it is an order.” 

“N-no problem.”

Momo thought of something. “Hey.” She gave him as friendly a look as she could. “You never told me why you like aliens so much.”

“Oh,” said Okarun. “It’s, uh… kind of embarrassing.” Momo thought he might continue, but he didn’t.

“That’s okay. I won’t order you to tell me,” she said kindly. “If you feel like it, you will, right?”

He looked at her, grateful for her understanding. “Right.” 

A quiet moment passed before Momo punctured it. “Wait here a sec.”

“Why?”

“Just do it, okay?”

“Okay…”

Okarun watched as she ran into her house. He looked around as he waited for her to return. The torii gate was pretty impressive; he hadn’t seen anything like it near someone’s house before. The proximity to the river was nice too. It seemed like a neat place. Maybe someday he’d get to see the inside of it.

Maybe.

Momo eventually returned, a spring in her step as she approached. “Thanks for waiting!”

She thrusted out a book. Okarun read the cover. “Golgo 13…”

“The first volume. I’m loaning it to you. It’s real good, so you better read it!” His heart swelled at this gesture. He reached out to take it, but Momo pulled it back slightly. “This is really precious to me, so you have to return it, okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.” Reverently, he grasped the book with both hands before putting it into his backpack. “Alright, then. I’ll be off.” 

He turned to leave, but only got a few steps away before Momo called out, “Hey! Okarun!” He turned to see her holding one hand in the air and the other pointing at it, an impatient look on her face. “Mm!” 

“Uh… what?”

She pointed harder at her hand. “Mm! Mm!” 

“I don’t… understand…”

“You have to say ‘see you tomorrow!’ I said it last time.”

He blinked. “Oh. I didn’t realize we were taking turns.” 

“Well, we are!”

He smiled. “See you tomorrow, then.”

“Good.” She matched his smile.

He walked off, feeling much better about the day than when it had begun. When he got home, he had to restrain his fervor in extracting the manga he’d been loaned so as not to damage it in any way. He took special care to turn the pages gingerly, not tearing them or bending them significantly. This was his first loan from a friend and he would not mar it with clumsy hands. 

The book turned out to be interesting too. Golgo, or Duke Togo as he was sometimes known, was definitely a cool character. He never would have guessed Momo would like such a hardened badass type protagonist. I guess she’s that kind of girl. He quickly devoured the contents, enthralled as he was eager to complete the “assignment” he had been given.

Once he was done, he put the book back in his bag and with as much care as he’d taken to retrieve it and laid back on his bed. He was excited to have read it, to have a shared experience with his new friend. Can I call her that yet? He still wasn’t sure how much of their interaction was just her honoring the bet, but she had lent him the book, and that wasn’t a part of the deal. That had to mean he was making some kind of headway, right? At least in a probationary sense?

He wished he could talk to her again. His hand reached toward his phone. He could… No. Don’t. She’s probably busy. She’ll be annoyed by you texting her.

“Hey, I just finished the manga you gave me.” He read the message he’d sent in disbelief. Greedy. Too greedy, Ken. The typing bubble appeared in the conversation and he steeled his nerves. She was going to tell him off for sure. Take your lumps like a man. You deserve it. 

The message came. “What? Already? No way!” Another message: a shocked emoji. Yet another: “That’s awesome! What’d you think?”

Okarun’s heart raced. She was going for it! Rapidly, he texted back, “I really liked it! Duke Togo is so cool.” 

“He is! I love him.” A pause. “If you want, I can bring the next volume to school tomorrow.”

His heart swelled. “I would like that.”

“Great!” A smiley face.

He could think of no way to continue the conversation that wouldn’t feel like forcing it. He cherished that smiley face, and the whole conversation, short though it was. Maybe the road to friendship wasn’t as long as he thought.

Maybe.

Notes:

And so they start to like each other. I didn't do much research on Golgo 13, so I have no idea if I got part of it wrong. Anyway, the next chapter: Routines Can Be Nice, coming soon! As always, if you liked the story, please leave a comment!

Chapter 3: Routines Can Be Nice

Summary:

Okarun and Momo get to know each other more. Someone starts to catch feelings. Read on to find out who does!

Notes:

Thank you for the kudos, bookmarks, and comments, I really appreciate them! I've decided to release these next two chapters as a pair as well, since the slow burn really starts to get warm here.

Part 3: Routines Can Be Nice

With a trembling fist, Okarun knocked on Momo’s door the next morning. After a moment, she opened it, a smile on her face. He handed her back the first volume of Golgo 13 and she quickly ran to replace it in her room before coming back with the second.

On the way to school, Momo was excited to hear Okarun’s thoughts on what he’d read thus far. He was almost overwhelmed by the strength of her attention, but gave his honest reactions and she seemed to appreciate them. But before they knew it, they were at the gate, and he was sad their conversation would be truncated.

“We can keep talking at lunch,” said Momo.

Okarun blinked. “Eh? We’re having lunch again?” 

She gave him an odd look. “Well, yeah, it’s your order. You didn’t say it was for one day. Unless you don’t want to?”

“No!” he said quickly, a little too quickly, he realized. “I just… never mind. We can keep talking then.”

“Cool. See you then.”

“See you,” he said quietly as she ran off to class. What a lovely morning this was. Even as he got accidentally shoved to the floor and yelled at by his classmates, he felt great. He started imagining the lunchtime conversation, what insights he could give about their now shared interest, and if she would respond well to them. Inspiration struck him and he put away his usual occult reading to get a jump on the next volume of Golgo 13, ensuring an even more enriching conversation.

Momo, meanwhile, was in quite the chipper mood. Miko and Muko noticed it and taunted her about her “mysterious new beau,” but Momo only became partially as incensed as she did yesterday. She wouldn’t let her friends’ teasing bring her mood down.

When lunch arrived, Okarun was thrilled that Momo easily talked to him about the story, clearly holding herself back from spoiling all of the exciting plot twists that lay ahead of him. For a while, he forgot his nerves and just let himself have a talk with this wonderful person who had entered his life.

Though they parted after lunch, they picked back up at the end of the day, dissecting every detail of what little Okarun had read, all the way until they reached the Ayase home.

“Talking about this with you’s been real fun,” said Momo. “I’m surprised you got so into it.” 

“It’s really good,” he replied. Though he had truly enjoyed it, unbeknownst to her, his investment was heavily incentivized by the promise of her attention and approval.

“If you finish volume 2 tonight, I can give you the next two tomorrow.”

“That works for me.”

She grinned. After a moment, however, her expression wilted and she looked off to the side. “All we talked about today was a series I like. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, but it kinda feels… unfair, y’know? A bit one-sided.” Okarun didn’t know how to reply to this. Thankfully, Momo continued, “You should recommend something to me too.”

Okarun was stunned. Her, asking him for a recommendation? “Really?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah, I mean, you’ve obviously got good taste,” she replied with a playful lilt. “So go ahead. Lemme know what I should read.”

Okarun’s mind raced. He had no idea what to say. He didn’t want to play too deeply into his occult-otaku reputation, lest she think him one-note. He didn’t want to pick something with too much fanservice, lest he encourage her to believe him a pervert. Most of all, he didn’t want to pick something boring, lest she became convinced he was a tasteless dullard. “Can I get back to you?”

“Sure. Text me if you think of something. See you tomorrow!”

“See you.” He watched for a bit as she walked towards her house before beginning his journey home.

Text me.  

Those words were powerful. An invitation to open communication, just for him. It was exhilarating. Magical.

—

In his room, Okarun pored over his manga collection, desperately trying to find a series which would make her think he was cool and erudite. Nothing seemed to be good enough. In truth, all he knew about her tastes was that she liked spirits and cool badasses. If he didn’t come up with anything, she might think he just didn’t care. That was unacceptable.

Then a relatively short, 13-volume series caught his eye. This could be it! He whipped out his phone and began to type. “Have you ever read Death Note?” He hit send and waited with bated breath. 

A message came back. “Nope. I’ve heard it’s good, but I’ve never been into the prettyboy characters. I’m more of a Naruto girl than a Sasuke girl, you know?”

He chuckled at that and returned, “I think you’ll like it. It’s got a lot of psychological dynamics that I think are really interesting, and a supernatural element I think you’ll appreciate.” He hoped that would sell it.

“If you say it’s good, I’ll trust you. Bring me the first volume tomorrow?”

His face lit up. “Sure.” After hitting send, his heart began to race. He truly hoped the series would leave a good impression on her. Taking a breath to calm himself, he returned to his task of reading his own assigned material, still intent on digesting it as much as possible.

—

The next morning went exceedingly well. Okarun brought his promised volume, received the next two of hers, and enjoyed a delightful conversation about the point in the story he’d reached thus far. When they parted ways, he knew lunch would be a special treat.

In class, Momo put her hand in her bag and pulled out the copy of Death Note’s first volume she’d been given. She was still skeptical of the series, but she owed it to him to give it an honest try. 

To her surprise, within a few chapters she was invested in the plot. The art was great in spite of the less than ultra masculine protagonist and she enjoyed the steady escalation of Light’s ongoing crusade against crime, the devious bastard, already eager to see how he would get his comeuppance. She could see herself genuinely getting into this series.

“Death Note, huh?” Miko asked, startling her. “Didn’t think it was your kinda thing.”

“Yeah, well, Okarun loaned it to me,” she said easily.

“Okarun? Is that your new guy?”

Momo blushed, realizing she’d spoken without thinking. “He’s not- we’re just friends, okay? We’re doing a kinda manga swap thing.”

Muko grinned. “Mm, sharing interests, making promises to each other, spending lunch together. You suuuure you’re not hooking up with nerd boy?”

“Gross! No!” Momo’s heart pounded harder than she would have expected. “It just sort of happened, you know?”

“He must be a real charmer if you keep talking to him with that awful haircut of his,” said Miko. Momo had to acknowledge that his bowlcut did zero favors for him, but she thought back to two days before, when, against all expectation, she’d found herself captivated by his occult ramblings. Genuine passion, wherever applied, could be a powerfully compelling thing. “Careful, Momo, he might infect you with the supergeek virus.”

“Whatever,” Momo grumbled. She didn’t know why her friends’ teasing was getting to her so much. Returning to the book, she did her best to put the thought out of her mind.

But part of her was worried about what was happening to her. She had enjoyed spending time with Okarun the past two days, part of her debt to their deal though it was. Sure, she had been given a ripe opportunity to gush about one of her favorite series yesterday, but he had matched her energy well. It wasn’t bad at all. 

Miko and Muko’s comments weighed on her mind still and she found herself strangely nervous as she approached the cafeteria. But there he was, waving enthusiastically to her, that same cute dopey grin - puppy dog cute, of course -  on his face. She couldn’t help but relax. And indeed, their conversation was fruitful, trading reactions about their respective assigned manga. It was okay that her future lunches would be occupied by this order. For now, anyway.

—

It’s always surprising how quickly a routine can become comfortable. For the last two days of the school week, the pair continued their cycle of walking to school, lunchtime catch-up, and walking home, followed by some light texting in the evening. They even talked about stuff besides manga - shows, movies, and other media, as well as the occasional cryptid and spirit - and it didn’t feel weird. It was becoming natural, thrillingly natural for Okarun, distressingly so for Momo.

“Here we are,” said Momo as they reached her home for what would be the final time in the school week. Taking her bag from Okarun, she said, “I’ll see you to- oh, right.” She blushed a little bit at how reflexively she had almost said it. He didn’t seem to notice. “See you, uh, Monday, then.”

“Right.”

A cool breeze blew around them. Momo felt something stir in her chest. It drove her to say, “Actually, do you want to come in for a bit?”

Okarun’s heart nearly stopped at this. Being invited inside? This was a major development on the road to friendship! “Sure,” he said breathlessly. 

She smiled. “Great. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

Okarun took a hearty breath and followed her to the door. As she opened it, the sound of TV and a woman’s laugh filled the air along with the faint scent of cigarettes. “I’m home!” Momo called as they took off their shoes.

“Ah, welcome back, Momo,” said the woman’s voice. Its owner appeared in the entry hall shortly, a beautiful young woman with silver hair. “Oh, who’s this? New boyfriend? He’s a real beanpole; at least the old one had some muscle.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Momo said quickly. “He’s just a friend. His name’s Okarun.”

“It’s actually…” Okarun began, but trailed off, not wanting to press the issue. “Uhm, I mean, hello, you must be Ayase-san’s, uh…” What was she? She couldn’t be her mom; Momo had mentioned her parents were deceased. She had gray hair. Was it dyed? “... Older sister?” he finished uncertainly.

The woman’s expression perked up by the barest amount. “Hmph. This boyfriend’s way better than the old one. Name’s Seiko. Nice to meetcha. Come in, I’ll make you dinner.”

“I’m tellin’ you, he’s just a friend!” Momo protested before turning to Okarun. “She’s my grandmother. She’s kind of a lot sometimes.”

“Grandmother?!” He couldn’t help but blurt it out. “But she’s so… so… young!”

“Momo, this one’s a real catch,” said Seiko easily.

“Aaagh!” Momo grumbled. “Look, just come in, Okarun, and we’ll have dinner, okay?”

“Oh, I-I wouldn’t want to impose,” he said cautiously, hands raised.

“You gonna refuse my hospitality, beanpole?” asked Seiko.

“N-no!” he said quickly. “I don’t mean to… I just don’t want to be a burden on…”

“Okarun,” said Momo plainly, “this is an order. Have dinner with us.”

He couldn’t say anything, except, “... Yes ma’am.”

Order #4: The Banquet Invitation 

As Seiko prepared dinner, Momo gave Okarun a tour of the house. It was a nice place. But his nerves returned when she invited him into her room. “What’re you scared of?" she asked. "There’s nothing in there that’s gonna kill you.”

Nodding, he stepped through the threshold and took in the sights. There were posters of a celebrity on the walls, a small TV with an old game console, and a shelf for manga. It was cozy. It exemplified her personality perfectly. 

They sat and chatted more in her room until Seiko called them down for their meal. It was crab legs as well as an assortment of other dishes. “Here, eat your fill,” said Seiko graciously.

“Thank you,” said Okarun, reaching to grab a leg, only for Momo to snatch it from his grasp. “Hey!”

“Too slow, four-eyes!” she said with a teasing smile. “You gotta be quicker than that!”

“Be nice to our guest,” said Seiko. “Let him have his meal.”

Momo pouted at this, but Okarun took the opportunity to fill his plate. Flavor permeated every taste bud as he took his first bite. “Wow, Seiko-san, this is delicious!” He gave her a bright smile. “You’re a great chef!”

“Momo, when are you gonna marry this one?” Seiko asked casually, causing both her granddaughter and her friend to choke on their mouthfuls.

“Gah, you’re the worst!” Momo seethed. “You’d sell out your own granddaughter for some flattery, you narcissist!” 

“Huh. Fine,” said Seiko, nonplussed. “Then no crab legs for you.”

Momo blanched, eyes wide in shock. “What?! No! I’m sorry! I take it back!”

“You’re just saying that to get my delicious crab meat. None for you. Here, kid, have some more.” Seiko passed another plate to Okarun.

“Aaargh! You nasty old bag!” Momo growled, leaping at Seiko, who nimbly evaded her granddaughter’s attempts to swipe her dish.

“A-Ayase-san, you can have some of mine,” Okarun said carefully, having recovered enough to participate in the conversation.

“Aw, he’s so generous. You’re lucky to have him as a boyfriend,” said Seiko.

“He’s not my—!” Momo sighed, defeated. “Whatever. Thanks, Okarun.” With that, she began ravenously devouring the meat before her.

Okarun smiled as he watched them. They were a lively little family, warm and inviting. He didn’t feel out of place, despite his earlier nerves.

But his heart wasn’t at peace. Seiko’s comments — and he wasn’t sure how much she was joking — had gotten to him. A heavy realization had begun to press down upon his psyche with ever increasing weight. All this time he had been focused on trying to get Momo to be his friend for real, but the notion that they might be a couple had planted a certain seed in his head.

Momo was cute. And a girl. She was a cute girl.

What if we actually were a couple…?

He double took at the involuntary thought. No, that was wrong. She was a friend! Just a friend! She had to be! Thinking such things about her was impure. 

Yet now that the seed was in him, he couldn’t help it. She was unquestionably gorgeous. It was undeniable. Even now, gobbling shellfish so furiously her eyes bulged from the effort, she was a true beauty. He couldn’t stop her effortless charm from washing over him. It made him even more self-conscious than he already was. 

But she couldn’t be anything more than a friend to him. He wasn’t fully sure she was truly that yet. If he was going to get to even just that level, he realized he needed to do something about it, soon.

Once the meal was over, Momo patted her stomach appreciatively. “Ahh, I can never have enough crab. Thanks granny.” Seiko grunted in response. Momo turned to Okarun. “You okay? You only ate one plate and you’ve been quiet for a while now.”

She’d noticed. He hadn’t expected her to. “Ah, yeah, sorry, I’m just kinda tired,” he muttered, not looking at her. “I think I should probably get going.”

“Alright… Let me walk you out and you can get home and rest.”

“Sure.” He turned to her grandmother. “Thank you again for the meal, Seiko-san.”

“No prob,” she replied easily.

As he and Momo approached the torii gate, she started to worry about him. Even for him, this demeanor was off. “You sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah,” he answered, forcing a smile. “Totally.”

“Okay.” A moment passed. “Well, I guess I’ll see you-”

“Ayase-san,” he said quietly but assertively. 

“What’s up?”

Another moment passed. “I have another order for you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

One more moment passed as he steadied himself. “See a movie with me tomorrow.”

Momo’s eyes shot wide open. Holy shit, is he actually…? Her mouth fell open. “Wh… what?” It was all she could say.

“As your friend… I want to show you why I love aliens so much.”

She let out a long breath, not having realized she was holding it in. As a friend. Okay. “Yeah. Sure. Just let me know the details.”

Order #5: The Source

He nodded. “I will. See you tomorrow.” With a wave, he began to walk away.

She remained at the gate, watching him until he was out of sight. “See you,” she whispered. 

Notes:

And so Okarun becomes aware of romance and, well, maybe Momo a bit too. But you know how she is. Anyway, next chapter's coming right up, so keep on reading, and if you like it, please drop a comment! Thank you for reading!

Chapter 4: How the Heart Becomes Vulnerable

Summary:

Momo and Okarun go to the movies! Hang on, is this a date?! No, no, of course not. It's just two friends hanging out. Right?

... Right?

Notes:

As promised, chapter 4 right away. I think this is when things really get going, so please read on!

Part 4: How the Heart Becomes Vulnerable

Upstairs in her room, Momo flopped on her bed. Her nerves were still frazzled with the shock of her brief misconception from Okarun’s last order. She shook her limbs, trying to disperse the energy. It didn’t help much. For a while she simply laid there, trying to get her heart rate to return to tolerable levels.

What if he had meant it as a date?

She chuckled to herself. She would have said no, right? Easily. No question. Laughed about it with Miko and Muko on Monday. 

But the bet… 

At least, she’d have made it clear she wasn’t going to accept it as a date. It could never be one. There was no way. Not with that nerd. She’d only really known him for a week. 

What if we’d known each other longer? 

No, that wouldn’t change anything. Obviously. A girl like her, going on a date with a guy like him? As if. Ridiculous. Not even if they’d known each other for years.

Yeah…

The phone in her hand began to feel conspicuously heavy. It weighed the same, no doubt, but it somehow demanded her attention more than it ever had. The urge to unlock it and open up her conversation with Okarun struck her. She reeled from it; in reflexive panic, she tossed the phone to the foot of the bed, wanting it gone from her sight. Without another thought, she turned away from it, facing the curtain.

… But what if her friends texted her? She wouldn’t want to snub them. That would be rude. Or what if a disaster alert hit? It would be irresponsible to not look at it, wouldn’t it? Totally irresponsible. And Momo was nothing if not a responsible girl.

Slowly, she retrieved her discarded phone, holding it away from her between two pinched fingers as if it were covered in toxic waste. After a moment, she let the face ID unlock it. She just wanted to check her notifications, that was all. That was permitted. Nothing strange about it.

No notifications from…

Well, it didn’t matter. It’s not like she was expecting anything. Sure, she’d spent the last few nights texting with him, but it wasn’t like she particularly wanted to talk to him right now. 

She checked again. Still no ping from him.

Heart thumping, she opened the messaging app. Just in case she had accidentally deleted the notification. That was all. Just more of her being responsible. 

But there was nothing. Only the last message she’d sent him the day before, a smiley face at one of his comments about his latest volume of Golgo. Well, that settled it. She could close the app now, lock her phone, and relax. 

Yep. Just relax.

Ten seconds later, two words stared at her from the input field: “You okay?” Her thumb hovered over the send button. Why was it shaking? Probably not enough potassium. She’d heard something about that somewhere, she was sure. She’d eat a banana and be right as rain.

The two words still stared at her. She frowned at them. This was stupid. It was the kind of text boys sent girls who weren’t interested in them when they wanted their attention. An excuse for interaction, predicated on the veneer of genuine care. Underhanded, really, when you thought about it. 

But, well, he had acted strange at dinner. What if he had food poisoning? She felt fine, but she was pretty sure she had a stronger constitution than him. He could be lying on his bed in agony right now and she’d look like a real asshole for not bothering to check up on it.

The send noise hit her ears. It was done. Regret flooded her veins. She should’ve just let it go. He would’ve texted her eventually. Now it was going to be an obligation for him. She hated that idea.

But then, a ping. She read quickly, “Yeah, I’m alright. I just got a little tired at dinner. Sorry about that. I felt better after laying down a bit.” Another message followed: “Must just be exhausted from carrying your books all week,” with a sweat drop emoji.

Without thinking, she began to type out, “I’m sorry, I can carry them next time,” but caught herself. No. That wasn’t the play. Deleting the words, she tried again. “Hey! No complaining or I’ll put all my heavy textbooks in next time!” She added an angry face. Then she added two more. Just in case the joke didn’t carry.

She waited, eyes transfixed on the screen, for any sign that it was ill received. Instead, he reacted to her message with a laugh. A wave of relief hit her. 

Relief? From that? The hell was wrong with her?

“I am glad you feel better, though, for real,” she found herself sending without thinking. 

Another ping. “Thanks.” She smiled.

“So, what’s the deal with tomorrow? You got a specific movie in mind?” It felt comfortable enough to ask him now.

“There’s a theater that plays old movies near here. This weekend they’re playing E.T. I’ve been planning to go since last week.”

E.T.? She googled it quickly. Ah. Extra-terrestrial. Of course. “Isn’t that an American movie from like forty years ago? Didn’t think you’d be into classic films.” Not that she was judging, of course; her beloved Ken Takakura wasn’t exactly a modern sensation, hence the total dearth of guys like him in the current era. “That sounds cool, though,” she added hastily.

“Yeah. It’s kind of important to me, like Golgo 13 is to you. I thought it would be nice if I could show you. I’ll pay for the tickets.”

Her heart thumped. If he paid for everything, didn’t that make it more date-like? “Nah, we’ll split it. It’s not fair otherwise.”

“Alright. Here are the details.” He pasted a link to the event. She gave it a thumbs up.

After a minute, she sent, “So, what else is up?” Dumb. They’d just seen each other! What else could possibly be up?

He sent a picture of the cover of the Golgo volume she’d most recently lent him. She smiled. “Nice.”

“What about you?”

She picked up the Death Note volume she’d brought home. At first she meant to take a quick picture of it, but something compelled her to hold it up next to her face and take a selfie with it, smiling as brightly as she could. 

“Awesome.”

Damn it, why did that make her heart warm? She thought for a moment. Over the course of the last week, she had grown to like their conversations quite a bit, both in person and over text. She’d discovered he wasn’t just a decent guy, he was… fun. Likable. A bit cool, even, once you got past his awkward exterior.

But he was just a friend. That was all he could ever be to her.

She growled at no one in particular except maybe herself. That stupid misinterpretation of his order had scrambled her brain. The balance of nature had been disrupted. Idly, she texted him, “By the way, just a word of advice, you might wanna do something about your hair. Style it or something, I dunno.”

“Your advice is noted.”

She grinned. A little bit of teasing felt more normal.

Another message arrived. “I think I’m going to turn in for the evening.”

This gave her pause. Had she upset him? “Alright. Have a good night, okay?”

“You too, Ayase-san.”

And that was it. She stared at that final message for a long moment. Then, operating purely on instinct, she reacted with a heart. 

She didn’t understand the feeling she was left with. She didn’t know why it made her so uncomfortable, but excited at the same time. All she knew was that she was rereading the whole conversation over and over. It made the feeling better. Or worse. She didn’t know. She wouldn’t know by the end of the night.

—

The next morning brought her some solace. Her mind refreshed, she felt mostly okay, thinking about her definitely-not-a-date with Okarun. She’d meet up with him, have some fun at the movies, peace out, and be home in time for dinner. Easy day ahead of her. 

This thought did not stop her from meticulously checking her hair in the mirror to make sure it was presentable. After all, she’d told him to style his hair; she couldn’t be caught lacking.

Any fear of that was dispelled when she saw him at the designated rendezvous point. Okarun’s hair appeared to be comprised of at least 50% gel by volume and spiked to the heavens. 

She managed to stop herself from laughing as she approached, but when he said, “H-hey, Ayase-san,” instead of replying normally, she just burst out with a full on guffaw. Okarun’s face turned red. “Wh-what’s so funny?!” 

Momo took a few seconds to collect herself. “Dude, you look like a Super Saiyan! You just need a bottle of bleach!” 

His face reddened more. “W-well you were the one who told me to style it! I’ve never done it before!”

“I just meant, like, comb your hair differently! I didn’t realize you’d dip your entire head in hair gel!” Laughter erupted from her again.

“Stop laughing! It’s not that funny!” He hated that even though she was picking on and humiliating him, damn it, she was still cute.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she wheezed. She had to get the giggles out for a few more seconds. “I’m okay. I’m okay.” She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. It doesn’t look terrible. I just never expected this from you of all people.”

“Then maybe you ought to expect more from me,” he said indignantly.

“I will from now on, I promise.” She saw that the effects of her laughter still lingered in his expression.  “Aw, come on. Don’t be like that. It looks better than your normal ‘do, at least.”

“You’re just saying that,” he muttered.

“No, for real! With just a little less product - well, y’know, maybe a lot less - this look could totally work for you!”

His expression finally lightened by a few shades. “... Thanks.” 

She grinned. “I didn’t know you had this vain side to you. You really put in so much effort after what I said last night?”

“Yeah, well… I was hoping I’d look cool to you, so I guess I kinda went overboard.”

Momo’s expression showed shock. Then, slowly, it turned into a soft smile. “Why’s that?”

“Huh?”

“Why’d you want to look cool to me?”

He blushed and turned away. “I-I have pride too, you know. As a man.”

“What’s that got to do with wanting to look cool to me?” She tried to catch his eye, but he evaded her. “C’mon, show me your face.”

“L-let’s just get to the movie!”

“Lead the way, Goku.”

“Stop it!”

“Sorry, sorry. That was my last one.”

This felt better. Sure, she’d had a laugh at his expense, and maybe that was a little mean, but the dynamic felt more natural now. Not like the sweating she’d done last night. That was just a weird blip on an otherwise totally normal friendship.

In short order they were in the theater, in good seats just close enough to the screen, with some overpriced theater snacks to boot. Okarun seemed to have released the remnants of his embarrassment, which Momo was glad for, even if she had provoked it earlier. “I really hope you like this,” he said, trying futilely to hide the excitement in his voice. 

“I’m sure it’ll be good,” she replied, hoping she wasn’t wrong.

The lights dimmed. As the movie began, Momo could appreciate the practical effects they’d used, as, obviously, this movie was made before the advent of realistic CGI. The puppetry around the titular E.T. in particular was good. Later, she recognized the shot of the kid and E.T. on the bike in front of the moon from references in other media. So that’s where that’s from.  

Every now and then she would glance at Okarun, happy to see him enjoying an old favorite even after presumably watching it many times. She even found herself getting into the plot. It was a fun adventure, filled with tense and heartwarming moments alike. It was, she supposed, a classic for a reason. She let herself be pulled on the emotional journey of the film, and when it came time for E.T. to say goodbye, she even felt a bit of heat around her eyes.

Then she heard a sound. A soft one, but unmistakable: a sniffle. She looked to her side and her mouth fell open. 

Okarun’s face was consumed with emotion. Twin streams of tears ran down his cheeks. 

She wasn’t sure if she made a sound or something, but Okarun seemed to notice her staring and quickly turned away from her. He tried and failed to hide his arm coming up to wipe his face. Hesitating for a moment, Momo reached out, put a hand on his shoulder, and gave him the most warm and accepting smile she could.

He looked at her face, then at her hand. Then, slowly, to Momo’s surprise, he put his hand over hers. It was just for a moment, but Momo felt… something at his touch. When he withdrew it, she did hers as well.

The credits finished rolling. They sat there until the theater lights went up. Okarun had a look of uncertainty on his face, so Momo spoke up. “That was great!”

His demeanor immediately brightened. “R-really? You liked it?”

“Yeah!” She stood up exuberantly. “It kicked ass. Definitely holds up for a 40 year old movie.”

“I’m so glad you think so.”

He still looked a little down by the time they left the theater. They stood on the street for a minute; Momo wasn’t sure what she should say. Eventually, Okarun said, “Uhm… I’m sorry… about what you saw back there.”

Momo tilted her head. “What?”

“I mean… that side of me. It’s… it’s totally uncool. Sorry.”

Momo gave him a light punch on the arm. “Nah.”

“Huh?”

“I said, ‘Nah.’ Guys act like they’re all tough, no emotion constantly and it’s honestly so tiring. There’s nothing wrong with feeling your feelings, you know? I feel mine all the time, out loud, as you may have noticed.” He seemed unconvinced. “I’m serious. I…” her voice took on a soft tone. “I like that part of you.”

Okarun was stunned and his face showed it. Never in a million years would he have thought she’d say that.

“I think I get it,” she added. “You said you wanted to show me why you love aliens so much. I think I understand. You wanted an alien to show up and be your friend like E.T., didn’t you?” He blushed at this; hearing her say it out loud made it sound so immature and embarrassing, but she didn’t seem to be mocking him. “You didn’t have any friends, so you wanted one to come down from the stars. You thought that was the only way you could make a friend. But you don’t need an alien to be your friend anymore.” She put her hand on his shoulder again. “You have me.”

His eyes widened. His heart fluttered. Without thinking, he raised his arms and moved towards her, as if to embrace her. But just before he made contact, he caught himself, eyes wide in disbelief at his own actions. “Ah, I-I’m sorry, I just-”

But then Momo pulled him in for a full hug. He tensed up for a moment before returning the gesture in kind, heart racing. “Thanks for showing me this, Okarun.” Her voice was so sweet in his ear. So gentle and genuine.

He wasn’t allowed to think of her as a cute girl, a girl he could be interested in romantically. No, never. Such thoughts were impure. He knew that. 

After a time - Okarun could only guess at how long - they parted. “See you Monday?” she asked pleasantly.

She was his friend; she’d just said so. That was enough for him. That had to be enough. Those thoughts were wrong. 

“Yeah.”

And he knew, deep down, that after this, he would never be able to stop them.

Notes:

And so the relationship changes irrevocably. Momo's entertained possibilities on her side of things, Okarun's accepted his own desires for those possibilities. Where will they go from here? Wait for the next chapter: Like a Sudden Storm. Ominous title, huh?

As always, if you enjoyed the chapter, please drop a comment or even just kudos, I really appreciate it! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 5: Like a Sudden Storm

Summary:

The groundwork has been laid, as our hero and heroine have grown closer. Now we see some familiar scenes, but will they all go as they did in the main story? Well, the fact that that question is asked probably gives you a hint. Prepare for the most dramatic chapter thus far!

Notes:

Thank you all for your lovely comments! They really make me feel good. Now we begin what I consider Act 2. Get ready for things to heat up.

Part 5: Like a Sudden Storm

Monday rolled around. The only communication Okarun and Momo had had since the movie was a brief text Saturday night. She’d said she really enjoyed the day and he’d replied that he was glad and thanked her for joining him. With a tongue-out emoji, she’d answered that it wasn’t like she had a choice. He’d grinned at that. Sunday was silent between them, and though he worried that something had gone wrong, he told himself things were fine. She was an honest girl and she would tell him if she was upset or something.

Really, however, he was scared of ruining the remnants of the moment they’d shared after the movie.

Things seemed normal this morning, yet he was a little disappointed. He’d tried styling his hair again, much less aggressively, but she didn’t seem to have noticed. The walk to school wasn’t bad, by any means, though. They still talked about this and that. 

“Hey. You okay?” asked Momo, a concerned look on her face.

“Huh?” 

“Your eyes keep going all distant. Something on your mind?”

It was true, Okarun was only half present. He kept getting distracted by her eyes and her smile, seeing them in a new light with the revelation from the dinner at her place, augmented by their movie outing. How could he have not noticed before? She was radiant. Meanwhile, he was a total schlub.

“Ah… No…” His protests were weak and he knew it.

Momo frowned. “Why can’t you look me in the eye?”

“Uhhh…” His brain scrambled for anything. “I just remembered I have a report I have to do… and I’m thinking about it a lot!”

“What’s that got to do with not looking me in the eye?”

“Well, uh, if I look at you, I can’t…”

“You can’t what?”

“I can’t…” Sweat poured from his temples. “Oh! We’re here!” He pointed at the school gates. “And not a moment too soon!”

“Fine,” grumbled Momo. “Whatever.” Okarun felt bad as he handed her her bag, hoping he hadn’t angered her too much. As he watched her run off, she turned around suddenly. “Hey, Okarun!” 

“What?”

She grinned. “Your hair looks good today.”

Okarun’s heart skipped a beat. “Th-thanks!” She had noticed! He knew immediately that he could subsist off that one compliment for ages.

At lunch, Okarun vowed to force himself to look at her, lest she grow more suspicious of his feelings. But his hard gaze just made Momo more concerned. “What’s with that look? You got the runs or something?”

“N-no, uh, well, maybe,” he waffled helplessly, “maybe I’m… coming down with something…”

“Hmm,” said Momo. She put her hand to the back of his forehead. The sudden contact almost made Okarun jump out of his seat. “You don’t feel feverish.”

“Then maybe it’s psychosomatic? Uh, let’s just keep talking… to take my mind off of it.” 

Momo shrugged. “Alright.”

The rest of classes proceeded normally after lunch and Okarun took the time to recover emotionally. Things were fine until the end of the day, when a gorgeous pink-haired girl bumped into him. A brief but remarkably pleasant interaction followed. Okarun was surprised. A girl this cute, other than Momo, talking to him?  Maybe his new hairstyle was working out?

But then Momo walked over to him, staring daggers at the pink-haired girl as she walked away and talked with her friends. Momo’s expression flipped suddenly to shine brightly as she wrapped her arms around one of his. “A-Ayase-san?!” His heart almost burst out of his chest.

“Hey, Okarun! Looking good in those glasses as usual. Ready to walk home?”

“Uh, s-sure?” Why was this happening?! He couldn’t help but look this gift horse in the mouth. 

“Some idiot girls just don’t get your charm. Isn’t that right, Okarun?”

“I guess?!”

Once they’d made it a few feet, Momo relinquished Okarun’s arm and turned to look back from where they’d walked. “What a bitch.”

Okarun looked around. “Who?”

“That pink haired skank. She’s a real piece of shit.”

This seemed like a strange reaction to him. “I dunno, she seemed nice…” 

“No, she’s a shit-gobbling weasel! Just thinking about her pisses me off!” Momo yelled.

“Ayase-san, you’re being very loud,” whispered Okarun. He noticed that some students in the hall were staring at them. “People will hear you badmouthing her.”

“Good! I hope everyone finds out what a rotten, cotton candy-haired cow she is!” She put a finger up to Okarun’s face. “Here’s a piece of advice you’d do well to follow: stay the hell away from girls like her. They’re no good. Got it?”

He gulped. It almost sounded like a threat. “G-got it.” He had no idea why Momo was acting this way. The only thing that girl had done was bump into him and be nice to him. This behavior was nothing short of bizarre. Wait. Okarun could scarcely believe what he was thinking. Could Ayase-san be… jealous? Over him? No. That was impossible. He laughed internally for even entertaining the thought.

Momo fumed silently for a minute longer. Hearing that girl talk about Okarun so cruelly had really set her off. Momo’s sense of justice was strong; responding to injustice with fury was second nature to her. But this went deeper than it usually did. She’d wanted to hurt that girl. She wished she could have done so without anyone noticing.

She let out a long breath. This wouldn’t ruin her day. She had the walk home with Okarun to lift her spirits. And, strangely, she didn’t flinch at the way her mind had automatically associated him with fun and relief. 

—

At lunch two days later, Okarun was late. Momo paid it no mind; he probably just got caught up in something and would arrive any second. After a few minutes, however, she started to wonder if something had happened. Suddenly, the thought of Okarun talking to the pink-haired girl again crashed into her mind. A dark wave passed through her and she pulled out her phone to text him before she caught herself. Nah. No way. Besides, that stuck-up bitch wouldn’t give Okarun the time of day again.  

“Ayase-san!” 

She smiled as she heard his cheerful voice and turned towards its direction. “Hey, Oka—” She stopped short when she saw him, shock dominating her expression. Okarun had bandages on his head, bruises on either side of his face with a lot of swelling around one eye and a wrap around his right hand. Shoving aside a few students, she ran over to him. “Okarun! What the hell happened to you?! Are you okay?!”

“Ah, I’m good,” he said nonchalantly. “Thanks for asking.”

“Good?! You look like you just went 10 rounds against Yoshihiro Takayama! Tell me what happened! Now!”

“L-let’s get ready for lunch first,” he said nervously, somehow smiling. 

“Fine, but the second we sit down, you better spill everything! ” She couldn’t keep from sounding angry; the shock of his appearance had rocked her to her core and it was the only way she could channel her immense worry.

They sat at their usual table and Okarun took a sip of his juice. “Mm. That’s good,” he said pleasantly. “Isn’t Pompy so good, Ayase-san?”

“Enough with the juice! Talk!”

He gulped. “It’s not really a big deal. I was just heading over here when I walked into the door to my class. I guess I was a bit distracted.”

Momo narrowed her eyes at him. “You… walked into a door.”

“Yep. You know, space cadet me.”

“On both sides of your head?”

He seemed surprised for a moment - and therefore suspicious - but quickly added, “Oh, uh, I fell down and while I was on the floor, someone opened the door and hit me on the other side. It was a total accident; they apologized right away.”

Momo frowned. “And your hand?”

“Ah!” He looked as if he’d just noticed it. “I hit a desk with it on the way down.” He put on another forced smile. “It really smarts. Maybe they’ll let me not do my homework tonight. Haha. Yowch.”

Her frown deepened. “And you’re sure that’s what happened? Really, really sure?”

Okarun shifted his gaze. “Y-yeah, of course. I didn’t get hit so hard I got amnesia.” He forced out a nervous laugh. “Anyway, I was at Queen-sensei’s office for a bit, so that’s why I was late.”

Momo let his words hang for a moment before she relaxed her expression. “Alright, well, I’m sorry that happened to you. You don’t have to carry my stuff today.”

He put up both hands, panic plain on his bruised face. “No no, that’s okay! Queen-sensei gave me some painkillers. I’m all good! I swear!” 

She couldn’t help but half-smile. “At least let me help you eat.”

Okarun’s face turned to awe, like she had just offered to give him a billion yen. “R-really?”

“Yeah. Your hand’s busted up. I’ll take care of the chopsticks for you.”

He blushed. “Thank you, Ayase-san.”

“Of course.” Her tone was pleasant as she began to feed him, but her thoughts remained blackened. He wouldn’t lie to her, would he? He trusted her, right?

Right?

After lunch, Momo’s thoughts were still fixated on the battered Okarun. On her way back to her homeroom, she noticed people were pointing at her in the hall and whispering to each other while looking at her. Weird. She brushed it off as she entered the classroom.

“Momo!” said Muko as Momo approached. “How was, uh, lunch?”

“It was fine,” she said flatly. “Can you guys not tease me about it today? I’m not in the mood.”

“I wasn’t gonna,” said Muko. “I was actually gonna ask if Okarun is okay.”

Momo looked at her quizzically. “What? You know about his injuries?”

“Girl, everyone knows,” Miko answered. “You didn’t hear about the fight?” Momo shook her head. “There’ve been some nasty rumors going around about you. Loverboy heard one of them and tried to fight the dude who said it. Didn’t end well for him, obviously.”

Momo looked shocked. “What?!”

“Yeah, sorry hun, some folks are saying you-”

“I don’t care about that! What happened to Okarun?!”

“See for yourself.” Miko held up her phone, revealing a video on social media, uploaded less than an hour ago by a student in their year, entitled “nerdy loser gets trashed.” In it, Okarun stood facing a much taller student, looking like he’d already taken a few hits. But his hands were up and his expression was serious. Momo recognized the tall boy as the one who had been bullying Okarun the day they had met, whose cruelty she had intervened to stop. This already set her on edge.

“Oh, look, the loser wants more,” said Okarun’s opponent.

“I can’t back off until you take back what you said about Ayase-san!” Okarun cried. “Nobody gets to say something like that about her!” Momo’s heart pounded hard at this.

“Don’t know when to quit, freak? Fine by me,” said the tall student as he punched Okarun hard in the gut. Okarun let out a grunt of pain before he fell to the ground. The camera moved away from Okarun to follow his assailant as he turned away. Suddenly, however, Okarun leapt into frame, delivering a punch to the back of his head. “Ow, what the hell?” said the tall student. 

“Take it back! Now!” Okarun demanded, shaking out his hand.

“Oh, you’re so dead, you little shitbag,” said his opponent, reeling back and slamming his fist into Okarun’s face. Okarun stumbled back a few feet before crumpling to the ground. The tall student kicked him in the ribs, muttering, “Whorelover,” before walking out of frame. Okarun was still for several seconds. The video ended.

Momo drew in shallow breaths as her mind processed what she’d just witnessed. 

“Poor guy,” said Muko. “He really should’ve just stayed down.”

“Gotta admire the tenacity, though,” said Miko.

Momo turned on a dime and sprinted out of the classroom while her friends called after her, her heartbeat loud in her ears. Rage flooded her veins, unbridled, unfiltered, uncut rage, enough to demolish the whole building. She arrived at class 2-C in seconds, throwing open the door and looking around wildly for one of two people. Okarun was the one she spotted first. She bolted over to him. “Okarun!”

“A-Ayase-san?” She crouched down and put her hands on his shoulders, looking him over with deep worry in her eyes, inspecting him as though she hadn’t seen his injuries before, or perhaps as if she wasn’t sure he was still alive. “What are you doing?”

Momo turned to the rest of the class, teeth grit, and drew her eyes across the students there. “Where is he?” she asked the room. “Where’s the bastard who did this?!” No one replied. “I said, where the hell is he?!”

“He left,” said a girl with glasses and dark hair in pigtails. “He hasn’t been back since… the incident.”

“I think he said he was going to the mall,” said another student.

Momo stood up and stomped furiously out of the room. Okarun got up and followed her, calling, “Wait, Ayase-san!” She didn’t slow down. “Ayase-san, please, where are you going?”

“Isn’t it obvious?!” Momo cried, flames in her eyes as she looked at him. “I’m gonna find the piece of shit who did this to you and kick his fucking teeth in!”

“You don’t have to do that!”

“Yes I do!” Momo clenched her fist. “He hurt you and now he has to pay!”

“Ayase-san, please don’t do this, it’s my fight-”

“Weren’t you fighting for me?! Why can’t I do the same for you?!”

“Because you could get hurt!”

“I’m tough! I can handle one douchebag on my own!”

“Then… think of my pride!” 

Silence.

“Your… pride?” The force in Momo’s tone diminished. 

“Yes!” Okarun’s voice turned urgent. “I already got beaten up in front of the whole class. If everyone finds out that a girl had to fight on my behalf, I’ll lose any dignity I have left!” He gave her a pathetic look. “Please…”

Damn it all, she saw it. If she did this, if she went and beat up his bully for him, it might be even worse than the physical injuries. Bruises heal; shame can linger forever. But white hot fury still pumped through her veins. “You should have told me the truth,” she said sternly.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” he said carefully. “I just… I didn’t want you to think…”

You didn’t want me to think you were uncool. Momo took a long, deep breath. Her anger subsided a touch, enough for her to speak normally. “Fine. I won’t do anything. But from now on you won’t fight anyone else on my behalf. No matter what anyone says about me, you just let it go. I’m a big girl; I can handle my own problems. Got it?”

He looked hesitant. “But…”

“That’s an order! ” she barked.

“Alright,” he said quietly. “Then… I order you not to beat anyone up for me.”

Momo tightened her jaw, wrestling with the notion. “Fine. I promise I won’t.”

“Thank you,” Okarun whispered. “I think… we should both get back to class.”

“Yeah,” said Momo flatly.

“See you at the end of the day?”

“... See you.” She turned and as she walked away she didn’t give him another glance. When she turned the corner, she punched the nearest locker, the clank of the metal against her fist doing nothing to soothe her.

Orders #6 and 7: The Pact of Pacifism

By the time she returned to her class, she had calmed down some; the anger didn’t burn so hotly, at least. Miko and Muko gave her sympathetic looks as she walked in the door. “Is he alright? All things considered?” asked Miko.

Momo sighed. Of course they’d predicted she’d run off to find him. “Yeah. I guess.”

“I thought for sure you were gonna murder someone with the way you ran out of here,” said Muko.

“He convinced me out of it,” said Momo.

“Makes sense. Can’t have your girl fighting your battles for you.”

“I’m not-” Momo began, but found her energy lacking. She slumped back in her chair. “Whatever.”

“What a guy.” Muko put the back of her hand to her forehead and spoke in a dramatic tone. “‘Hark, villain, thou hast besmirched mine fair maiden’s honor!’”

“He didn’t say that,” said Miko with a small laugh. 

“He might as well have.” Muko shrugged. “Guy’s a total white knight, you know?”

“Aw, come on, be nice. Most white knights are just conceited jerks who think they can get in your pants with some overblown fake outrage. They’re not willing to get their shit kicked in for a girl.” Miko leaned back. “I dunno. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but a guy who’s ready to get bloody on my behalf? Kinda does it for me.”

“Fair enough.”

Their conversation distantly trickled into Momo’s ears as she laid her head down on her desk. She felt a tight knot in her stomach, one she couldn’t untie or cut through no matter how hard she tried. The video played back in her mind on loop, Okarun fighting for her reputation, the thought of him getting up after each blow until he physically couldn’t anymore searing her brain. 

She felt horrible. She couldn’t help but think it was her fault, all her fault that one innocent nerd got brutalized. 

But more than all of that, she refused to acknowledge the part of her that felt something else.

Notes:

Ah, poor Okarun. No powers, but still filled with bravery. No good deed goes unpunished. And Momo, no powers, but still filled with righteous fury.

I wonder what feeling Momo was ignoring at the end? Maybe we'll find out later. Stay tuned for the next chapter: Aftermath. As always, if you liked the chapter, please drop a kudos and/or a comment. Until next time!

Chapter 6: Aftermath

Summary:

In the wake of Okarun's fight, he and Momo must enter a post-beatdown world. What will change between them? Read on to find out!

Notes:

Thank you all as always for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks! They really make me happy! I hope you enjoy as we continue act 2 of this story.

Part 6: Aftermath

Momo and Okarun walked home in silence. When they’d seen each other, a long moment had passed before Okarun extended his arm and Momo draped her backpack’s straps over it. Now they kept stealing glances at one another, though never at the same time. Both wanted the other to say something, so that they wouldn’t feel bad saying something themselves.

Momo took the lead. “Do your ribs hurt?” Her voice was uncharacteristically soft.

“Huh?”

“I saw in the video you got hit in the ribs… do they hurt?”

The genuine concern in her voice, unaccompanied by anger, relaxed him. “No. The painkillers Queen-sensei gave me are still working. I’ll probably be sore tomorrow, though.”

“I see.” A pause. “Can you… tell me how it went down? I saw a video of the end, but I don’t know how it started.”

Okarun’s expression fell. “It’s embarrassing.”

She gave him an imploring look. “Please?”

He knew he couldn’t refuse her. “Well… Hase said he wanted to get to know you. He mentioned that you and I have been spending a lot of time together lately. And then he said… something awful about you.”

“That I’m a slut?”

Okarun flinched. “Y-yes, basically. So I tried grabbing him by the collar and telling him not to say that. He threatened me, but I… I didn’t back down. Then he shoved me and taunted me by saying it again. I didn’t give up, so he took a swing at me. I tried to avoid it, but, well, I obviously couldn’t. I kept telling him to recant and he just seemed to get more annoyed so he kept hitting me harder. I really only got to throw the one punch at the end.”

Momo went quiet as she reconstructed the scene in her mind. “You didn’t…” she gathered her thoughts, “you didn’t have to stand up for me. I can take care of myself.” She felt she needed to reiterate it. Her friends’ conversation came to mind. “You don’t have to be a… a white knight about me…” The derogatory term slipped out of her mouth, despite her lack of conviction behind it. Her voice grew weaker. “It won’t… make me like you more…”

Okarun didn’t say anything for a moment. “I know. I can tell you’re tough. Tougher than me.” He looked at the ground. “I know we only started hanging out because of the bet, but… you’re my first friend… and, naturally, my best friend. You’re really important to me… even if I might not be that important to you.”

She looked at him with wide eyes, her heartbeat heavy.

“So when I heard him say those awful things about you, I just got so angry I acted without thinking. I’d never felt that kind of anger before, and I… I didn’t know how to deal with it.” 

She understood all too well. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.

“It’s not your fault,” he replied quickly. “I did everything of my own accord. You didn’t have any say in the matter. If anything, I should be sorry.”

Why did he have to be so reasonable about it? Why couldn’t he just let her feel like a piece of shit? “Thanks,” she said after a moment. “For trying.”

“No reason to thank me. Like I said, I did it myself.”

“Okarun…” As he turned to look at her, she looked away, her hand idly grasping a lock of her hair. A wordless blob of emotion remained stuck in her throat. Finally, a sentence condensed from it. “You are important to me too.”

He looked surprised at this. In that moment, to him, she may as well have had a halo around her head and the infinite brilliance of heaven illuminating her. “Thank you,” he whispered.

The walk returned to silence until they reached Momo’s home. “See you tomorrow?” Okarun offered. I hope we’ll be okay tomorrow.

Momo nodded. “See you.” We’ll be okay tomorrow, won’t we?

—

On a trip to the bathroom once he’d gotten home, Okarun caught sight of himself in the mirror. He really did look awful. All those injuries and the only thing he’d managed to accomplish in the fight, if such a one-sided beatdown could even be called that, was to hurt his hand on the back of his enemy’s head. Pathetic. You’re pathetic, Ken.  

He looked into his eyes in the reflection. Though small, a bright, inextinguishable fire burned there.

A ways away, Momo lay face down in her bed, feeling miserable. At dinner, her grandmother had asked her if she’d broken up with her boyfriend, so apparent was her mental state, and Momo hadn’t had the energy to even try to correct her. Absent a path of vengeance, Momo wished deeply for a way to help him, even if she knew it was just to assuage her lingering guilt.

Both of them kept their phones close. Both felt uncomfortable sending the first message. Neither of them received the telltale notification that night.

—-

When they met the next morning, Momo was unprepared for Okarun’s appearance. She’d expected him to still look injured, but the way his bruises had purpled darkly over the course of the night caught her off guard. He noticed her reaction and put on as much of a smile as he could. “Heh, I look pretty gruesome, I guess.”

She wouldn’t lie, but she didn’t affirm either. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore, just like I predicted.”

“Wait here.” She dashed back into her house. A few seconds later, she returned carrying a decently sized pill bottle; he recognized it as an over-the-counter painkiller. “Take this. My granny uses these after she gets into a fight.”

“Seiko-san gets into fights?” He supposed she did have that sort of rough and tough aura about her. “Um… you want me to just swallow one? No water?”

“Oh!” Momo dashed back into her house again, returning this time with a full glass. “Here.”

Okarun retrieved a pill from the bottle and popped it in his mouth before taking the glass from her and downing its contents. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” She dashed back in one more time, returning empty-handed but for her backpack. She hesitated a bit before extending her arm towards him. “You sure you’re good today?”

He nodded vigorously. “I won’t allow anyone to say I don’t adhere to my bets.” 

She smirked. It seemed important to him and she knew his pride had taken a hit yesterday. “Alright, tough guy, here you go.”

Once more on the road to school, Momo felt a deep-seated need to confirm things were back to normal, so she struck up a conversation about nothing serious and was relieved when he reciprocated it, even managing to look her in the eye for most of it. Aside from Okarun’s bruises, it was as if nothing had happened.

This changed when they parted ways at school. Momo overheard multiple groups of students whispering about her, more than had done the previous day, and this time they seemed to think little of her auditory ability or they wanted her to hear what they were saying. She caught the words “slut” and “whore” multiple times and a few more obscure synonyms once apiece. 

It bothered her, naturally, but she shut it out. Let the idiots think what they want; she knew no one who mattered would believe such awful unsubstantiated rumors. In truth, though, she feared that if Okarun thought she were truly upset, he might take drastic action again, her order be damned, and guilt still ate at her enough to make sure that wouldn’t happen.

But then she heard one boy say to his friend, “You see that video of one of her simps getting his ass kicked by Hase over her yesterday? Goes to show that you should never fall for a slut. It’s like falling for a stripper.”

Momo stomped up to him and grabbed him by the collar. “What the hell did you just say?”

It seemed he had thought she couldn’t hear him, as he took on a panicked expression. “Uh, s-sorry, I didn’t mean to call you-”

“He’s not a simp.  He’s ten times the man you or any of your little friends are and you will give him some goddamn respect. Got that?”

The boy and his friend looked at each other, then back at her. “G-got it.” 

“Good.” She released his collar and resumed her walk to class, still frustrated. She’d’ve preferred to kick those guys in the balls, but an order was an order. 

Okarun, meanwhile, felt the eyes on him as he walked into his class. It was like a cruel joke that it was more attention than he’d ever been shown before. Mercifully, they turned away after a few moments and he made his way to his desk. Only Hase still looked at him, giving him a smug expression until he sat down. He sighed. This was his life now, he supposed, so he’d better get used to it.

As he reached down to pull out his books, however, he heard a voice in front of him. “Excuse me, Takakura-kun?”

He looked up. Before him was Rin, a girl he only passingly knew, like all the others in his class. “Oh, class rep, hello. How can I help you?”

“Actually, I’d like to help you,” she replied with a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry you got hurt yesterday. I deeply regret not intervening and I think it’s terrible that your assailant managed to avoid getting in trouble.” 

He looked at her for a second. “Oh, well, that’s okay. I wouldn’t have wanted you to get caught up in it anyway; you might have gotten hurt.”

“That’s gracious of you to say.” She paused. “How are your injuries? I have some acetaminophen in my bag if you would like.”

“I’m alright,” he said, unsure why but glad she was being kind to him. “I had a painkiller this morning. Thanks, though.”

“I see.” Another pause. “Then, allow me to alleviate the burden of using your hand and let me copy my notes for you today.”

Okarun was about to turn her down, but in truth, his hand was still sore and stiff. “That would be really great. Thank you, class rep.”

“Don’t mention it. If there’s something else I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Okay…” he muttered as she returned to her desk. Though still perplexed, he was glad to have one more ally in this dark-tinged time.

At lunch, Okarun was surprised to see Momo was joined by two other girls. Was she skipping their appointment? Momo wouldn’t renege on his order, would she? The thought depressed him, especially knowing he probably wouldn’t find the courage to protest if she did. But the three girls approached him, all smiling bright. 

“Hey,” said Momo. “Okarun, these are my friends, Miko and Muko.” She gestured to each of the girls, who waved at him in turn.

“Oh. Nice to meet you,” he said politely with a small bow.

“Back atcha, hero boy,” said Miko with a grin. Okarun tried and failed to hide his embarrassment at that moniker.

“We’ve heard good things,” Muko added. “Nice hair.” He was glad to hear both of those, at least.

“Is it okay if they join us for lunch today?” Momo asked. “Cool if not.”

“Ah, of course, any friend of yours is welcome,” he replied, voice quiet. Truthfully, the selfish part of him was sad that he would have to share Momo’s attention.

As the four descended upon the cafeteria table, Miko and Muko seemed fairly insistent that they occupy a side by themselves, leaving Momo to sit next to Okarun, which caused him to blush. He struggled to think of something to say. “Uh, so, how long have you all known each other?”

“Oh, years and years,” said Miko. “How about you, hero boy?”

“We just properly met about a week and a half ago,” he muttered. He suddenly felt like an outsider among these three. Maybe Momo had gotten sick of having lunch with just him and wanted the company of her real friends. 

“Cool, cool,” said Miko. “You two get along great from what we’ve heard. Real fast ‘friends,’” she said with emphasis that earned the stink-eye from Momo.

Okarun was deeply curious as to what Momo had told them, but of course, he couldn’t ask. Instead, he said, “I like to think so.”

“Mhm,” said Muko. “Hey, Okarun, don’t you think Momo’s cute?”

Okarun’s face turned tomato red and Momo nearly spat out the drink in her mouth. “Hey!” she cried out indignantly after swallowing.

“Well? C’mon, isn’t she just totally adorable?”

Momo wanted to tell her to back off, but something inside her also wanted to hear what he thought.

Okarun’s hand went to his glasses and he looked to the side. “I… I suppose she has a certain c-c-cuteness to her.”

“He supposes, he says,” noted Miko, turning to Muko. “Kinda wishy-washy, no? I guess he doesn’t think she’s that cute.”

“No!” Okarun’s voice shot up in volume. “She’s cute! She’s very cute! Extremely cute!” He slammed his hands on the table for emphasis and immediately regretted it, yelping before rubbing his sore one.

Momo’s mouth gaped slightly as she heard this. She turned away, red faced, and began playing with her hair. In the silence that followed, Okarun somehow blushed even deeper, stuck between wanting to backpedal and very much not wanting to diminish how cute he thought she was.

“Good boy,” said Muko, a satisfied grin on her face. “That’s what I thought.”

“So, you and Momo ever hang out outside of school?” asked Miko.

Okarun was grateful for the change of topic. “I went to her house for dinner on Friday.”

Momo’s friends gained delighted expressions while she blushed. “Ooh, already having dinner together, how nice,” said Muko. “Isn’t Seiko’s cooking great?”

“It’s really good,” replied Okarun. Just then, he remembered something else. “Oh, and we went to the movies on Saturday.” 

Miko and Muko’s eyes widened. The latter gave Momo’s arm a playfully chiding slap. “Momo, you didn’t tell us!” 

Okarun couldn’t help but worry if she’d been embarrassed and didn’t want people to find out. “I kind of made her come with me.”

Miko’s eyebrow rose. “Made her?”

“He didn’t make me!” Momo interjected urgently. “I went because I wanted to.” This made Okarun blush in turn.

“Aw, you hear that? She really wanted to,” said Muko. “You must be a special guy, Okarun.”

“He’s cool,” said Momo. That felt comfortable to say and he seemed pleased by it.

“Clearly,” said Miko.

The rest of lunch proceeded in a similar manner. By the end of it, Okarun looked like he’d been grilled, both metaphorically as if by government agents and literally as if for a barbecue, so hot was his face. Momo, meanwhile, was ready to bite her friends’ heads off. 

“It was nice meeting you, hero boy!” said Miko. “Coming back to class, Momo?” 

She shook her fist at them. “Get goin’, ya little shit-stirrers!” As they left, she turned to Okarun. “Sorry about them. You okay?”

“They seem nice,” he muttered despite the stress they had put him through.

“Yeah… We can go back to lunch being just us, if you want. I just thought it’d be nice for you to have more friends.” It was what she had thought up when thinking of what kind thing she could do for him. “I didn’t think they’d be like this.”

Hearing that she was trying to enrich his social life alleviated some of his earlier fears. “Oh, it’s okay if your friends want to join us.” He paused. “But… I do like when you and I can just talk.” He was shocked at himself for having the audacity to say such a thing.

Both of them blushed in the silence that followed. “Well, alright,” she said quietly. “Then we can just do one-on-one again, at least most of the time.”

“... Thanks.”

She couldn’t bear the tension any longer. “End of day?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

As she headed back to class, she felt the eyes of more onlookers and rolled her own. They’d get tired of gawking at her eventually. 

To her surprise, however, one girl approached her directly. “Uh, excuse me, you’re Momo Ayase, right?”

“What’s it to you?” she asked more bitterly than she had intended.

“I wanted to know… Are you, like, Takakura-kun’s girlfriend or something?” 

Momo was taken aback. “What?” 

“I just thought, since you two always have lunch together, and, uh, you know…”

Only after a moment did she put together the conclusion this girl must have reached, having seen or heard of Okarun’s beatdown.  “No. I’m not dating Okarun. He’s just a good guy and a good friend, that’s all.”

The girl smiled. “Then… Do you know if he’s single?”

“What?” Momo said again. This surprised her even more. She couldn’t imagine Okarun having acquired a girlfriend in the week and a half she’d known him. Just the thought of it bugged her for some reason. “I don’t think so, but you’re probably better off asking him yourself.”

“Okay. Thanks!” The girl walked off, a skip in her step.

Very weird.

“Hey, there she is,” said Miko as Momo walked into the classroom. “Everything good with hero boy?” 

So jarring was the encounter she’d just had that she’d forgotten her annoyance with her friends. “Yeah. No thanks to you two.”

“Sorry, it was just too fun to resist,” said Muko. “He does seem like a good guy, though. Kinda cute, too, with that new hair of his, even with the bruises. Geek chic, y’know?”

“I think the bruises make him cuter,” said Miko playfully. Muko laughed at this.

Cute. Without meaning to, Momo whispered, “Like a puppy dog.”

Miko shrugged. “If you say so.”

As Okarun went back to class, he dreaded what he knew lay in wait for him there. Mercifully, people didn’t stare too hard at him this time. He did, however, get shoved around noticeably more by some boys before he sat down and pelted with noticeably more miscellaneous objects after. 

On top of that, a group of female students looked at him, then at each other before giggling like the proverbial schoolgirls they were. “Wonderful,” he muttered. He hadn’t thought it could get any worse than it had been when he was just a normal pariah, unnoticed by the world. They must think I’m the biggest loser on earth. Maybe I am.

At least he still had Momo. She was more than enough. Even as just a friend.

When the two walked home, things seemed to finally have been smoothed over on the surface. A few things lingered on Momo’s mind, namely Okarun’s loud insistence of her cuteness and the girl who had asked about his relationship status. She didn’t know why these two things held so much of her attention, nor why their combination bothered her. Okarun was free to date whoever he wanted. She didn’t own him.

“Oh, let me give you back the pills,” said Okarun as they reached her house, rummaging through his bag. As he did, the broken pieces of at least three pencils dropped out and hit the ground. 

Momo raised an eyebrow at this. “Break some pencils today?”

Okarun hesitated before answering. “Ah, yes, I stepped on my backpack accidentally and must have snapped them with my weight. Whoops. Anyway, here.” He extended the bottle.

“Keep it for now,” said Momo. “Until you’re all healed up.”

“Won’t Seiko-san need it?”

“We can get more. Keep it.”

“Well, if you insist.”

“I do.” She paused. “Hey. You’re not dating anyone, right?”

Okarun didn’t answer for a moment, perplexed. “Of course not. I’m not exactly mister popular. Besides, I would have told you if I was.” This brought Momo relief from anxiety she didn’t realize she had, though its arrival gave her pause. “Why do you ask?”

Because a cute girl asked after you. Her voice would not allow those words to be verbalized. Instead, she turned away, her hand reaching to her hair. “No reason.” She hoped he would accept that. “See you tomorrow.”

She left him to his puzzlement as he replied, “See you.”

Notes:

There we go, a bit more fun to balance out the heavy drama of the last chapter. I love Miko and Muko, they're so fun to write. What was up with that girl asking about Okarun, I wonder? Find out in the next chapter: The Okarun Effect. As always, if you liked reading, please drop some kudos and/or a comment! See you next time!

Chapter 7: The Okarun Effect

Summary:

Okarun's reputation continues to evolve. Momo gets two major shocks. What will she do about all of these things? Find out!

Notes:

Thank you all again for the lovely comments, kudos, and bookmarks! They really make my day! The third chapter of Act 2 begins below!

Part 7: The Okarun Effect

From Momo’s perspective, the new status quo didn’t change much further over the course of the rest of the week. People still made comments about her, but she shrugged them off. She got into a few more technically non-violent confrontations over people badmouthing Okarun, but she felt she handled them with aplomb.

The only really odd thing was that more girls asked her about Okarun’s relationship status. Each time, it bothered her; she attributed her discomfort to simply being asked the same question over and over.

“This is so weird…” she muttered in her homeroom. “I don’t get it.”

“Get what?” asked Muko.

“Girls keep asking if Okarun and I are going out. I’d say it’s just because they see us together every day, but they also ask if he’s single. It’s bizarre.”

“Mm, I think I can answer that,” said Miko.

“You can?”

“Yep.” She pulled out her notebook and began writing. “We’ll call it, ‘the Okarun Effect: Scum or Stud?’”

Momo raised an eyebrow. “The what?”

“Things have evolved, mainly on social media, since the day of the fight.” Miko drew a circle. “At first, everyone was dunking on the poor guy for getting his ass beat while trying to defend the honor of you, who — no offense — people think is a slut.” Momo frowned at the mention of her defamation. “So the split was like this.” Miko drew one tiny slice in the circle and labeled it “stud,” while the rest was labeled “scum.”

“But then,” she continued, “people started to talk about it more. He didn’t make much of an impression on anyone before this, so nobody really knew what his deal was. All they had to go on was the video. And, absent any preconceived notions about the guy, they kinda started to come around. So now it’s like this.”

She drew another circle and divided it in half before writing one of the aforementioned labels on each slice. “Some people — myself included — think it’s noble and cool for a guy to stand his ground for his girl to the point of getting the absolute tar beaten out of him.”

Momo blinked. “So… some girls want to ask him out because they think he’s cool for fighting for me?”

“Kind of. It gets even deeper.” Miko drew two more circles. “See, this fifty-fifty opinion is a bit of an illusion. If we break it down by gender, it’s more like this.”

On one circle, she drew the “stud” slice much larger and labeled it “girls,” while on the other, she drew the “scum” slice larger and labeled it “boys.”

“Most boys think he’s an unmanly loser, not only simping for a slut — no offense — but failing to defend her and saying totally cringey lines while he did. But the girls in our grade don’t care about that ultra-masculine bullshit. They seem to think that the level of devotion is what matters, and the fact that he doesn’t seem to care about your alleged body count makes him even more attractive.”

Momo blushed, bewildered at this information.

“Also, you, a supposed slut — again, no offense—”

“Just keep talking,” said Momo flatly.

“You keep hanging out with him, so they think his dick game must be good.”

“Ew.”

“And him walking around, covered in battle wounds, head held high like he doesn’t even feel them, well, like I said, that really does it for some girls.”

“Plus, he’s got that good hair now,” said Muko.

“That too.”

Momo stared agog while the information sank in, as though the extremely simple diagrams Miko had drawn were complex scientific figures. “So— so wait,” she said, hands raised as if in defense, “Boys think he’s pathetic, and girls like him because they think he’s pathetic?”

Miko nodded. “Basically.”

Momo’s mind reeled. Okarun, a stud? Her Okarun? Well, not hers, but still. This was a joke, right? No way one day, no matter how dramatic, could change all of that, could it?

But even as her skeptical side criticized the theory, her gut was telling her it made a strange sort of sense. And her gut was sending her other uncomfortable signals she didn’t want to think about.

“Point is,” Miko said, pointing her pen at Momo, “You might wanna lock that down sooner rather than later. Or at least, stop telling girls he’s single.”

Momo flopped into her chair and leaned back, expression awash with disbelief. This was insane. A large part of her still couldn’t believe it. Had any of those girls that talked to her actually asked him out? Did he say yes to any of them? Was he just not telling her?

Thinking about any of those questions made her feel at least one emotion she couldn’t help but acknowledge: irritation. She told herself it was because the idea that girls who ignored him would suddenly come to fawn over him over a fight was repugnant, that him falling for such fairweather suitresses was stupid, and that him hiding that from her undermined their friendship.

That was what she told herself. It had to be that.

That irritation intensified when she saw him at the end of the day, talking to that pink-haired rat again. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he bowed to her and that made Momo’s temper flare up.

But then the girl recoiled like she’d been splashed with toxic waste. After a moment, her posture deflated; she stormed down the hallway, tears welling up in her eyes, and shot Momo the darkest look she had ever seen. Momo made an ugly face right back at her, but couldn’t deny the relief and schadenfreude she felt at the girl’s displeasure. Clearly, whatever Okarun had said to her hadn’t been what she’d hoped.

“What was that about?” Momo asked as she approached.

“Oh, Shiratori-san, uh…” he blushed, putting a hand to his glasses. “She asked if I wanted to go out with her.”

Momo felt an emptiness open up in herself as she heard this, her eyes wide. Anger started to fill the void immediately until she remembered that the girl had looked pissed from the conversation and her nerves steadied. “What did you tell her?” She tried her best to sound nonchalant.

“I said no.”

Once again, Momo couldn’t deny the relief she felt, but her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why would you say no? She’s pretty cute and popular.”

Okarun blushed, averting his gaze. “Maybe, but… you said I should stay away from her, right?”

Surprise covered Momo’s features. “And you listened to me?”

“Well… yeah,” he said bashfully. “You’re my best friend. I trust you.”

Momo’s surprised look became a wide smile. Discomfort with her own emotions be damned, she allowed herself the wave of joy that came at his words. “I’m glad. Let’s get going, shall we?”

“We shall.” It was true that he trusted Momo and her opinion of others. He wasn’t lying.

He just wasn’t telling her why he really turned Shiratori down.

—

Momo ruminated on the “Okarun Effect” more as they made their way to her house. Why did all of this bother her so much? Why couldn’t she just be glad that people were starting to see Okarun in a new light? She’d only known him for two weeks, it wasn't like she had any special ownership of him.

But in these past two weeks, she’d seen sides to him she never would have guessed were there by just looking at him, sides the other girls in her grade still had no idea even existed. They didn’t share their interests with him or see his passion in talking about his own. They didn’t spend nights texting him. They didn’t watch his favorite movie and understand that, deep down, he was just a kid who cried at it because he wanted someone, anyone, even an otherworldly being, to be his friend. They just thought he was cool because he got into a fight.

And he was cool. But not for that reason.

“Here,” he said, handing her her backpack as they reached the torii gate.

“Thanks.” She looked at him. “So, do you wanna, like, hang out tomorrow?”

“Hang out?”

“Yeah. Come over, play video games, watch a movie, just whatever.”

“Ah.” He paused. “Sorry, I’m doing something tomorrow.”

Disappointment washed over her. “Oh,” she said quietly. She gave him a smile, fake though it was. “Enjoy your date.”

Okarun looked perplexed. “Date?”

“Yeah. Aren’t you going on a date tomorrow?”

“No, of course not,” he said quickly. “I just… have something I need to do.”

She felt he was being evasive, but his answer relaxed her enough to let it go. “Well, enjoy whatever that is, then.”

“Maybe we could hang out next weekend?”

She gave him another smile, a real one this time. “That sounds good.”

—

On Monday, however, Momo was greeted with a shock. Once again, Okarun’s face was purple with bruises, possibly even worse than last time. “Okarun!” She moved to clutch his face before realizing that would be a bad idea and settled for his shoulders. “What the— what happened?! Did you fight someone again?! It wasn’t for me, was it?!” She desperately hoped he hadn’t disobeyed her order.

He put his arms up in a calming gesture. “No, no, I didn’t. I just got attacked while I was taking a walk on Saturday.”

This did nothing to relieve her panic. “Wha— attacked?!”

“Some guys mugged me, but I didn’t have anything on me, so they just beat me up and left.”

She relinquished him. “Shit, I’m sorry.” It was all she could think to say. “Are you okay? All things considered, I mean.” Her voice was thick with concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I still have the pills you gave me.”

“Good.”

She still looked worried, so he smiled at her. “C’mon, we don’t want to be late.”

His attitude did help her relax somewhat, so she handed him his bag. But when he took hold of it, she saw him wince. As she reached out to grab it back from him, he put his other hand up and said, “It’s okay. I’m alright.”

She looked into his eyes plaintively. “Let me? Please? Don’t make me order you.” After a moment, he acquiesced.

Once in class, Momo approached Miko and Muko. After greeting them, she asked, “Did you guys hear anything about Okarun getting into another fight?”

“Okarun got into another fight?” asked Muko.

“No, no, I’m asking - is anyone saying that?”

“I haven’t heard anything.”

“Me neither,” said Miko.

Momo hmm’d, eyes narrow. “He says he got mugged. I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t trying to hide a fight for my sake.”

“Mugged? Man, life does not get easier for the guy, does it?”

“Must have a curse on him or something,” said Muko.

“Yeah, maybe,” said Momo.

“You hear Shiratori tried to ask him out?”

“I did,” said Momo, unable to conceal how happy she was at the result. “He turned her down.”

“Good for him,” said Miko. “I’m pretty sure she’s the one who started the rumors about you being a slut, Momo. Apparently she heard that you were calling her a bitch; I’m guessing she started telling everyone you sleep with any guy who looks at you in retaliation. My keen detective sense tells me so.”

Momo rolled her eyes. “Of course. Dumb cow.” Inwardly, she was even more pleased that such an awful girl couldn’t have Okarun.

“Kinda funny, isn’t it? In a cosmic way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Shiratori caused your poor reputation, your reputation caused Okarun to stand up for you and thus get the piss beaten out of him, taking a beating caused his stock to rise among the female student body, and his popularity is almost certainly what drove Shiratori to ask him out and get rejected. Her actions indirectly bit her in the ass.”

Momo smirked. “You’re right. That is funny.” Little did Miko know she was missing the first piece, where Momo had called Aira a bitch because she had had fun at Okarun’s expense. That made it even funnier.

The joy she got from that thought evaporated when she went into the cafeteria at lunchtime. There, seated at their usual table, was Okarun, surrounded by three girls. All of them bore looks of mixed worry and admiration; one had her hands clasped, fingers intertwined like she was praying. As Momo approached, she heard what they were saying and frowned.

“Oh, Takakura-kun, are you sure you’re okay?” the first girl asked, an exaggerated level of concern in her tone.

“Yes, I’m fine,” he said in a tone that was patient, but suggested he’d told them multiple times already.

“You’re so brave, shouldering all those terrible wounds,” said the second as though she were talking to a soldier who had just barely survived a brutal battlefield.

He put his hands up. “I’m really not. I just stood there and got punched.”

“Oh, so humble!”

“Would you like me to feed you?” the third girl said, her voice full of poorly concealed eagerness. “Here, say ‘ahh.’” She raised a morsel of food to his mouth with her chopsticks.

Gently, he nudged her arm away from him. “That’s quite alright, my hands are fine, thank you.”

That was when he spotted Momo and her deep scowl. “Having fun?” she asked, venom dripping from her tongue.

He took on a panicked expression. “A-Ayase-san…”

She turned her nose up. “If you’ve already got company, I’m sure you don’t need me around to ruin the mood.”

He bolted up, taking his lunch with him. “Excuse me, ladies,” he said quickly, “I must be going.” Carefully, he extricated himself from them and walked to Momo.

“See you later, Takakura-kun!” called Girl 1. The other two voiced similar farewells.

Momo’s mood softened as he approached, though she still felt annoyed at him and his would-be harem. “You sure you don’t want to be around your groupies?”

“No — I mean, yes, I’m sure.” He adjusted his glasses nervously. “I don’t know what they were doing. They just ambushed me. My best guess is that they were pranking me.”

She knew the real reason: the ever-intensifying Okarun Effect. Seeing him with yet more injuries must have gotten people talking all morning. “I’m sure they just think you’re cool,” she said, her annoyance fading.

He looked confused. “Me? Cool? I feel like I’m less cool than I’ve ever been.”

She gave him a half smile. “Nah. People are seeing how cool you are. Some people, anyway.”

“Oh.” He paused. “Yay. I did it.”

Momo nearly burst out laughing. “Did you really just say ‘Yay, I did it’?”

“W-well, what should I say?!”

“Just say that. It suits you. Anyway, since our usual table’s taken, you wanna eat somewhere else?”

“Yes please.”

As they made their way to a secluded spot outside, Momo couldn’t get the image of Okarun surrounded by those fangirls out of her head. Why had she been so upset? He could have lunch with anyone he wanted. It wasn’t fair of her to expect otherwise.

“Hey,” she said quietly, hand on her hair, “You don’t have to eat lunch with me if you don’t want to, you know. It’s your order, not mine.”

“I know,” he said easily. “But there’s no one I’d rather have lunch with than you, Ayase-san.”

Her heart, her pesky heart, thumped at this.

—

As the rest of the week flew by, Momo barely registered the remarks and looks of the other students. Instead, over the course of it, she found herself regularly looking forward to its end, when Okarun would come over and hang out with her at her place and they’d just have fun together.

The only thing that stuck out was the level of rumors her friends would tell her about Okarun’s newest injuries. Apparently it was going around that Okarun had fought another guy on her behalf, just as she herself had thought when she’d seen him. In some versions of the story, it was two guys or even a yakuza member this time.

The lack of visual evidence or anyone claiming to be the guy responsible did nothing to deter the spread of the gossip. If anything, just as with the absence of proof of Momo being a slut, it made the rumor stronger, and with it, the disdain of boys and affections of girls in their grade.

Likewise, the insistence by Miko, Muko, Momo, and Okarun himself that it was a simple mugging gone wrong only served to propagate the wrong story further. It seemed that no matter how hard she refuted it, the Okarun Effect grew yet more powerful.

She also noticed that Okarun started to appear awfully sweaty whenever he showed up to her house in the morning. At first he told her that he’d simply overslept and thus sprinted over to her house, but when it kept happening, he said he had decided to take up running in the morning. It was still a touch suspicious, but there wasn’t anything wrong with physical self-improvement, she supposed.

Finally, Friday came, and as they reached her home at the end of the day, Momo was in high spirits. “See you tomorrow!” she said cheerfully.

“Wait, Ayase-san.”

“Hm?”

He reached into his bag. “I, uh, got you something.”

Her face lit up. “Ooh, a gift? You didn’t have to!” He produced a small plastic bag. Her eyes shot wide open when she laid eyes on its contents. “Ahh! Golgo 13 on DVD!” she cried, holding it aloft. “And it’s the special edition!”

As she pulled it tightly to her cheek, Okarun smiled. “I remembered you said you liked it but couldn’t find it, so when I saw it last weekend I thought I could get it for you. We could watch it tomorrow, if you want.”

“Sure!” A thought struck her. “But where did you get the money for this?”

He scratched the back of his head. “I’ve been delivering newspapers early in the morning. That’s the real reason why I’ve been so exhausted when we walk to school.”

Her heart melted. “That’s really great of you! Thanks, Okarun!” She leaned forward and gave him a tight hug. Okarun’s soul nearly shot out of his body at this, and with shaking arms, he returned the gesture.

Once they parted, he asked with a blush, “See you tomorrow?”

“You better believe it!”

Once he was gone, Momo clutched the DVD to her chest and almost skipped back to her house. He didn’t give other girls gifts based on things they’d said once weeks ago. He didn’t take part time jobs to buy things for them. He did that for her.

All for her and no one else.

Notes:

And so our boy begins to drift towards his destiny. Momo's starting to develop some troublesome emotions. I can't wait for you to see what happens on their second movie totally-not-a-date!

As always, if you liked the chapter, please leave a comment or some kudos! And if you're interested in seeing something more spicy with Okarun and Momo in a non-AU context, check out the new one-shot I just uploaded, Pillow Talk. I warn you now, it is VERY spicy.

See you next time for the finale of Act 2: Trouble. What kind of trouble, you ask? I wonder...

Chapter 8: Trouble

Summary:

Momo makes a move! A familiar scene occurs, but with a twist! The Act 2 finale proceeds with the most emotionally intense chapter yet!

Notes:

Thanks as always for the comments and kudos! I decided to drop this chapter right away since I've now finished the first draft of the final chapter. Hopefully I can add the rest soon!

Part 8: Trouble

The promised day finally arrived. Part of Momo had wanted to say screw it and just watch the DVD the night before. But she found the strength to wait; she wanted to share this experience with Okarun. When she heard his knock, she ran to the door, threw it open, and waved him inside with a quick greeting. In no time, they were seated, ready to watch the movie.

As it played, it wasn’t hard for Okarun to notice the effect it was having on Momo. Her eyes were glued to the screen, excitement plain on her face. When he had purchased the movie, he had been surprised to see his own name on the case. Watching it now, his mind traveled back to the first day he’d talked to her, the reaction she’d had when he had said it. It was too easy to put two and two together.

The star of the movie, his namesake, was completely different from Okarun. He was handsome, badass, cool, all the adjectives that could be applied to a properly masculine movie star. This is the kind of guy she likes. Okarun was nothing like this Ken Takakura, nothing at all, save his name. How could he ever hope to win her affection? “Ken-san is great in this,” he uttered, trying to keep his voice even.

“I know. He’s the best!” Momo squealed. “I love him so much.”

“Yeah…” Okarun muttered, unable to keep his tone from sinking.

This, amazingly, was enough for her to tear her eyes away from the screen and catch his expression. Was he not enjoying the film? How could anyone not enjoy a Ken Takakura movie? It was unthinkable.

She spotted his hand resting next to his. Gently, she touched his pinkie with her own. Okarun perked up and snatched his hand away. “S-sorry!” he said quickly.

“You’re worrying too much. Just leave your hand there,” she said with a smile.

He complied. His heartbeat raced as she touched his pinkie again. It accelerated when her fingers traversed and began to tap the back of his hand with her fingers. “A-Ayase-san, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” she asked brightly.

“I don’t know the rules of the game you’re playing.”

“Aw, shucks, I’m not doing anything,” she said sweetly. “Keep watching the movie.”

Her expression became almost imperceptibly worried as her hand reached all the way across his. His face mirrored hers. It was all he could do to keep from trembling. Then she hooked his fingers under his palm. He swallowed hard, fearing he might explode from nerves.

Little did he know, her heart rate very nearly matched his. She felt as though she were walking along a narrow beam over a canyon, trying to keep her balance lest she fall into the abyss, or trespassing into some otherworldly domain, where, at any second, she might be caught and forcefully ejected. Her moves were slow and deliberate but audacious all the same. She was trusting her body’s intuition and praying it didn’t fail her.  

After what seemed like an eternity, her fingers curled around his palm, fully taking his hand into hers. Okarun’s breathing grew heavy. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. His eyes remained wide like a frightened animal’s. He tried telling himself that their hands had touched before — they’d done so after they saw E.T. — but instinctively he knew this was so, so different. 

“Sorry. My palm is s-sweaty,” he whispered, doing everything in his power to stop himself from relinquishing her.

“I don’t mind,” she whispered in return. “Just relax.”

Just relax? She might as well ask him to snatch the sun out of the sky. How could he be expected to relax with what she was doing to him? He did his best to keep his focus on the movie, but a full half of his brain was occupied with making sure his hand didn’t make any unacceptable movements. If he caused her to reject him here, he was sure his psyche would crumble.

Momo fared better, letting the comfortable familiarity of the movie soothe her nerves. The synergy of both Ken Takakuras around her imbued her with a pleasant warmth, allowing her heart rate to steady. But when she watched Douglas kill Catherine just as she confessed her love for Golgo, she unconsciously squeezed Okarun’s hand tightly.

Okarun jolted in his seat, his entire body moving, save his hand. He took three long breaths, staring at their mutual grasp. Adrenaline pumping in his veins, he mustered all his courage and gently but firmly squeezed back. 

This jarred Momo out of her trance and she too looked at where they held one another. Then, slowly, they both raised their heads until they were staring at each other, blushing profusely and breathing shakily. 

Something was happening inside both of them, something that simultaneously terrified them yet excited them, compelled them to keep their gazes locked on one another. Her eyes were so beautiful. His eyes were so deep. Their hands were so warm…

“Ayase-san,” said Okarun, his voice almost too quiet to hear. 

“Okarun…”

“I… I…” 

Momo’s eyelids slowly fell. Her lips parted ever so slightly. 

Unconsciously, their faces began to approach one another. 

“Well, if it isn’t four-eyes,” said Seiko, appearing suddenly behind them. Both of them yelped in surprise. Their hands flew apart as they separated and turned away from one another. 

“Granny!” Momo exclaimed, as if the only thing she could verbalize was her immediate stimulus. “The hell are you doing here?!”

“I live here.”

“H-hello, Seiko-san!” said Okarun, forcing as much enthusiasm as he could into the greeting.

“Yo. What’s this, one of those Ken Takakura flicks?” 

“Okarun got it for me,” said Momo, pointedly looking away from him. 

“How sweet. You staying for dinner?”

He wasn’t sure he could handle being around Momo without exploding any longer. “I don’t know, maybe I should-”

“Wasn’t a question,” Seiko said flatly.

“Oh, well, okay then,” he said in a small voice. After a moment, he stood up. “Excuse me.” He raced to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

“Kid must have a nervous bladder,” Seiko muttered.

In the restroom, Okarun panted, eyes wide as he looked at the hand that had held Momo’s, turning it over, back and forth, as if inspecting it for some lingering trace of their contact. 

Aaaahhhh! 

What was that?! What just happened?! They held hands! Really held hands! Squeezed and everything! How? What did it mean? He had never held hands like that with anyone. Was this something friends did? Maybe! 

But it was also something boyfriends and girlfriends did, wasn’t it? At least, according to fiction. Who knew which one Momo meant? He had exactly one data point and could not extrapolate from it. She said she didn’t mind how sweaty his hand was - she was okay with his sweat on her skin. That was a good sign, right? 

However, the reality-checking part of him said, perhaps she was just being polite and this was all customary. He had no clue what it all really meant. And now he was locked into dinner with her, with no idea as to how to even approach the subject. If he implied there had been romantic intent in her hand and she rebuffed him, it would shatter him. So… maybe it would be best to keep quiet until he had more information.

He held his hand to his chest, as though he could feel her lingering warmth flowing into his heart. He wished he could keep that warmth forever. Like a newly made addict after his first hit, he craved more, straight from the source. 

Momo, meanwhile, struggled with her own emotions. Physical touch had always been an easy way for her to communicate. She was physical with all her friends. Okarun was a friend now; it was only natural she would be physical with him. But she had gone far beyond the bounds of normal physicality here. So, so, so far. Instinct had taken over and she’d ridden it until it nearly crashed and caused a twelve-car emotional pileup. 

What was he going to say before her granny interrupted? What was going to happen once the distance between their faces had closed? What would he do when he returned from the bathroom? 

What would she do? She’d wait for him to talk about it, that’s what. She had been the one to grab his hand, he should be the one to talk about what it meant. That only seemed fair, right? Right!

She heard his footsteps approaching and steeled herself for whatever he might say. As he appeared before her, she said, “Hey,” in as neutral a voice as she could muster.

“H-hey,” he said back, trying to match her neutrality. Silence filled the room, suffocatingly so. Neither of them could look at the other. “So,” he began, unable to bear the tension any longer.

“Yeah?” Momo asked, her eyes shimmering with only somewhat hidden hope.

“Shall we finish the movie before dinner?” He did his absolute best to sound nonchalant. 

Momo was struck by this. “Sure,” she said after a moment, her voice empty of tone. What was his game? Did he seriously not want to talk about it? About the intense something-or-other that had maybe almost happened? Wait. Was it possible he just didn’t care?! Okarun sat back down and she resumed the movie, silently fuming at the thought of his indifference. 

As it played, he mentally noted she didn’t seem to want to talk about their earlier encounter. So it probably was just a friendship hand-hold after all. This disappointed him, but he couldn’t say it was wholly unexpected. Holding hands with a friend was still nice.

Meanwhile, Momo periodically glanced at his hands, firmly locked on his lap. “Hmph!” She pouted.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” Okarun asked carefully.

“Nothing!” she fired back. 

“It doesn’t seem like nothing.”

“I said it’s nothing! Keep your eyes on the screen!”

“Yes ma’am….”

Finally, the movie ended. Even Ken Takakura’s masterful performance couldn’t defuse Momo’s ire. She looked at Okarun expectantly. “Well?”

“That was good.” He was relieved to have something to talk about.

“That’s all?” Momo asked, visibly annoyed. “That’s seriously all you have to say?!”

Okarun blinked. “Uh… That was really good?” She threw out a light punch on his arm. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Dummy! Idiot! Octopus! Squid! Maguro! ” Each word was punctuated with another punch.

“Stop! I am not an undersea creature!” he protested with a futile attempt at defense.

“Whatever!” She stood up suddenly and stomped her way to the bathroom, releasing an aggravated, “Ugh!” before slamming the door.

Okarun looked at where she had gone, confused beyond measure. What was that about?

In the bathroom, Momo looked at herself in the mirror, observing the frustration and rage plain on her face. That goddamn nerd! How could he be such a jerk after they had just…? Aaargh! She needed to take a second to calm herself. 

As she came down from the peak of her fury, she looked inward. This incident had made her angry. Really, really angry. Over him. That occult-otaku loser who, up until three weeks ago, had no friends because of his shitty, annoying personality. Why had she even wanted to hold his hand? She had to be crazy to even let him into her home. She should go kick him out and tell him never to come back right now.

The moment the thought came into her brain, she knew it was unserious, and this realization cooled her mood. She caught sight of her reflection again. Her expression had softened from rage into worry, not about what he thought, though that did persist in her mind, but about herself. 

That supposed occult-otaku loser with the shitty, annoying personality had managed to draw out this much emotion from her. Deep down, she knew that if that was truly all he was, he could never have done it.

She gazed into her own eyes in the mirror. The girl in there was in trouble.

She adjusted her hair in the mirror before exiting the bathroom.

When she saw him again, she felt a distressingly warm wave of relaxation come over her. “Hey,” she said, her tone neutral.

“H-hey,” he said cautiously, fearing another barrage of fists and insults.

She averted her eyes. “I’m glad you liked the movie.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Ken-san was very good in it.”

A half-smile appeared on her face. “Yeah,” she said. “Ken Takakura really is the best.” 

—

Dinner was surprisingly comfortable. Momo didn’t seem to still be upset and, if she was, she appeared fine taking it out on Seiko as they wrestled for takoyaki. Okarun enjoyed the lively household and the delicious food in great amounts. Momo noted at one point that he seemed to be eating a lot and he awkwardly claimed that the movie had made him hungrier. Go figure.

Afterwards, as usual, she walked him to the gate to see him off. “Thanks for watching Golgo with me, and thanks again for buying it for me,” she said sweetly.

“I’m glad to have done both. Thanks for having me for dinner.”

“Of course.”

“Well then, I guess I’ll see you-”

“Okarun.”

Her soft tone surprised him. “What?”

She blushed, hand on hair. Was this really how the evening would end? No mention of the fiery finger-entwined moment they’d shared? Just acting as if it never happened? She couldn’t bring herself to talk about it directly. If he didn’t care, he didn’t care, and she didn’t want to pressure him into acting like he did. There was nothing worse than feeling someone else’s obligation to pretend to care about you. 

As she stood there, she realized she had left the air quiet for some time and he was starting to look worried. “I’ll see you Monday,” she said quietly. Nothing else would come out of her throat.

Relief took over his features. “See you.” Without another word, she watched him walk away.

—

In her room, Momo laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn’t believe what had happened today. No, not today. Today was just the canary in the coalmine. It was the past three weeks that she really struggled to accept. 

Three weeks ago, she’d just been dumped by her scumbag ex, whose only good quality was his resemblance to her favorite movie star, and she had hoped to find a man who matched him in looks and personality. Three weeks ago, Okarun was just some dude she’d taken pity on for being an obvious bullying victim. Three weeks ago, they were total strangers.

Now…

When did it become like this? When he got down on his knees and apologized to her? When he showed her his favorite movie and allowed his vulnerability to shine through even while trying to be cool for her? When he’d become a chick magnet and an even greater pariah simultaneously after getting his shit pushed in for her? 

For me…

It wasn’t any of that. It wasn’t what he did for her. That didn’t matter, not really, though she couldn’t deny it warmed her every time. It was the strength of character in him, the kindness and ill-fated bravery in his heart, the fun she had just being around him every day. That and more were what kept her playing along with their so-called bet instead of kicking him to the curb.

Her phone buzzed on her abdomen. It was a ping from her group text with Muko and Miko, the latter having sent the message. “How’d it go with Okarun today?” 

She typed out, “Fine,” deleted it, typed, “Great,” deleted that, and settled on, “Good.” After a moment, she added, “He stayed for dinner. Just left a few minutes ago.”

“You guys kiss?” asked Muko.

“Shut up,” replied Momo, but her heart wasn’t in it. She briefly entertained the idea of telling them that they held hands, but thought better of it, especially considering how poorly the aftermath had gone.

“Lame! For someone so gutsy you’re sure taking it slow.”

“We’re not like that.”

“We know, that’s the problem,” said Miko. 

Momo rolled her eyes and closed the thread. She moved to turn off her phone, but then stopped and, despite herself, opened up her thread with Okarun and sent, “Today was super fun.”

Within seconds he replied, “Yeah, it really was. Thanks again for sharing it with me.” 

She reacted with a heart without reservation before typing out, “We should do it again sometime.” After a moment, she appended “soon” and hit send.

“Definitely.”

She reveled in the warmth the simple message gave her. Three weeks ago, she would have been disturbed by how good she felt. Three weeks ago, she wouldn’t have asked for another day like today. Three weeks ago, she would never have imagined squeezing his hand, looking into his eyes, and almost…

Maybe she was just a girl on the rebound of her last relationship getting swept away by the first decent guy to be nice to her. Maybe something real was happening between them. One way or another, she knew she was in trouble.

Deep, deep trouble.

Notes:

Momo went really far there! She must be feeling some sort of way about Okarun. C'mon, Momo, have courage!

I just had to give my take on the handholding scene. That might be my favorite scene in the actual series so far, as far as romantic moments go, so I wanted to show another version of it and describe what might be happening in their heads. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please leave a comment! Also, if you enjoyed Pillow Talk and/or would like something spicy with Okarun and Momo, check out my new story, Reaching Her Limit!

Next we begin the final act of the story with Chapter 9: The Distance of Stars. Romance awaits! See you next time!

Chapter 9: The Distance of Stars

Summary:

Time passes for our heroes. Momo wrestles with her feelings as they reach a boiling point. Okarun tries something, but will it be enough?

Notes:

Thanks as always for the comments and kudos! Ah, I'm excited enough to post the start of our third and final act already. Let's get on with it!

Part 9: The Distance of Stars

“So,” said Momo at lunch the week after they watched Golgo 13, “you’re a friend of Okarun’s?”

“Hmm,” said Kinta, glancing over to the boy on his left. “Yes. I suppose you could say that. He and I have a bond forged from having endured many struggles together.”

Okarun made a puzzled expression. The day prior, Kinta had accosted him and expressed how strange it was that Okarun was so popular among women despite being wholly unattractive, which had completely confused him. 

Kinta had further concluded that Okarun’s popularity must have come from his battle wounds — of course, unbeknownst to Okarun, he wasn’t entirely wrong. It was perhaps for that reason that Kinta bore bandages around his head and an eyepatch, accompanied by a limp he had shown on his way to the lunch table.

“Really?” asked Momo. She glanced at Okarun, who rapidly shook his head. She grinned. “Tell me about some of those.”

“Ah, well,” said Kinta, apparently having not thought through the natural consequences of his lies. “This one time, we fought against a vicious pack of… wolves.”

Momo raised an eyebrow. “Wolves? For real?”

“Yes.” Kinta cleared his throat. “We were surrounded by the devilish beasts and barely managed to escape with our lives. These wounds you see are the result of that desperate battle.”

“I, uh, don’t remember that,” Okarun muttered.

“That’s because you suffered traumatic amnesia,” Kinta said quickly. “Your mind blocked out the fear from that day.”

“So why did only you get hurt when Okarun didn’t?” asked Momo.

“Ah, that would be because…” He thought for a moment. “Because I put my life on the line to save him.”

“Uh-huh. Well, thanks for rescuing Okarun.” 

“Of course. Naturally, as his superior, I would do anything to protect an underling.”

“Naturally.” Momo stood up. “I’m glad you did, because he and I have some studying to do. C’mon, Okarun.”

Okarun rose slowly. “Uh, okay,” he said in a quiet voice.

Kinta suddenly looked distressed. “O-oh, well, if you have to go, then…” Disappointment overtook his features.

“What a weirdo,” said Momo as she and Okarun walked away.

“I don’t know what that was about,” he replied. “I’ve never fought any wolves and I’m pretty sure I never had amnesia.”

“I think he’s just chasing your clout.”

“Clout? I have clout?”

Momo’s eyelids lowered as she gained a faraway expression. “Yep.”

—

She couldn’t stop thinking about the emotional road she found herself walking down. Every time she saw Okarun approached by another girl, romantic intent clear, a surge of anger flared up within her, boosted by the sense memory of his hand in hers, warm and somehow pleasantly sweaty. She tried to tell herself it was fine, that she had no reason to be upset about these things, but it did her no good.

When they approached the cafeteria towards the end of the week, Momo gazed over the crowd of students. Over the past three weeks, many of them had transformed from indifferent bystanders to rumormongering idiots peddling lies about her. Now, at least among the female population, she saw them as hungry predators looking to sink their jaws into one particular naive deer. She would not allow them the satisfaction of their prey.

“C’mon,” she said, waving Okarun away from the tables and towards the exit.

“Aren’t we going to eat?” he asked.

“We are. But not here.” She led them to a secluded spot outside and the two sat. “Much better.”

“It is more peaceful, I suppose.”

“Mhm.” As Okarun opened his bento box, Momo’s eyes instinctively went to his hand, the hand that had once been entangled with hers, however briefly. The memory of the event was warm like hot cocoa yet sharp as a knife against her throat in her mind. 

Mercifully, a distraction appeared: the sight of his knuckles bearing partially healed scuff marks. “What happened to your hands? You fight another pack of wolves?” she asked jokingly.

“Oh,” he said as if he had forgotten he had hands. “I tripped on the sidewalk and failed to catch myself well.”

“Ouch,” said Momo with a sympathetic tone. “You gotta watch where you’re going.”

“Yeah. I just get distracted sometimes.”

Inwardly, Momo was suspicious. She was sure that if he had gotten into another fight, gossip about it would have spread far enough to reach her ears by now. Maybe he really was just that clumsy. 

The only rumor her friends had been updated on was one that had failed to take. According to this new rumor, Okarun wore a chastity cage, which Momo held the key to, and she forced him to do her bidding lest she refuse to open it. 

Momo and her friends concluded that it was probably Aira’s doing, retaliating because Okarun had rejected her. But people seemed to merely laugh it off; apparently Okarun’s popularity had diminished the staying power of such hearsay. The thought of Aira seething over her rejection and subsequent failed slander brought Momo a decent amount of enjoyment.

“Well, in that case, let me feed you,” she said, grabbing her chopsticks.

His eyes brightened. “Really?” Unbeknownst to Momo, fireworks went off in his head at the thought of her feeding him a second time.

“Yeah. You could use the help.” 

“Thank you, Ayase-san.”

She did want to help him, it was true, but she had an ulterior motive as well. There was something about feeding him that soothed the frustration in her soul. Perhaps it was because it was ultimately an innocent gesture, one with enough plausible deniability to be in the realm of the platonic. The happy look he got while he chewed the morsels she brought to his lips made it all the sweeter.

Even so, her frustration wasn’t entirely ameliorated. She desperately wanted to talk about the incident - more accurately, she wanted him to talk about it, to hear what had really gone through his head at that moment. The more time passed, the more his silence on the matter annoyed her.

If he didn’t care, then he didn’t care, and she would just have to deal with that, painful though it would be. But if he really didn’t care, why did that moment happen to begin with? Because she instigated it and he was too polite to turn her down? Maybe. Maybe that was all it was, just her forceful personality getting the better of her again. And maybe that was all it would ever be.

—

Weeks of friendship turned into months. Okarun and Momo’s routine became so comfortable that both almost couldn’t remember a time where they didn’t hang out so much. It wasn’t every single weekend, but they still regularly occupied each other’s Saturdays and Sundays, watching movies, hanging out at various marketplaces, and other such idle activities. 

They peppered in little orders here and there - Momo ordering him to give her his dessert at lunch (Order #8: The Pilfered Treat), Okarun ordering her to buy popcorn for a movie (Order #9: The Salty and Buttery), her ordering him to let her win at a video game (Order #10: The Honorless Victory) and more (Orders #11-23: The Passage of Time).  

Okarun was frustratingly polite in the distance he kept from her at these times, meaning she had to do all the work in being physical with him. Despite Momo taking his hand in hers several times, they never had another intense, almost something-or-other moment like they did the third weekend of knowing each other, which Momo was deeply irritated about.

The rumor mill, absent any real new stimulus, started to turn weird. Apparently the rumors about Okarun’s mystery fights and Momo’s promiscuity had merged into one. Now Momo was supposedly a prostitute Okarun had fallen for, she supposedly hid her scandalous tattoos under her sweater, and he had supposedly tried to fight her pimp in a bid to win her freedom from the streetwalker life. 

She and her friends suspected this was more of Aira’s doing, that she was lashing out at having to watch Okarun’s notoriety grow while he remained indifferent to her. These rumors, they speculated, stuck more than the chastity cage rumor because they made Okarun look more heroic and Momo worse. 

For his part, Okarun seemed almost completely unaware of any rumors. He became no better at accepting the advances of the girls around him, no matter how strongly they came on. This did nothing to dampen Momo’s rage whenever they would; indeed, she could feel her irritation grow with each new “skank” that attempted to approach him. 

At the same time, she was starting to become bothered by the fact that Okarun kept not accepting them. What was wrong with him? He liked girls, didn’t he? It would be okay if he didn’t, but she was pretty sure he did. When she asked him point blank about it one day, he insisted, quite forcefully, that he was heterosexual, and she didn’t think he was lying. 

The reason his rejections bothered her only became more apparent to her over time. She didn’t dare believe he was rejecting those other girls for her. She couldn’t let herself believe that, because if she did, she knew she would be crushed when he finally picked one out that he liked and it wasn’t her. But with each rejection, she felt that faint flame of hope flicker in her chest, and that just made his lack of a move on her more irritating.

—

“I, uh,” he began one day after school, “I have a new order for you.”

She looked at him, puzzled. “A new what? Oh!” It had been a couple of weeks since either of them had given an order; the notion had regained some novelty. “Well, go ahead then.”

He took a deep breath. “I order you to come with me somewhere this weekend.”

“Uh, sure?” This was strange. Surely he knew she’d hang out with him without an order at this point. “Where?”

“It’s a surprise,” he answered. 

She smirked. Ah. “Consider it accepted.”

“Great,” he said with visible relief. “I’ll pick you up on Saturday.”

Order #24: The Undisclosed Location

When Saturday arrived, Okarun brought Momo to the train with a backpack in tow. He didn’t reveal where they were going even as they rode past stop after stop. “We’re getting pretty far from home,” she uttered. “You’re not gonna, like, murder me and dump my body in the sticks, are you?” 

“I would do no such thing,” he replied flatly.

“Good, because if you tried, you’d be the one getting murdered.”

“I’m sure.”

Finally, Okarun indicated their stop and they disembarked, the length of their trip having brought the night. Before the station stood a dense grove, so dense it covered up the sky. He pointed to a narrow path led up a hill within the grove. “This way.”

Momo was more than a little creeped out by the darkness. “You sure you’re not gonna murder me?”

“Positive.” He brought out a flashlight from his backpack and pointed it towards the grove. He extended his other hand towards her. “It’s not exactly a paved road in there,” he explained. Momo was surprised at the offer of his hand, but didn’t shy away from grabbing it. Her heart thumped as she took hold and felt his warmth run through her. Ahead of her, his face was hidden, so she couldn’t see if he had a similar reaction.

“What’re we doing here, Okarun?” she asked after several minutes along the path. She was starting to get the heebie-jeebies. 

“You’ll see.” His words did nothing to assuage her fears.

“Is this some kind of UFO landing site or something?”

He paused for a moment. “Well… this is a place where aliens are rumored to visit periodically.”

“Aha, so the old ways come out,” said Momo, amusement plain in her voice. “We gonna spend the night alien-huntin’?”

“Not exactly.”

“Aw, now that I said it, it sounded kinda fun.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

“So what are we doing at an alien hotspot if not looking for aliens?”

“Like I said, you’ll see.” His vagueness was starting to frustrate her.

Finally, they reached the other end of the path. Momo slipped suddenly on the uneven terrain and began to fall. Before she could brace herself for impact, Okarun swept in and caught her, holding her up in one arm seemingly with ease. “Thanks,” she said, blushing at the contact.

“Are you okay?” He helped her back to her feet.

“Yeah…”

“Good. We’re here.” He pulled her towards the exit of the grove.

“Alright, what’s so special about…” 

Suddenly, she saw it: the night sky illuminated with countless stars. This wasn’t the sky she was used to. She’d rarely been outside of the city, where light pollution ran rampant and blocked out the starlight. Here, so far from what she considered to be civilization, she saw the full breadth of the Milky Way in all its glory. “Wow…” she whispered, breathless.

“I’ve come here before, looking for aliens,” Okarun said as he led her towards the edge of the hill. “I never saw any, of course, but it’s a nice spot to stargaze. I thought you might enjoy it.” 

He pulled out a blanket from his backpack and laid it on the grass before having a seat and once more extending his hand towards her. She looked down, heart rate accelerating, before accepting his hand again and settling down next to him. “It’s beautiful,” she said.

They sat in silence for a time, just observing the sight. A wind blew across the hill and Momo shivered from it. Without hesitation, Okarun removed his jacket and offered it to her. “Here.”

Touched though she was, she refused. “You’ll be cold.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Well, I do!” she huffed. “If I know you’re cold, I won’t be able to enjoy myself.”

He paused. “Alright then.” With a fluid motion, he draped his jacket around both their shoulders. “There. Now we’ll both be warm.”

Momo blushed. Her instinct was to pull back, but she knew if she did, the jacket would fall from his shoulders, rendering the gesture moot, so she followed her next instinct: huddle closer. She felt Okarun jolt from this, but he didn’t move away either. 

More time passed with Momo enjoying their closeness and hoping he did too. Eventually, he spoke up. “You know, I obviously never saw an alien here, unless I did and they wiped my memories.”

“Right.”

“So whenever I would come here, I’d spend a lot of time just observing the stars. At a certain point, I started researching their names and positions.”

“Tell me some?”

“Sure.” He began to point. “That’s Polaris, the north star. That’s Proxima Centauri, the closest star to earth besides the sun. Those three are Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak - they form the asterism of Orion’s Belt.” 

“What’s an asterism?”

“It’s an observable pattern or group of stars. Constellations are asterisms.”

“So just say constellation.”

“But it’s more precise…”

“Eh. Fine. Just keep going.” 

As he listed off the heavenly bodies and their groupings, she felt herself being lulled into an almost trancelike state. She loved listening to him divulge information, be it in his excited fervor over the occult or the strange comfort of this gently delivered knowledge. “You know a lot,” she murmured contentedly, eyes half-lidded.

“I’ve failed to find aliens a lot,” he replied with a slight grin. He pointed to another star. “That’s Altair,” he moved his hand, “And that’s Vega.”

“The stars that represent Hikoboshi and Orihime,” said Momo. “The deities from the Tanabata myth.”

“That’s right!” Her knowledge of the cosmos, however small, delighted him. “The lovers, separated by the Milky Way.”

“It must be so sad,” she said quietly. “To be in love, but separated by an endless distance.”

“They meet once a year, so it’s not all lonely.”

“That’s hardly enough.” Silence surrounded them for a minute. She looked at him. “Okarun, why did you bring me here? Tonight, I mean?”

“You’ll find out soon.” 

There was one answer she’d wanted. That wasn’t it. “This isn’t the main thing?”

“It’s part of it.”

A few minutes later, Momo spotted something in the sky. It looked like some stars had begun to fall. She squinted. “What the…”

Okarun smiled. “This is why I brought you here.”

She watched as the meteor shower hit its stride. It was like nothing she’d ever seen, at least not in person: the heavens themselves descending in flame to greet the waiting earth. “Okarun, this is amazing!”

“It really is.”

The majesty of nature was overwhelming to Momo. She glanced at Okarun in pleased disbelief. Smiling, she laid her head on his shoulder, watching the meteor shower with her heart full. Then, feeling bold, she reached to his hand and took hold of it before giving it a firm but gentle squeeze.

Unbeknownst to her, Okarun couldn’t believe the level of affection she was showing him. His breath came in heavy, and his other hand white-knuckle gripped the blanket. Heart pounding, he did his damndest to focus on the meteor shower. It’s a friendship hand-hold. That’s all. He had told himself as much whenever she’d grasped his hand over the last few months. He’d held her hand earlier to help her through the grove. There was nothing else to it. 

After a time too short to both of them, it ended. Momo enjoyed their shared comfort for a while longer before he said, “We should get going… we don’t want to get home too late.” 

With reluctance as biting as the chill of the evening, Momo extricated herself from him. “That was awesome,” she said as she stood up. “Thanks for showing me this.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, also rising. 

Soon they made their way back to the station and began their long journey home. Momo was tired from the day’s events and once again rested her head on Okarun’s shoulder as they rode the train. It was comfortable enough that she fell asleep. His heart swelled, seeing her so content, feeling her weight and warmth on him, and he thanked the heavens for this gift. Unfortunately, it was cut short as they reached their home station and he had to wake her.

The walk back to the Ayase house was a struggle for Momo. She didn’t want the night to end. For a moment, it had felt like more would come of it, and that anticipation going unfulfilled left her dissatisfied, despite how lovely the experience was. If he was going to make a move, then tonight should’ve been the time, right? 

“Well, here we are,” said Okarun as they reached the torii gate. 

“Yeah,” said Momo in a small, faraway tone.

He wanted to say something. In fact, he had brought her stargazing for another reason. The truth was, over the course of the last few months, his own feelings had become manifold more massive, until they threatened to burst his heart from within. He didn’t know much about romance, but tonight’s agenda had seemed like something that he could envision in a story about romance. On the hill, he had been ready to come clean. The stars had quite literally aligned. He had been ready. 

But then the thought of his first beatdown had struck him, his weakness, his inability to defend her honor, and the humiliation that followed. He had tried to push these thoughts away, but the closer he came to admitting his feelings, the harder they fought back. In the end, his courage had failed. He knew he wasn’t good enough for Momo. How could he ever be?

And so, his spirit diminished, he simply said, “I’ll see you on Mo-”

“Wait,” she interrupted. “I have a new order for you.”

“Oh,” he said, slightly surprised. “What is it?”

Hold me. Kiss me. Tell me you love me. The words threatened to gush from her lips like water from a cracked dam, but despite their power, she could not bring herself to expel them. Once a few moments had passed, she said, “When it’s time for Tanabata, take me to the festival.”

Okarun blushed as his heart swelled, soothing some of his earlier feelings of disappointment. “As you wish.”

Order #25: Orihime and Hikoboshi

“Alright. G’night, Okarun.”

“Good night, Ayase-san.”

Momo looked on as he left, her heart held down by the weight of painful realization. Of how things had changed between them over these few months. Of how different he was to her from when she’d met him. Of just how terribly, desperately, she loved him.

Notes:

And there it is. Momo now fully accepts that she is in love with Okarun, no two ways about it, and he, naturally, accepts he is in love with her. I wanted this chapter to add a timeskip for reasons that will hopefully become clear later.

As always, if you liked reading, please drop a comment and a kudos. The final act continues with the next chapter: Twice Struck Lightning. With a name like that, it's sure to be exciting! Everything is going to change! For the better? Well, maybe.

See you next time!

Chapter 10: Twice Struck Lightning

Summary:

It's been a slow burn so far. Now it's about to blaze. Read on and see what happens.

Notes:

Thank you again for the lovely comments and kudos! They really brighten my day and motivate me to get more chapters out. Without further ado, let's get started.

Part 10: Twice Struck Lightning

“So wait, you’re telling us you two went stargazing all alone together and you still didn’t kiss or anything?!” said Muko, looking at Momo incredulously on Monday morning.

“God, you two are pathetic,” said Miko. “What, do we need to lock you in a room together and say you can’t leave until you make out?”

“Shut up!” Momo raged. “We had a nice time! It didn’t need to be more than that!” 

“I’m just saying, maybe you should try to take the lead here since he doesn’t seem to want to.”

Momo looked down, blushing. “We’re just friends. That’s all.” These words had become her refrain, a mantra, an incantation to ward off her fear of rejection. As time went on, they had lost what little protective effect they had ever had.

Miko shrugged. “Alright. Whatever you say.”

In truth, Momo shared her friends’ frustration and felt it more by orders of magnitude. More and more she had to consider the idea that Okarun simply didn’t like her in that way, yet even as she did, she couldn’t help but think of the ways he made her feel special, and special to him. The boy was a walking contradiction and that aggravated her.

She sighed. It was still nice just to be around him. That would have to be enough. 

Unless, of course, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

She made her way to class C, deciding today she’d hang with him during the free period before lunch. Usually if they met up in a free period before lunch he’d come to get her, but today, for some reason, she felt like taking the initiative. When she arrived, she felt the usual eyes of the other students, bewitched by falsehoods about her. Whatever. She didn’t care. She wasn’t here for them.

“Ayase-san!” said Okarun, smiling brightly as he noticed her.

“Hey,” she replied, returning his expression as she walked to his desk. “Ready to go?”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Momo Ayase,” said a voice behind her.

Momo immediately recognized it and felt a wave of anger come over her. It was him: the king of all douchebags, the boy who had beaten Okarun senseless months ago. Her instinct was to slam him into the ground with a spinning back kick, but she remembered her promise to follow Okarun’s stupid order, so instead she simply ignored him.

“You’re looking nice today,” said the asshole. “Why don’t you quit hanging with that loser and get with a real man?”

Her temper flared and she whipped around, scowling at him. “Sorry, I don’t touch pieces of shit without toilet paper and I don’t see any two-ply here.”

“Ayase-san…” Okarun whispered, worry plain in his voice.

“Ooh, feisty,” said Hase. “Playing hard to get? I like that.”

“The only thing that’s gonna be hard to get is my foot out of your ass if you don’t fuck off,” said Momo. “C’mon, let’s get out of here, Okarun.”

Hase seemed visibly annoyed. He reached out and grabbed Momo by the wrist. “Hey, don’t be so sour. I know you give it up for anyone with a pulse.”

That’s it. Defending herself against actual assault didn’t violate Okarun’s order, right? Time to teach this asswipe a lesson. “I said, fuck off!” she roared, swinging her leg at him.

But Hase caught it with his other hand. “You don’t need to spread your legs just yet, kitten. That can come later.”

Momo grit her teeth, ready to unleash hell on this asshole, when she heard a snap and Okarun suddenly materialized next to her, his hand gripping Hase’s wrist. “Let her go and apologize,” he said in a low voice Momo had never heard before.

“Or what, Takakura?” Hase taunted. “You’ll bleed all over me?”

“Let the lady go and apologize.” Okarun’s eyes narrowed. “Or you’ll regret it.”

“Okarun, you don’t need to do this,” said Momo, her tone now filled with worry.

Suddenly, Hase’s face twisted into discomfort, as though he were in some amount of pain, and he relinquished Momo.

Okarun withdrew his hand in turn. “Now apologize.”

“You know what, Takakura?” said Hase, closing the distance between them. “You piss me off.”  

Over the course of the last few months, the girls who used to shower him with affection had steadily turned cold, directing their warmth to Okarun instead. Some even called him a creep to his face while they fawned over the loser he’d pounded effortlessly. Worse still, the little twerp had somehow recently beaten him in every athletic competition they’d had in gym class. His frustration with the nerd before him had only grown in this time and now he was ready to express it. 

Thrusting both hands out, he shoved Okarun hard. 

Instinctively, Momo prepared to catch him, but to her surprise, Okarun withstood the force of the much larger boy, only leaning back slightly from it. “That all you got?” asked Okarun, his voice still low. Setting his feet, he pushed Hase back, sending him stumbling backwards until he hit the blackboard behind him.

Murmurs spread throughout the class as they observed this. “Whoa, did you see that?”

“Did Takakura really do that?”

“Hase must’ve been off balance…”

“Check it out, Takakura’s gonna get beat again.”

Hase recovered, his face flushed with surprise,  embarrassment and anger. “You got chalk on my uniform, you little shitstain.” He cracked his knuckles. “I’ll repay you for that.”

“Okarun, run!” cried Momo, but Okarun did the opposite and stepped towards Hase.

“You should’ve listened to your whore,” said Hase before throwing a punch at Okarun. But his fist never connected. Okarun stood just to the side of where he’d aimed. Hase’s expression darkened further and he swung once more at Okarun, who evaded him again, his face showing no sign of distress. “Quit dancing and let me hit you, you little freak!”

As Hase frantically attacked, Okarun continued to weave around him with what seemed like the greatest of ease. Their classmates looked on as the conflict escalated. “Kill ‘im, Hase!” called one boy.

“Stop this right now! I’m going to tell a teacher!” shrieked Rin before she bolted from the classroom. Meanwhile, Kinta looked on with a scared expression, as though struggling with a decision.

Momo knew Okarun’s evasion wouldn’t last and she couldn’t sit idly by and let him get pummeled. She moved to back him up, but he turned to her and yelled, “Stay back, Momo-chan!” The commanding tone of his voice, combined with the sudden familiarity of her given name, stopped her in her tracks.

“Where are you looking, freak?” asked Hase, aiming a punch at the back of Okarun’s head. But Okarun raised his hand and, with no visible effort, caught Hase’s fist. “Wha–” Before Hase could react, Okarun pulled him in and slammed his knee into his enemy’s gut. “Guh!” he choked, the wind knocked out of him.

“Whoa,” whispered Momo.

“Back off and apologize,” Okarun told his opponent. “Last chance.”

“That’s it,” growled Hase as he recovered. “You’re fucking dead!" He charged haphazardly towards Okarun, intending to tackle him to the ground.

As though Hase were moving in slow motion, Okarun dipped low beneath the charge. Then, as if propelled by a spring, he launched himself up, fist first, uppercutting Hase hard in the chin and sending him flying back until he crashed on the floor, where he hit his head on the linoleum tiles. Hase twitched for a second and then moved no more.

“Holy shit,” said Momo, eyes like saucers. 

“Anyone else wanna try laying a hand on Momo-chan?!” barked Okarun, turning to the class.

Just then, two other boys ran towards Okarun from behind. “Okarun, watch out!” Momo called, pointing to his next assailants.

Suddenly, Kinta leapt into the fray, yelling, “Private Takakura, I’ll back you—” before being shoulder-tackled out of the way by one of the boys. Kinta flew back and hit his head on the window sill. A low groan emanated from him as he slumped on the ground and did not rise.

Okarun whirled around and nimbly evaded the furious strikes of the two attackers, dodging and parrying each. In him Momo saw something almost familiar – fluidity and deliberateness in each movement, as if they were well practiced. Before she could jump in to help, Okarun landed a heavy punch on each boy’s face in quick succession. 

They stumbled back, both clutching the impact site; one grabbed a textbook and the other reached for a chair. Okarun dodged the tome as it came swinging at him before crouching down and sweeping his leg beneath its owner, who fell to the floor ungracefully. 

He then grabbed the heavy book and threw it at the chair-holder, hitting him in the sternum. It threw him off balance, giving Okarun the chance to land a rapid strike on his nose with the heel of his palm. The boy toppled and dropped the chair, a leg of which smacked him in the head, and he became still.

The former textbook wielder lifted himself up as he recovered. “Why, you—” he muttered, lunging at Okarun. With perfect calm in his expression, Okarun leapt off the ground, spun in the air, and snapped a flying kick into his last opponent’s face. This sent him spiraling to the ground, where he lay without moving.

From when Momo had called out to him to that moment, less than 20 seconds had elapsed. She, along with the rest of the class, could do nothing but stare in stunned, open-mouthed amazement at what had just happened. What the fuck?! 

“Momo-chan, get out of here!” commanded Okarun.

This snapped her out of her daze. “But—”

“Come on!” He grabbed her hand and pulled her along until they were out of the classroom.

“Why are we running?” asked Momo as she followed him down the hall. 

“I don’t want anyone to try and attack you again,” he replied, his voice almost distressingly calm.

“I think you’re the one who has to worry about that! That was insane back there! You were like Donnie Yen or a superhero or something!”

“I got lucky,” he said coolly. 

She planted her feet firmly, causing Okarun to stop as well. “No way! There’s no way that was just luck! How the hell did you do that?!”

“I’ll explain later.” He pointed down the hall. “For now, you get back to your class. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“What about you? It’s too dangerous to leave you alone!”

He looked back towards his class. Multiple adults were approaching, frowns on all their faces, led by Rin. “I think I’ll be okay.”

“But you could get in trouble!”

“It’s not like I can hide what I did. Better to face the music now than run and get it worse later.”

“But—”

“Momo-chan, I’m ordering you: go back and let me handle this.”

Order #26: The Forced Retreat

She wanted to tell him to fuck off with the bet, but the strength of his voice gave her a strange sense of reassurance. “Fine. But we’re definitely going to talk later! That’s my order!”

Order #27: The Debriefing

He nodded, giving her a smile. “I promise we will. Now go.”

Perhaps it was the adrenaline pumping through her veins, but at that moment, seeing him smile, Momo wanted nothing more than to take his face in her hands and pull him into a deep, passionate kiss. 

Instead, she channeled that energy into sprinting back to her homeroom. On the way, she was yelled at by a teacher not to run in the hall, so she power-walked more urgently than she ever had in her life.

A short while later, she reentered her classroom and ran towards where she saw Miko and Muko. “Holy shit, you guys, I have to tell you about the craziest thing that just happened!” 

“You mean Okarun’s fight? We know! Are you alright?” asked Miko.

Momo blinked. “How do you know about this already? It happened like two minutes ago!”

“People have been texting us since it began!” said Muko. “Check your phone!”

Momo obliged, pulling her phone out. Indeed, there were dozens of notifications, most of them asking if she was okay, with a few asking if Okarun was single. 

“So what happened?” Miko looked at her with worried eyes.

“Okay, so like, the guy Okarun fought originally—”

“Momo!” said Ririna as she and a group of girls approached. “You’re okay! Did Takakura-kun really kill three guys for you?”

“No, they—”

“I heard it took two teachers to restrain him!” said another girl.

“That isn’t—”

“He was possessed by a yokai of love, wasn’t he? He had to be!” said a third.

“If you’ll just let me—”

“Ladies, we have a video!” announced Miko, holding up her phone. 

The group immediately turned to gaze at the screen, which showed a video entitled, “Nerd goes ultra instinct to save his girlfriend?!” Momo looked on as the scene she’d witnessed replayed from another perspective. 

Seeing the events a second time made it no less surreal. The crowd around her ooh’d and ahh’d as they watched Okarun’s feats of martial prowess. “Whoa! Hase got some air off that uppercut!” said Muko. 

Momo could feel everyone’s attention turn to her when they heard Okarun ask if anyone else wanted to try touching her, using her given name and the diminutive honorific, and she blushed hard. The blush deepened further when, at the end of the video, Okarun took her by the hand and absconded with her out of the classroom. 

Finally, the camera turned to face its presumable owner, who made an expression of astonishment. Exaggerated though it was, Momo had felt the same watching the events live.

Everyone was quiet, their eyes on Momo, whose heart pounded from both the content of the video and the gazes upon her. It was clear they were waiting for her to say something. All she could manage was a simple, quiet, “Uhm…”

The dam burst. “Oh my god, Momo!” squealed Ririna, “Your boyfriend is totally amazing!”

Momo didn’t even get the chance to attempt to correct her before other girls began to chime in. “He’s sooo dreamy!”

“I didn’t know he had those sorts of moves! He totally clowned that creep Hase!” 

“His voice was so sexy too; I never knew he could sound like that!”

“Momo, you’re so lucky!”

“I’m not…” Momo began to whisper, but found herself trailing off, feeling dizzy.

“Alright, alright, give the girl some space,” said Miko, blocking the crowd from Momo and raising her arms like a security agent warding off the paparazzi. She turned to Momo. “You sure you don’t want to hit that? Because if you don’t, I think I might…” Momo shot her a pitch-black look. “Kidding, kidding. But seriously, Momo… what exactly are you doing with him?”

Momo couldn’t answer. This incident had upended everything she thought she knew about Okarun and their friendship. One thing was certain: she desperately needed to talk to him.

—

Okarun didn’t show up for lunch. Momo tried texting him, but got no reply. Following an afternoon of being unable to pay any attention to the rest of her classes, she ran to the school gates, heart pounding with anticipation of her next conversation with him. When she saw him, a smile blossomed on her lips. His own smile seemed somewhat dim by comparison. “Okarun!” she cried out as she approached him. 

“Hey, Ayase-san,” he replied softly.

“How’d it go with the teachers? Did anything else happen?” 

“Yeah… I, uh, I kinda got suspended,” he muttered. “With possible additional disciplinary action to follow.”

Momo’s expression turned to outrage. “What?! Why?!”

“Because I put three other students in the hospital, according to what the principal said. And now they might expel me because of it.”

She clenched her fist. “That’s bullshit! You were just defending yourself! And me! Those assholes should be expelled, not you!”

Okarun shrugged. “Apparently Hase’s dad is well connected. He managed to convince the principal I was at fault.”

“God damn it! How can you be so calm about this?!”

“There’s nothing I can really do about it,” Okarun replied easily. “And besides, I did hurt those guys. It’s not like the principal is wrong about that.”

Momo pouted. “It’s still bullshit.”

“Yes, it is.”

A quiet moment passed. “Well, now you can at least explain what the hell that was all about.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you becoming an action movie star all of a sudden and whupping their asses, duh!” Momo made an incredulous face as she karate-chopped the air. “Are you seriously gonna tell me you did it by accident?”

“No,” Okarun admitted after a moment. “It’s just, well… I’ll show you.”

Momo gave a puzzled look. “Show me? What do you mean?”

“Just follow me. We’ll take a little detour before going to your place.”

“Alright,” she said. “Lead the way.” Okarun nodded and began to walk, Momo following him alongside. A thought occurred to her after a few minutes. “You called me ‘Momo-chan’ back there.” 

He smiled awkwardly. “Oh. Sorry about that. The adrenaline got to my head and it just slipped out.”

She smirked. “I kinda liked it.”

“W-well,” said Okarun, “alright then, Momo…san.”

A delighted look overtook her face. His bashfulness was incongruous with his earlier display of badassery, but so cute to her. “It’s a start. So where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” He pointed in the distance. “It’s not far from here.”

“What is?”

“You’ll see,” he said again.

“Fiiine,” said Momo exasperatedly. It was at that moment that she noticed the wrap around his knuckles. “How’s your hand?”

He turned back and forth a few times. “It’s not terrible, but not great either. A human skull is harder than it looks.”

“Especially a skull as thick as those assholes’.” Okarun smiled at this. 

Eventually, they turned a corner and arrived at an alleyway. “You sure we’re going the right way?” asked Momo warily.

“Positive,” replied Okarun. 

Standing, squatting, and leaning in the alley were three tall men, their open shirts revealing muscular torsos. One had a completely shaved head, another a buzz cut with some designs shaved in, and the third an almost comically stereotypical pompadour. The last of these chewed on a piece of straw. All three had hard, frowning faces. Momo found herself wondering if these guys stepped out of an old manga about delinquents. 

Pompadour spotted the pair and grew a wide, sinister smile. “Well, look what we have here, if it isn’t Takakura,” he said slowly, pushing himself off the wall and leisurely walking towards them, hands in his pockets.

“Little Takakura,” said Buzz Cut, standing and following Pompadour, “And he’s got a little friend.”

“To what do we owe the pleasure?” asked the last. With their shared tone and slow gait, they seemed like wolves circling wounded deer. 

Momo’s danger instinct kicked in and she immediately put herself in front of Okarun. “Look,” she said, eyes darting between the three, “we don’t want any trouble.” 

The three men looked at each other for a moment before bursting out with laughter. “Girlie, I don’t think you understand what situation you’re in,” said Buzz Cut.

“Wait a second,” said Pompadour. “This can’t be… Momo-chan, can it?” His grin grew wilder, like a wolf baring its fangs.

Momo recoiled from this. “You know me?” she asked, anxiety growing inside her.

“Oh we know all about you,” said Shaved Head.

“I don’t know what your game is, but I don’t want to play,” said Momo with more confidence than she felt. Her heart pumped with the fear of what these three might do to them and her mind tried to gauge how easily they could run away.

Finally, Okarun spoke. “Hey guys,” he said with a plain inflection.

Momo blinked. Hey guys? “Okarun?”

The three men shifted their postures and instantly their threatening aura dissipated. “Yo!” said Pompadour with a bright and friendly tone.

Momo glanced back and forth between Okarun and the three. “Will someone tell me what is going on?!”

“These guys are my senpai,” Okarun said. 

“Senpai? What? That doesn’t explain anything!” she growled.

“They help run classes and training at the gym I’ve been attending.”

The pieces started to fall into place. “Gym? You don’t mean…”

“C’mon, we’ll show you,” said Buzz Cut. He waved for them to follow. Momo was hesitant but Okarun obliged and, nervous though she still was, she walked behind him.

When they cleared the alleyway, Momo saw it: a large building with a sign on the front reading, “Kinniku Mixed Martial Arts Gym.”

“No way,” whispered Momo. She turned to Okarun. “You’ve been going here?”

“Practically every morning and every evening,” said Pompadour. “Takakura’s been real dedicated to his goals.”

“Since when?” asked Momo.

“Oh, for a few months,” said Shaved Head. “Guy showed up here saying he needed to get strong. It was clear he wanted to impress some girl .” He gave Momo a knowing glance. She blushed at this.

“I thought I’d seen his type before,” said Pompadour. “Kid walks in, has some stupid external goal, quits after things get a little tough. Now, I was in a sour mood that day and the thought of some little punk trying to punch his way into a girl’s heart really bugged me, so I, uh, kinda went hard on the guy when we gave him his introductory class. Messed him up pretty bad.” He gave Okarun an apologetic look. “I’m still real sorry about that, Takakura.”

“It’s alright,” said Okarun. 

A memory tickled Momo’s brain. She turned to Okarun. “When you said you got mugged…”

“I was actually here,” he admitted quietly.

“By the way,” Pompadour gestured at Okarun’s hand. “What’s with the wrap?”

“Oh, uh,” Okarun took on a sheepish look, “I… got in a fight.”

Pompadour looked surprised at this. “Really? Was it with that same guy? How’d it happen?”

Okarun rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, it was the same guy, and, well, I kinda lost my head and I…”

“He protected me,” Momo chimed in, finding her voice in her eagerness to uphold the truth. “He fought off three dickwads who tried to grab me and start shit. Put their asses in the hospital!”

“Three guys? Woah!” said Buzz Cut appreciatively. “Nicely done, Takakura!”

“Well, I only beat two at a time after the first went down,” Okarun explained quietly. 

“Here, look!” said Momo, pulling out her phone and retrieving the video she’d seen earlier. “It was amazing!”

The three senpai huddled close to Momo’s phone. Their expressions shifted from shock to appreciative grins in sync as they watched. The sight of it dampened the renewed embarrassment Momo felt hearing herself again; Okarun didn’t fare as well and blushed as the video went on. “Daaaamn, Takakura!” said Buzz Cut, eyes wide with admiration. “You wrecked those fools!”

Momo nodded enthusiastically. “Right?”

Okarun looked surprised. “You’re not upset that I used my skills to hurt someone?”

“Upset? Are you kidding?” Shaved Head took on a serious expression. “Defending an innocent from danger is the noblest application of martial arts. We couldn’t be prouder.”

Momo smiled and saw that Okarun did as well, though he also looked somewhat bashful. Her expression soured a bit as she said, “He got suspended because of it, though.”

“Oh, what?” said Buzz Cut. “That’s bullshit. They were clearly the aggro ones there!”

“Yeah. We’re not gonna take it lying down,” insisted Momo.

“We aren’t?” asked Okarun.

“No! We’re gonna fight it tooth and nail, just like you fought those pricks!”

“I like this one, Takakura,” said Pompadour appreciatively.

“So wait,” said Momo, “Why did you decide to take him on in the first place if he bothered you so much?”

“Ah, well,” said Pompadour. “There I am, hitting him and throwing him down on the mat over and over, and I think to myself, ‘He’s gonna cry and quit any second now.’ But he keeps getting up, over and over, almost like there’s something else moving his body. Hardly ever seen anything like it.

“Eventually I start feeling sorry for the kid and advise him to just stay down. But he pushes himself back up, battered and bruised, and I’ll never forget it, he says,” he put on a dramatic voice, “‘I’ll rise a thousand times if it means I can get strong for Momo-chan!’”

Momo blushed hard. She wanted to look at Okarun, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead her hand fiddled with her hair compulsively.

“And I’ll admit it,” said Pompadour. “His guts impressed me. So I told him we’d take him on and show him how to get strong. Since then he’s been here, like I said, multiple times a day for hours at a time, almost every day. The days when he’s not here? Well,” he grinned pointing at Momo, “He tells us he’s been with you.”

Her heart thumped and pounded wildly in her chest, so much so she thought it might explode out of her ribcage. Her stomach fluttered with the wing beats of a billion butterflies. The things she was hearing were scrambling her insides, deep frying her brain, shaking her grip on reality. No words came to her to expel any of these feelings.

“And he’s made great progress! He started out pretty pathetic — no offense, Takakura.”

“None taken,” said Okarun.

“But he does the work — five sets of twenty for all his exercises and plenty of practice matches with us and the other gym members, morning and evening, no matter how sore or tired he is.” 

Momo recalled how he winced trying to hold her backpack when she saw him after his “mugging,” the marked increase in his dietary intake, the scuff marks on his knuckles she’d occasionally see. 

“With all that time he put into it he was able to get good pretty quick.” Pompadour pointed at Momo’s phone. “Though we’ve never seen him move like that.”  

“So,” said Okarun, turning to her, “Does everything make sense now?”

Momo nodded slowly. “Yeah…” She gulped and looked away. “We should… get going before it gets too late.”

“Oh, okay,” said Okarun. “I’ll see you guys later. I guess I’ll be having a lot of free time in the near future.”

“Later, Takakura! Nice meeting you, Momo-chan!” called Pompadour as he and the other two waved them off. 

While they walked towards Momo’s home, her heart still beat violently in her chest with no way for her to vent the torrent of energy flowing through it. Minutes passed as they walked in silence, Okarun sensing an odd air about her but not wanting to prod too hard after the chaotic day they’d had. 

Memories swam through Momo’s head. The deeply purpled bruises on Okarun’s face the day after his first fight. The second batch after what she now knew was hazing gone awry. His fist, wounded and bandaged just today. What Pompadour told her Okarun had said on that first day of training. 

All that pain, all that suffering. He’d put himself through it for her. It was all for her. That was what she wanted, right? For him to care that much about her?

Right?

As they approached her house and Okarun handed her her bag, Momo broke the silence. “The pencils,” she said quietly, remembering the instruments she’d seen broken in his bag periodically. Every time she’d asked he’d claimed he had just stepped on his bag or something else had broken them. “You broke those on purpose, didn’t you?”

Okarun looked a touch guilty. “Ah. Sort of, yes. Even though you ordered me not to fight for you, I would still get angry when I heard people saying those nasty things about you. I…” He clenched his good fist. “I couldn’t take it. Training became a good outlet for me, but even so, in school, sometimes, it would just be too much. So I took it out on my pencils.”

A moment passed. “You… you lied,” she whispered.

Guilt covered Okarun’s features. “I did. I’m sorry,” he replied earnestly. “I didn’t want you to worry about how upset I was getting at my own helplessness.”

He didn’t want her to worry? “You lied about the mugging too,” she uttered, just a touch louder this time.

Another wave of guilt washed over Okarun. “Yes. That’s true. I’m sorry,” he said again. “I… I just wanted to become strong. I thought it would be cool if you saw me get stronger without realizing. And again, I didn’t want you to worry about me.” Momo said something inaudible. “Can you repeat that? I didn’t hear you.”

“I called you a liar,” she said, her voice shaky. “You said you wouldn’t fight for me, but you did, even though I ordered you not to.”

“But Momo-san—”

“No but!” she barked. “You think I need you to be violent for me, like some big strong man? You think that’ll make me like you more? I told you it wouldn’t! I don’t need you to do that!” Her eyes were wild with anger as her voice grew louder and less steady with each word.

“I know you don’t,” said Okarun hurriedly, arms raised as though trying to calm a wild animal, the panic at this sudden, unexpected downturn in the conversation evident in his expression. “I just… I just…”

“If I can’t trust you, then I don’t need you to be my friend or anything else! Here’s my final order and you’d better follow it!” She thrust a finger towards him. “Don’t ever come near me again!”

Okarun’s mouth fell open. The light in his eyes dimmed almost to vanishing. He looked like he had been struck hard, harder than any punch he had ever taken. His arms lowered until they were limp at his side. Momo gulped, doing her best to remain steadfast as she watched the life drain from him. 

“Okay,” he said quietly. “If that’s what you want, I will follow it. I’m sorry. And… thank you for everything.” He turned away from her. “Goodbye, Ayase-san.” Slowly, without looking back, he walked off.

Unable to hold herself together anymore, Momo sprinted into her house, flew up the stairs, threw herself on her bed, and wept, and wept, and wept.

Order #28: The End

Notes:

And so our tale ends. Sorry if you were expecting a happy ending, but this is how I envisioned the story from the start. Just a tragedy between two almost lovers. All that build up only to end in tears.

... But wait, why doesn't it say 10/10 chapters in the description? And why do I have a chapter called Without in my documents? Well, maybe if you wait a bit, you might find out.

This is probably the chapter I've been most anticipating posting. I couldn't get the scenes out of my head when they first came to me, Okarun getting his runback, the three senpai, the final scene. Usually when I cook meals I listen to a podcast, but when my brain started composing this chapter, I just let it go on in silence. I hope you got some of that satisfaction out of reading it!

As always, if you enjoyed reading, please drop a comment and/or leave a kudos! See you next time! If there is one...

Chapter 11: Without

Summary:

Everything is ruined. Everything is broken. Momo knows she did it to herself. Now she's left to pick up the pieces. Can she live with just the shards of what she's destroyed?

Notes:

Did you notice I added angst to the tags? There are a few more there that might be of interest.

Of course, last chapter wasn't actually the ending! I couldn't leave the story on that note. But, well, judging by how many of you commented, maybe I should hurt Okarun and Momo more often...

I kid, I kid. I really enjoyed seeing how invested you've become in the story! Thank you so much!

Part 11: Without

Momo woke up. For a second, it was peaceful. Then memory struck her. She instinctively wanted to stay in bed, to delay burdensome consciousness as much as possible, but knew that if she did, it wouldn’t get any better. 

Such was her thought when her grandmother, worried at her appearance, asked if she wanted to stay home from school. Momo refused. She needed to face this day. It would be the first day of many and she figured she’d better get used to it.

For a few minutes, she lingered in her home. She realized she was waiting out of habit, a habit she would no longer need to practice. With a word of goodbye to Seiko, she stepped out of the house and began the trek to school. 

Was her backpack always this heavy?

She removed it from her back and unzipped the main pouch to inspect its contents. She hadn’t put in any books or materials she didn’t need. No heavy textbooks occupied the space. It was just the normal load. 

Just normal.

It took what felt like ages to get to school. The road there was so quiet and boring, the scenery so dull.

“Hey,” said Miko as Momo walked into class. “You okay, hun? You don’t look good.”

“She’s in Okarun withdrawal,” said Muko. “Guy’s been suspended and she needs her fix.”

Shut up. Momo didn’t have the energy to verbalize this. “I’m just tired,” she mumbled. “Didn’t sleep well last night.” 

“Aw, you poor thing,” said Miko sincerely. “Well, you’ll see him later, right?”

Momo couldn’t bring herself to deny it. “Yeah,” she muttered tonelessly. 

Classes proceeded like a dull, grey blur. The teachers’ voices were muted to Momo. It all felt so understimulating. The only thing that stayed in her mind was…

No.

During a free period, Momo found herself unable to participate in her friends’ conversation. Fresh rumors had flooded the school in the wake of yesterday’s fight; such a massive stimulus, confirmed by eye witnesses, after a prolonged absence of actual events was like kerosene on a fire. One was that Okarun was his Yakuza name and he had learned to fight in underground mixed martial arts matches. That was among the tamer ones.

They got pretty outlandish, with some of the more fantasy-minded students claiming he traded something precious to a yokai in exchange for dark powers. Someone suggested he’d given away his testicles, but that was quickly laughed off; surely his actions yesterday proved he absolutely had balls. Someone else suggested that he might have gained his abilities after becoming a vampire, specifically a handsome one. This was quickly traced back to a certain class rep.

Naturally, gossip about Momo mixed in with these. Okarun was a government agent sent to protect Momo from gangsters. They had eloped and Okarun had killed seven men to be with her. Momo had an army of ninjas at her beck and call and Okarun was the scion of their clan, blending into normal school life as an unassuming nerd until he officially assumed its leadership. This sort of talk littered the school.

Somehow, these rumors were less tolerable than the ones about her sexual promiscuity. She decided a walk to escape them was necessary. Another memory, a far off one, came to her. She’d taken a walk like this months ago when her first boyfriend had dumped her. She’d trudged through the halls, heartbroken, looking for any amount of relief. That was when she found…

No.

She kept walking. It was all she could think to do. Eventually, she passed a couple of boys who were whispering and intermittently glancing at her. As she witnessed it, she realized she hadn’t noticed the usual ugly looks and whispers students made about her all morning. Of course, she hadn’t exactly been that aware of her surroundings…

“Man, look at that hot piece of ass,” uttered one of the two boys. Momo rolled her eyes as she prepared for the same sort of bullshit she’d been dealing with for months. “I bet I could get with her. You know everyone says she’ll sleep with anyone with a heartbeat and a d—”

“Dude, shut the hell up!” said the other boy urgently, nudging him with his elbow. “Do you have a death wish? That’s Takakura’s girl!”

“Oh shit, really?!” said the first boy, mortal fear apparent in his voice and expression. 

“Yeah! You heard about him nearly killing Hase and them over her, right?”

“I didn’t know that was her! I guess she’s not a slut after all if she’s with Takakura.”

Momo turned her icy gaze towards them. They put on two forced and nervous but polite smiles and waved innocently before running off. The smallest hint of a grin made its way to her lips as she watched them flee. 

She continued her walk, heart stirring with troublesome emotion. This feeling… this damn feeling… 

Then she spotted her: Aira Shiratori, the mother of all skanks. As usual, she was surrounded by her little flunkies, playing up her facade of sweet innocence, beloved by all who witnessed her.

Before she knew it, Momo found herself stomping up to her; without hesitation, she grabbed Aira by the collar with both hands and tugged hard.

“Eek! What are you doing?! Unhand me!” Aira shrieked.

“You bitch,” Momo hissed. “You miserable goddamn bitch. This is all your fault! You and your stupid fucking rumors!” For a split second, recognition crossed Aira’s features. Momo had never confirmed Aira’s culpability directly, but that small moment told her all she needed. 

She tightened her grip on Aira’s collar. “Okarun is suspended, maybe worse, all because of you! Because you couldn’t stand the idea that someone saw past your bullshit good girl routine and you lashed out like the bratty skank you are! If you hadn’t talked shit about me, Okarun would never have tried to fight anyone and he wouldn’t be—”

“Please, someone stop her!” Aira cried out.

Lost in her rage, Momo hadn’t realized it, but none of Aira’s clique were trying to pull her off of Aira. She glanced at them and registered their faces in turn — each was afraid, just as those two boys had been. 

“That’s right,” she growled, indulging in some grim satisfaction. “Now you reap what you sow. Now everyone knows who Okarun really is. So now you get this rare and special chance to come clean.” She pulled closer. “Admit you were the one spreading lies about me all along! Tell the truth and confess just how badly you’ve fucked up!”

Aira’s breathing was ragged, her eyes wide. “I…” she whispered. Momo could tell she had gotten through to her. This horrible girl was going to spill at long last. 

But then Aira looked at her friends. They too had taken in Momo’s accusations and now bore expressions with varying degrees of suspicion at the pink-haired girl. Aira swallowed and her breathing steadied. In a small, calm voice, she replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Momo clenched her jaw, her rage blazing yet hotter, and growled, “You loathsome fucking—”

“A-Ayase-san, please,” said one of Aira’s cronies quietly. “Please let Aira go. She doesn’t have anything to do with this. We’re very sorry if there’s been a misunderstanding.”

Momo looked at their frightened faces and felt a tinge of remorse, despite the strength of her conviction that she was in the right. “Fine.” She relinquished Aira’s collar with a bitter flourish. “You can remain a stupid, rotten piece of shit as long as you want. One day, if you’re lucky, you’ll wake up and realize just how terrible you really are.”

She turned and began to walk away. Suddenly, she heard Aira’s voice call out, “Wait, Momo Ayase!”

Momo turned to look at her. “What?” Inwardly, she prepared to riposte whatever awful jab Aira was to throw at her.

Aira’s voice grew soft, her expression showing what looked like genuine concern. “Is Takakura-kun… really in danger?”

This surprised Momo. “Yeah. He is,” she replied plainly.

Aira looked away. “I hope…” She gulped. “I hope he will be okay.”

Momo let out a heavy breath. “Me too.” With that, she left Aira and her followers behind.

As she trudged through the halls once more, she hated that she felt no better after this confrontation. The only difference was that now, instead of feeling numb and depressed, she felt angry and frustrated. Fucking Aira…

Really, she wasn’t angry at Aira. Well, she was, but Aira wasn’t the true reason she was upset; she knew Aira coming clean wouldn’t have fixed things. Images of herself yelling at Okarun yesterday flashed through her brain relentlessly. She shut her eyes futilely, instinctively trying to look away. Stop it. You did the right thing. Stop thinking about it.

But the sight of Okarun’s defeated face, the magnitude of the pain she had delivered him, wouldn’t leave her mind’s eye. So agonizing was the realization she would never see him again, never walk with him again, never talk with him again, never tell him how she really…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sensation of warm fluid on her cheeks. She opened her eyes, surprised at her own tears. Quickly, she wiped them with her sleeve. With a deep breath, she centered herself as best she could and decided to return to class. It was almost lunchtime. Lunchtime she would be sharing with…

No.

Before she could take another step, she heard a voice call, “Excuse me, Ayase-san?”

She turned to see Rin, the class rep. “What’s up?” she asked as pleasantly as she could muster.

“I’m glad I ran into you. I am gathering signatures for a petition to end Takakura-kun’s suspension and prevent any further punishment.” She held out a pen and clipboard with a sheet of paper on it. “I assumed you would want to sign it too.”

Momo blinked. “I do.” Taking the pen, she noticed the decently large number of signatures already present. A mixture of warmth and cold sadness swirled in her heart. Of course people would side with Okarun. He was in the right in the fight. And besides that, he was truly…

She caught herself before she could venture further down the mental path. Quickly, she jotted her name down and handed the clipboard back to Rin. 

“Thank you,” said Rin. “And I’m sorry that you were caught up in the violence yesterday.”

“It’s alright,” Momo replied, waving off her apology. “I didn’t get hurt because Okarun…” Her breath hitched. “Because he was there.” For me.

“Right,” said Rin. “Well, I’ll be off then.”

As Rin walked away, Momo sank back into her sorrow. He did it all for me. With slow, plodding steps she ventured back to class.

“Hey,” said Miko as Momo returned. “You alright?” 

“M’fine,” Momo mumbled.

“Wanna get lunch with us since Okarun’s not here today?” asked Muko.

Momo sighed. “Sure.” 

Their acquisition of food was a blur to Momo. Her emotions had simmered and now she was back to numbness. Somehow she and her friends wound up in the courtyard. She was munching idly on her food. It tasted bland. Flavorless. Wanting to wash the lack of taste out of her mouth, she took a swig of her juice, only to find a similar dullness. “I think I got a bad Pompy,” she muttered.

“Really?” asked Miko. 

“Yeah. It’s like water. See for yourself.” Momo extended the carton to her friend.

Miko took a sip. “Hmm. Nope. Tastes the same to me.”

“Oh,” said Momo tonelessly. 

Miko and Muko glanced at each other, concern plain on their faces. “Momo,” began Muko gently, “I know Okarun getting suspended was rough, but you’re gonna see him later, right? It’s not the end of the world.”

Momo steeled her resolve as best she could, but a whimper escaped her lips as a single tear fell down her cheek.

“Momo?” Miko leaned in. “There’s something else going on, isn’t there? C’mon, tell us.”

Momo took a deep breath as she debated revealing the truth. Eventually, the pain inside her won out and she began to spill every detail. It was hard reliving the events of the previous day, but she powered through until she was done.

A few moments passed after she finished. “Momo,” Muko said softly. She extended her arm, resting her hand on Momo’s shoulder. Momo met her eyes. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

This shocked Momo enough that she briefly forgot her bereft sorrow. “Hah?!”

“I mean, why the hell would you throw away a perfectly good guy after he showed just how devoted he is to you?” Muko’s eyes went wide, emphasizing her incredulity. “Seriously! Why would you do that?”

“She’s right,” said Miko. “It makes zero sense, hun.”

“You don’t understand,” Momo insisted, fists balled. “He got hurt because of me! Multiple times!”

“And how do you think he feels right now?” asked Muko.

Momo looked away, feeling a stab at her heart. “He’ll get over it,” she replied quietly. “But if he keeps hanging around me he’ll just get hurt more in the future.”

“Momo, you can’t control how other people act,” said Miko. “He did what he did because he cares about you that much. You can’t just put him in a cage and think it’s for his own good because he’ll be protected from the world.”

“Maybe I can!” Momo cried. “Maybe it’s more important to keep him safe than it is for me to…” She stifled a sob.

“That won’t bring anyone happiness,” said Muko. “It’ll just create misery for both of you. It already has! Pushing him away won’t stop him from acting based on how he feels about you. And, not for nothing, it’s kinda clear he can take care of himself now, y’know?”

Momo couldn’t come up with a retort. Her heart beat with wild abandon in her chest contemplating it. It was all so hard to deal with, to know how to move forward. Even her guiding light, asking herself what Ken Takakura would do, didn’t help. 

“We’re just saying,” Miko uttered with a gentle tone, “There’s a way to make both of you happy. And we think you know what that is.” Momo didn’t reply. “Lunch is almost over. We should get back to class. Just think about it, okay?”

—

Thinking about it was all Momo would do until the end of the day, as well as on the long, painfully quiet walk home, as well as when she ate her bland, tasteless dinner.

“Momo?” Seiko gave her a concerned look. “What’s up? You’ve barely touched your food.”

“M’fine.”

Seiko’s eyes narrowed. “Bull. There’s no way you’d pass up gorging yourself on crab legs.” She leaned in close to her granddaughter. “I’ll use my powers on you if you don’t spill.” Momo rolled her eyes at this and remained silent. “Alright. You asked for it.” Seiko held her hands up in front of Momo as if she were looking at her through a telescope. “You and Ken broke up, didn’t you?”

Of course, it wasn’t like Seiko needed supernatural abilities to guess the true nature of her pain, but Momo’s heart ached regardless. “We didn’t…” She was barely audible. “We weren’t…”

Seiko waved her denial away. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Was it you or him?” Momo’s lip trembled as she came closer to the topic and she looked away. “So it was you, huh. Why’d you do it? Was he being an asshole?”

“No.” It was the first thing she could say with any conviction. “He was really good to me.”

“I see.” Seiko sat back, arms crossed. “So, you must’ve had some other reason. You’re not dumb enough to do something like that without cause.”

“Yeah…” The conviction vanished from Momo’s tone. “Maybe… I mean…”

“You don’t have to justify yourself if you don’t want to.” Seiko looked into her eyes, her expression uncharacteristically soft. “Is there anything that would make you feel better?” 

Momo thought for a moment. “Can I go lie down?”

–

A few minutes later, she lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her phone felt heavy as it sat on her abdomen. Idly, she remembered another time when it had seemed more weighty — months ago, when she thought Okarun had asked her on a…

No.

Maybe this would get easier over time. Or maybe the hole in her soul would grow and grow until it collapsed in on itself, swallowing her up in the process. It was impossible to tell.

She tilted her head to her left, spotting her bookshelf. A certain manga caught her eye: the last volume of Death Note. She had never returned it after he’d leant it to her. She’d meant to, but for some reason she kept forgetting. It ended up becoming a small pseudo-keepsake. Now, she supposed, it would be like that forever.

Looking at it brought back memories of the manga trade they’d started in the early days of their friendship, memories warm as sunlight yet sharp as glass. He’d taken a genuine interest in her things, been enthusiastic in his consumption of them, really put the effort in to connect with her. It was one of the things that kept her wanting to bond with him in those first few weeks.

But no more. No more engaging, passionate talks about whatever with him. No more sharing and discovering new things with him. No more fun.

The pain too great, she turned away from the manga, only to catch sight of a green alien plushie. She had bought it on one of their shopping excursions. It had called out to her for reasons she didn’t understand at the time.

Now she knew. She knew why she had steadily replaced her Ken Takakura paraphernalia with occult-related things. She knew why seeing that little plushie hurt her at this moment. Most of all, she knew she would never be able to bring herself to throw it away.

Overwhelmed yet more, she planted her face in her pillow, blocking out all sight. But that did nothing to quell the hurtful thoughts. Miko and Muko’s advice ran through her mind at a breakneck pace. She had to face it: she was miserable. Just one day in this new life had taxed her terribly. 

Could she really stick it out indefinitely? Was this dull, darkened, grayscale world just the one she lived in permanently now? 

The weight of her phone pressed down on her. With a slow hand, she grasped it, her cheeks already red from nervous anticipation of what she was about to do. She opened the messaging app and found the last message from Okarun, from before the fight. “See you tomorrow,” it read. Momo’s eyes felt hot and she knew she had to proceed. She could tolerate no other avenue.

She wrote out three simple letters and stared at them. The last time she had been this hesitant to message him was after the first time he’d stayed over for dinner, when she had touched the barest edges of the possibility of having feelings for him. It was too early, back then. Now, maybe, it was too late.

But maybe not.

She hit the send button. The message bubble appeared: “Hey…”

A minute passed. She wondered if this basic a message might be too vague for reaching out after such a cataclysmic end the day prior and, worse, he might not be willing to reconcile, at least not so soon. She began to type a followup when she received a message in return: “Hey.”

A droplet of hope hit her, like a miraculous elixir. He hadn’t closed himself off to her just yet. Not completely. “Can we talk?” she asked.

“I would like that.”

She began to type furiously, but stopped herself after a minute. Instead, she replied, “Can we meet up?” It was late, so he could easily refuse, but she had to ask at the very least. She needed to see him in person; there was simply too much inside her to leave to text.

“Sure. Where?”

“My place? Meet me by the gate?”

“I’ll be right over.”

Momo didn’t anticipate the magnitude of the relaxation of her muscles that followed that message. She told herself it was too soon to celebrate, but her inner Momo was already doing cartwheels. She had a chance, a chance to unfuck this situation that she had royally fucked in the first place.

She got dressed in the best looking warm outfit she could manage and carefully fussed with her hair until it looked how she liked before heading out the door and to the gate. There she waited for what felt like hours, but which her phone told her were mere minutes. After several, the fear that he would just leave her hanging crept into her heart. Worse, she knew she would deserve it.

But then it came. The most wonderful voice she had ever heard called out, “Ayase-san!”

When she laid eyes on him, the first hues of color returned to her painfully achromatic world. Her heart jumped into her throat and she felt fluttering in her belly. She knew she couldn’t back down from her course of action no matter what. 

“Okarun.” Her voice was soft, still throttled by her nerves. Once he was sufficiently close, they stood there for a long moment. Eventually, Momo broke the silence. “Let’s take a walk by the river.” The last thing she needed was for her grandmother to wander out of the house and barge into this most sensitive situation.

“Okay,” said Okarun. 

As they walked, she kept glancing at him, and he at her, though never at the same time. Now that he was here, she wasn’t sure where to begin. Her feelings threatened to burst out of her, but she couldn’t come up with a way to gently relieve the strain of containing them and maintain her composure simultaneously. 

Finally, she decided to ask, “How’s your hand?”

He considered it for a moment. “It’s better. It didn’t get hurt too badly, it turns out.”

“Good.”

“How are you?”

The question was unusually massive. “I’m…” she began. What would she tell him? Miserable? Miserable without him? Desperate for forgiveness? 

It seemed there was only one answer. She stopped in her tracks. “I’m sorry, Okarun.”

He blinked, stopping as well. “Ayase-san?”

Her eyes became half-lidded. “I was terrible to you. I pushed you away when you didn’t do anything wrong. I broke our friendship because I was afraid… afraid that it would hurt you, because I felt it had already hurt you so much.” 

Being so honest with her emotions helped relieve some of the pressure in her soul, but with it came the chance of more tears. Still, she pressed on. “But I was wrong to try to get rid of you. You mean so, so much to me. I’m sorry.” She looked at him, eyes filled with contrition. “Can you forgive me?”

He didn’t reply at first. Momo tensed, fearing he was gearing up to reject her apology. Finally, he said, “It’s all right, Ayase-san. I forgive you.”

Momo could feel her eyes growing hot once more. “Thank you,” she whispered quickly as she struggled to keep control over herself.

“But you’re incorrect.” This stalled Momo’s catharsis. “I did do something wrong. Like you said, I lied to you. Hid things from you. I should have been honest from the start.” He gave a deep bow. “I’m sorry. I won’t lie ever again.”

Her body filled with warmth at his gesture. Even now, even here, with all the hurt she had laid on him, he still considered her feelings. “Lift your head,” she said quietly. “It’s okay. It’s all okay. I’m just glad we can fix things.”

He lifted himself back up. “Me too. I’ll be honest, even though it was just a day,” he gave her a warm smile, “it was really hard without you.”

Momo’s heart panged at this and she knew, at long last, it was time. It was time to find out the final truth, once and for all. She was ready. If she didn’t do it now, she didn’t know if she would work up the nerve ever again. “Okarun, I’m taking back my last order, obviously. But…” She looked into his eyes imploringly. “I have a new one.”

“What is it?” he asked, uncertainty covering his features.

The moment had come. It was now or never. She felt ready to explode as the words came to her lips. “In perfect detail, leaving out nothing,” she began, her hands shaking, “tell me how you really feel about me.”

Order #28, Revised: The Truth

Notes:

What's better than one cliffhanger? Two cliffhangers in a row!

Poor Momo, really having a rough time of it. Did anyone think she would be able to last even one day without Okarun in her life? Certainly he wouldn't go without her if he had the chance not to. But, well, we had to see some of hurt/comfort promised in the tags. I hope this was some relief for those of you who were upset by the ending of the last chapter! I enjoyed writing it quite a bit.

As always, if you liked reading, please leave a comment or a kudos. Stay tuned for the final chapter in the story: The Truth. See you next time!

Chapter 12: The Truth

Summary:

The final chapter is here. Everything is laid out in the open. Okarun and Momo's lives change forever. Read on to see if they can make it to a better ending.

Notes:

Here we are at the end of all things. Thanks as always to the commenters and kudos-ers. I'm so grateful for the response to the last chapter, even more massive than the one before it. We left things on a tense note, didn't we? Let's get to addressing that.

Part 12: The Truth

As soon as she gave the order, Momo’s face turned red, and his did as well, but she didn’t take it back or look away. He stared at her, mouth agape. After a long moment, he gulped and his expression turned towards one of determination. “Okay.”

At his simple word, Momo’s heart rate leapt up. She knew things were about to become serious, far more than they already were.

“When you met me,” he began, eyes downcast, “I was alone. I didn’t have a bond with anyone. I had nothing but my fantasies of an alien coming down to be my friend. My world was dull and gray, with nonstop harassment and indifference from everyone around me. Sometimes I felt like I should just—” He paused. “I felt bad, to say the least. But then…” 

His features softened as he met her gaze.  “Then you appeared in my life and everything changed. You illuminated the world around me and brought color to my sight. Even though we bickered and fought that first day, it was more of a connection than I’d ever been granted in my life. I had no idea how to act with a potential friend, so I was an awkward fellow about it. I’m sorry for that.”

Beyond its already wild pace, Momo’s heart thumped even harder at his wording. “It’s okay,” she whispered.

“When we started hanging out, I was desperate to keep this bond, to strengthen it with all my effort. I never wanted it to stop. Every day with you, my new friend, was magical.”

Friend. An icy spike of worry shot through her. 

“I treasured our bond so much that, as you know,” his voice grew quiet, “I got in over my head when Hase insulted you. I could take it when he was a jerk to me, but when he said those awful things about you, I just couldn’t stop myself. And, well, you saw how that ended.”

The image of bruised and beaten Okarun flashed through her head. Things were so different back then. He was so different. At least, how she saw him was.

“You forbade me from acting on that anger again. After that… Well, I told you what I did yesterday. I just wanted nothing more than to be useful to you, my best friend. To be someone you could rely on, not someone you had to worry about.”

Friend. There it was again. Momo felt her heart race at the possibility looming over her. “A friend,” she repeated quietly. “Is that all I am?” She looked deep into his eyes, as if trying to plumb the depths of his very soul. “Is everything you do just for our friendship?”

Okarun didn’t respond. He looked away, thoughtfulness in his gaze. “I think a lot about the first week of us knowing each other.” Momo felt yet more worry at his lack of a direct answer. “When we watched E.T, you saw me in a moment of weakness and you didn’t dismiss me or make fun of me. You were… gentle. Understanding. Accepting. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before.”

She remembered his tears at the movie theater. He had been so vulnerable, it was sweet.

“I’ve thought about the hug you gave me back then every day since. The warmth and kindness in it.” He grinned. “I can’t stop myself from thinking about you, Ayase-san. You’re always in my thoughts. Even just this one day, being apart from you, thinking I’d never get to see you again, was almost too much to bear. Hearing that you wanted to patch things up with me made me so, so happy.” 

The way his smile widened at that moment nearly made Momo melt. She could feel the conflict within her escalating as her hope for where he was going with this speech clashed against her fear that she might be wrong. Please. Please…

“I’ve realized it’s the same sort of happiness I get whenever I see you… whenever you call me ‘Okarun’... whenever we hold hands. And I think…”

He swallowed. 

“I think…” 

His chest rose with deep breath. 

“I think that happiness is called ‘love.’” 

A second passed. 

“I love you, Ayase-san.”

And that was it. The words were out, crystalized in the night air, never to revert to mere thought. Somehow they were soft as a whisper, yet loud as a cannon. Momo could never have anticipated the sheer volume of emotion that overcame her; it was dizzying, paralyzing, utterly and completely overwhelming. 

Relief, validation, and most of all reciprocation flooded her veins, her eyes wide in pure astonishment. So massive was the impact that she could do nothing but stand there, staring, as if moving would shatter the moment and undo what had so wonderfully been done.

She realized, quite obviously in retrospect, that he was waiting for her response, and said the first thing that came to mind: “Momo.”

He looked confused. “What?”

She took a step towards him. “Say it again, but call me Momo this time.” 

He let out a small, nervous chuckle. This was a good sign, right? With a grand smile on his lips, he said, “I love you, Momo-san.”

The second time was no less impactful. If anything, it amplified the feelings left by the first and Momo found herself shedding tears that, for the first time that day, were not of sorrow. She stepped towards him. Her hands rose to cup his face. Her lips approached his.

“Wait,” he said suddenly, grabbing her wrists and tilting his head back.

Panic coursed through Momo’s nerves. Was he rejecting her? Now? After all this? “What?” 

“I have to tell you something else.” He gulped. “Back when we met, when we started this whole bet between us… you said that both of us had to do what the other wanted, because we both lost the bet. But that was wrong. The terms were that the loser would do what the winner wanted.” 

His expression grew guilt-filled, as though he were confessing to murder. “Neither of us won, so neither of us should have been on the hook. And I let you believe that misconception. That means this whole arrangement… our entire friendship… has been based on a lie.”

Momo blinked. Then her lips curved into a wide smile and she laughed wildly.

Okarun looked puzzled and a touch embarrassed. “Wh-what’s so funny?”

Wiping a tear from her eye, she came down from her laughing fit. “You think I didn’t know that? Dummy. I went along with it because I wanted to get to know you better. If there were any point where I didn’t want to do it, do you really think I would have kept going?”

He looked stunned as he released her wrists. He had never even contemplated this possibility. “Then…”

“Yup. You charmed me fair and square.” She looked at him with a sweet expression. eyes full of affection. “And I’m really glad I did go along with it, because if I hadn’t,” she pulled his face towards hers, “I never would have fallen in love with such a wonderful man.”

Though technically accurate, it would be irresponsible, at this point, to say that the two of them merely kissed. A kiss is a mundane act, a simple contact of flesh on flesh. Its mere description proffers nothing close to the enormity of what Okarun and Momo experienced. 

What transpired between these two was a union — of bodies, of hearts, of minds and souls. Like hydrogen atoms fusing to yield helium, so too did the meeting of their lips birth into this universe a wholly different manner of existence than their individualities would have ever allowed alone.

Their energies mixed and augmented as their mutual feelings poured into one another, filled with their shared memories and emotions from the months of their friendship, the desire for each other that had become so deep-seated in the essence of their beings. The kiss transformed dead cold into the warmth of a raging flame. It was everything they had ever wanted, everything they had dreamed of and more.

And yet, when they parted, it was too soon. Both red cheeked, neither knew what to say as they held each other’s gaze. The moment was too pure to potentially pollute with poorly picked words. 

Momo decided to trust her instincts once more, landing on just one word. “Again.” Though she did not explicitly name it as such, it was clear that this was nothing short of an order. Okarun interpreted it easily, this time taking the initiative to lean in towards her. The second kiss was just as spectacular, perhaps even more so, only serving to stoke the fire of their love hotter, hotter, and hotter still.

Less than a second after this kiss ended, she repeated her command: “Again.” Over and over, Momo demanded more, and, over and over, Okarun was all too happy to oblige.

Orders #29, 30, 31, 32, and 33: Again

Eventually, they were left breathless and panting, gazing with pure love into each other’s eyes, her arms wrapped lovingly around his neck and his around her waist. In unison, they let out a small laugh, the tension that had preceded this moment completely dissolved. 

“Y’know,” she said, “I was starting to think we’d never get here. I’ve been waiting for a long time for this.”

He looked at her quizzically. “You have?”

She nodded. “Ever since we held hands when we watched Golgo 13. I kinda thought you were going to kiss me back then.”

“I really wanted to,” he admitted. 

“You should’ve!” she said with a pout. “I would’ve kissed you back!” She thought for a moment. “Probably.”

“‘Probably’ is proof I shouldn’t have.”

“Maybe. But still. You could’ve done so at any point between then and now! Like when we went stargazing, that was the perfect time!”

“I wasn’t confident in myself.” He looked off to the side. “Because, you know…”

She looked at him incredulously. “Even though you’d become a kung fu master by then?” 

“I’m hardly a master,” he muttered. “I just felt so uncool after I got beat up, I didn’t think you could ever see me that way.”

“Well, I hope you understand just how cool I think you are.” 

“I do feel pretty cool now.”

“You’ve been cool to me since long before now. By the way,” she said with a smile, “I know I said otherwise, but it was really cool the way you beat those assholes up. Like, don’t do it again without a good reason, but it was super hot.”

Okarun blushed. “I-I’m glad you think so, Aya— Momo-san.”

“That’s better.”

“So,” he said with a nervous tone. “Does this mean we’re… dating?”

Momo couldn’t help but let out a large belly laugh at this. “Only if you want to!”

“I do!” he said quickly. “I really, really do.”

She nodded. “Then that settles it. You’re my boyfriend and I’m your girlfriend, starting ten minutes ago.”

The words aloud had an exhilarating effect on Okarun and his face showed it. Momo found his expression so cute she found herself leaning in to kiss him again and was thrilled when he returned it in kind.

After a few more minutes of embracing one another, she frowned. “Mmmm. I don’t wanna go back to my house. I wanna stay with you. But granny’ll throw a fit if you sleep over.”

His heart thumped hard at the idea that she had even considered such a thing. “W-we’ll see each other tomorrow when I walk you to school, won’t we?”

“Yeah…” she muttered, feeling it small consolation. “I’ll miss you at lunch.”

“I’ll be waiting for you at the end of the day.”

Those words restored her smile. “Good.”

They parted with one more farewell kiss soon after, and before she had even walked back to her house she found herself sending a text to him saying she loved him, her message surrounded by heart emojis, and gifs of various fictional characters clearly in love. He met her every response with an adoring message of his own, and each one made her feel like she was walking on air.

Finally, as she laid in bed, she sent him a smiling selfie with the message, “G’night, my awesome boyfriend.” It was corny, but, well, he was kind of corny too, so she didn’t mind herself.

True to form, he replied with his own nervously smiling self-portrait, along with the text, “Good night, my wonderful girlfriend.”

Momo gave it a heart react and held the phone to her chest until blissful sleep took her. Unbeknownst to her, Okarun did the same.

—

Momo and Okarun smiled as they held hands the entire way to school the next morning. The feelings of the previous night lingered in their hearts like the still warm coals of a freshly put out bonfire. She was too self-conscious to give him more than a quick peck on the cheek while she was pretty sure no other students were looking, but he didn’t take it as a slight.

As she walked the halls, she noted that once again the looks and whispers of other students were absent. Instead, several people, some of whom she had witnessed shittalking her in previous weeks, addressed her very politely and cordially. She shrugged it off; maybe more of them had been swayed by Okarun’s new level of notoriety like the two boys from the day before. Either way, it was a welcome change.

“Hey,” said Miko with a gentle tone as Momo sat down in class. “How’re you feeling? Any better?”

“Great,” Momo replied earnestly. “Right as rain.”

Miko tilted her head, then squinted at her. After a second, her eyes went wide. “Oh my god. You kissed Okarun.”

Momo blushed. “Hah!?” Even if Miko was right, Momo hadn’t expected her to just call her out like this. 

Muko looked up from her phone. “Woah, what?”

“Look at her!” Miko pointed at Momo. “Look at that face!”

Muko gasped. “Oh my god, it’s true! You totally kissed him!”

“Keep your voices down!” Momo hissed. 

“Wait, Momo, you kissed Takakura-kun?” asked one girl, suddenly approaching.

“Well yeah, they’re dating,” said another girl. “Obviously they kiss each other.”

“They weren’t dating!” said Miko excitedly. “They weren’t before, but now they are, right Momo?!”

“I don’t blame you after he beat up those creeps for you,” said Ririna. “He’s such a hunk!”

More and more of Momo’s classmates approached with immense curiosity. Her blush deepened and she started to sweat as they looked at her expectantly. Finally, a nervous smile on her lips, she muttered, “Yeah, we kissed. And… yeah, we’re dating.”

From the reaction of the crowd it might have seemed to an outsider that they had just successfully landed a rocket on the moon. Momo was overwhelmed with the attention, but found herself giving into it. She was deliriously happy with this new development in her life. 

Why shouldn’t everyone be happy with her? 

—

Throughout class, Momo didn’t bother trying to pay attention to the lessons, instead opting to text Okarun more words, emojis, and gifs of affection, which he generously reciprocated. Twice the teacher scolded her for texting in class, but she couldn’t resist trying again, hiding the phone as best she could behind her book.

Finally lunch period arrived. As she walked to the cafeteria with her friends, she texted Okarun, “I can’t wait until we can have lunch together again. I miss you so much.” She couldn’t believe how clingy she was letting herself be, but she had to be her authentic self.

Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her. “I miss you too.”

She whipped around, wide-eyed, and spotted the boy she was just texting standing in the hall a few feet away. “O-Okarun?!” she exclaimed and dashed towards him.

Miko and Muko looked at each other and grinned. “We’ll let you catch up, Momo,” the former said before the two continued on their way.

On instinct, Momo planted a kiss on his lips before asking, “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t allowed on school grounds if you were suspended.”

“The principal called me in,” he explained. “He said he wanted to discuss my future. I was headed to his office just now.”

“Well, let’s go then!” she said exuberantly.

Okarun blinked. “Together?”

“Yeah!” 

“Okay then…”

They reached the door to the principal’s office. Okarun knocked; the principal’s voice from within called, “Come in.”

As Okarun opened the door, Momo strode past him all the way to the principal’s desk.

He raised an eyebrow. “Ayase-san, what are you doing here? This meeting is for Takakura-san.”

“I know,” said Momo, “But you’re gonna listen to what I have to say.” Normally, even for Momo, accosting just a teacher was too insubordinate for her, let alone the principal of the whole school. But her sense of justice was prevailing and her mind held clear purpose. “Okarun didn’t do anything wrong. Not a single thing.”

“Momo-san…” Okarun whispered as he followed her inside. 

“He defended me from three creeps who were trying to attack me. If he hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would have happened to me, but it would’ve been much worse.”

“Ayase-san,” said the principal, “you—”

“He’s a great man, the best in the school. He’s got a heart of pure gold. He’s a credit to this institution and you’ve punished him for it. I don’t care how well connected the bastards he rightfully beat down are, they deserve ten times what he’s gotten and he deserves less than nothing of it!” 

“If you’ll just listen—”

“So you’re gonna lift his suspension and you’re not gonna do anything else to him.” Momo planted her palms on the desk. “Otherwise, I’m gonna raise a stink so foul everyone in the city will smell it. Your school will get a reputation for letting people who attempt sexual assault get off scot free. Do you want that?”

The principal sighed. “Takakura-san.”

“Yes?” said Okarun, who had turned red from Momo’s effusive praise and impassioned defense. 

“I have reviewed footage of the incident. I have also received a petition signed by many of your classmates, including Ayase-san here, affirming the facts of the matter and the strength of your character. In light of these things, the school has decided to lift your suspension and remove it from your record with no further disciplinary action.”

“Thank you, sir!” said Okarun with a deep bow.

“Additionally,” the principal continued, “the instigators of the violence will be duly punished for their actions. Rest assured, this school will not tolerate those who seek to harm others.”

Momo’s jaw dropped. Then a massive smile blossomed on her face. She leapt into the air, both hands raised, and cheered, “Yes!” After she landed, she began a victory jig. “Yes, yes, yes!”

“Ayase-san, please leave my office,” said the principal with a tone of exasperation. “Takakura-san, you may return to campus properly tomorrow. You are dismissed.”

He and Momo left the office. Still giddy, Momo latched on to Okarun’s arm and nuzzled her cheek against his. “This is great!”

Okarun blushed, still not used to the reality of having a girlfriend with definitively romantic affection. “I’m relieved. I didn’t expect them to expunge the suspension.”

“We should celebrate!” She looked at Okarun with excited eyes. “We’re going to dinner tonight.”

“We are?”

“Of course. We need to go on a date — a real date, as an official couple. It’ll be nice and fancy and we’ll have a wonderful time.”

“That does sound good,” he said with a smile. “The principal said I can come back tomorrow, so I don’t think I’m allowed to join you at lunch today.”

“Ugh, lame,” grumbled Momo. “Sounds like a stupid technicality.”

“But I’ll see you at the end of the day?”

“You bet your ass you will.” She pulled him in close and gave him her firmest kiss yet.

With superlatively pleased looks, the two parted, and Momo headed to the cafeteria. She looked around for Miko and Muko. Before she could spot them, she noticed a strange sight: Aira Shiratori, sitting all alone at her own table. The expression on her face was nothing short of miserable.

Momo started to form a hypothesis. Pulling out her phone, she made a quick search on social media. Bingo. 

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t miss pure and popular, all by her lonesome,” she said as she approached.

Aira looked up with a startle. “Wh-what do you want?” she said fearfully.

“Nothin’. I just have a feeling a certain someone confessed about having spread nasty rumors about me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” said Aira. “I would know nothing about that!”

“Really? So this isn’t you?” Momo held up her phone’s screen to Aira. On it was a post from the previous night by a profile that was very obviously Aira’s. In it she admitted she was the source of all the bad rumors about Momo and, further, asked people to stop badmouthing her. “You know it’s a public post, right, dum-dum?”

Aira made a growling noise. “Well, so what if I did? I didn’t do it for you! I did it because Takakura-kun was suffering unfairly!”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” Momo shrugged. “If you still want to be a stupid skank, that’s your business.” She turned away from Aira. “You did a lot of harm, you know. Made my life worse for a long time. I’m not forgetting that.” 

She took a breath. With a glance over her shoulder, she added, “But it took guts to come clean, even if it took you way too long. I don’t dislike people with guts like that. If you wanna meet me in peacetime, and if you apologize to him, I’m sure Okarun wouldn’t mind us hanging out together.”

—

“And then he said…” Momo’s lips curved into a smile at her recollection, “that he loves me.” The words still felt surreal to her in the best way.

At their behest, Momo had divulged the details of Okarun’s confession from the previous night to Miko and Muko. She’d withheld it from the other girls, but with her best friends, she was only a little shy about the privacy of the matter.

“Wow,” said Muko, “that nerd has moves. He’s dangerous!”

“More dangerous than his martial arts skills,” noted Miko. "If the other girls knew he could talk like that, they’d be throwing themselves at him even harder than they already do.”

“Yeah, well, he’s mine now,” Momo asserted decisively. “So tough shit for them.”

“He’s been yours for a while,” said Muko.

“I guess he has,” replied Momo with a satisfied look.

“Y’know, you never told us why you started hanging with him in the first place,” said Miko.

Momo blinked. “Oh, uh,” she began, remembering that day months ago. Internally she wrestled with revealing this particular detail. The bet had been something she’d intended to keep secret, but now, with the way it had paid off… “I guess I can tell you.”

And so she told the story in full: the bet, the outcome, the consequences, all of it. She took her friends’ laughter on the chin, but once that subsided they called it cute, especially on his end.

The truth wasn’t so bad, she decided. The most important truth, the one he and she shared last night, had ended up being her favorite truth of all.

—

After an afternoon of antsy waiting, Momo met up with Okarun at the gates to the school. Despite having texted with him continuously until that moment, she threw her arms around him and, once they found a secluded spot, kissed him like he had been overseas for a year. Seeing him had evolved into a new kind of delight for her, outstripping the already massive happiness she got from seeing him before yesterday.

Fingers intertwined, they made their way to a decently nice restaurant. Okarun had let Momo pick the place but insisted he would pay; egalitarian though she was, she knew paying for her would be a kind of masculine fantasy for him and so did not push back. She did, however, find a place that wouldn’t break the bank too much.

When the server arrived at their table and lit the candle that sat between them, Momo eagerly told her they were on their first date as a couple. Okarun’s cheeks turned red but he smiled as the server congratulated them.

As they waited for their food, Momo couldn’t stop herself from falling into a pleasant daze looking at her new boyfriend. His confession and their first kiss flashed through her mind on loop; it still felt like a dream, one that had miraculously come true. 

A memory came to her and she chuckled. “What’s so funny?” asked Okarun.

“Oh, nothing,” said Momo. “Just thinking about how all of this started because I told you you’d find a ghost and you told me I’d find aliens. It’s pretty wild in retrospect.”

“I suppose so,” said Okarun. “I wonder what would have happened if we had found them. You might have ended up abducted.”

“You would’ve ended up cursed for sure.”

“I don’t like the sound of that…” he muttered. “But still… I just hope that if that had happened, even if we had ended up getting abducted and cursed, we would still have gotten together.”

Momo blushed. “We would,” she replied quietly. “You’re so wonderful that, as long as we got to know each other, I would fall in love with you in every lifetime.”

It was his turn to blush. Overcome with emotion, all he could say was, “I love you, Momo-san.”

“I love you too, Okarun.”

Over the flame of the candle, they shared a tender kiss. The rest of the evening was nothing but lovely.

—

Epilogue

Time went on. Momo and Okarun’s relationship evolved more and more, at a pace not too quick or too slow for either of them. The nasty rumors about them dissolved in the wake of Aira’s confession, with most students either too respectful and/or afraid of Okarun or too guilty from having believed them to perpetuate them further. Instead, what spread on social media was simply the assertion that they were the school’s cutest couple, with people regularly speculating how far they had gone in consummation. 

That, as well as the notion that Hase was a rapey creep who got what he deserved at the deft hands of a total badass. When his suspension was lifted, he walked the school in a neckbrace for a few days; most gave him scorn and almost no one offered him sympathy. 

Okarun asked Hase if he was okay, for which he received a bitter snub. He took no satisfaction in his bully’s humiliation by the rest of the student body. Momo, however, did and Okarun certainly didn’t stop her. The other two assailants did apologize to Okarun and he graciously accepted, but also directed them to apologize to Momo instead.

She started accompanying him when he went to his gym, feeding him snacks and drinks to replenish his energy after his workouts. She cheered him on in his sparring matches, even when a senior student beat him. She absolutely didn’t mind watching his toned muscles, newly discovered by her, move and flex with sweat running in rivulets down his body. She also absolutely didn’t resist the urge to show her appreciation of them physically when no one was looking. Every time he ascended in belt color, she rewarded him with a special dinner and plenty of affection, though the second of these was nigh indistinguishable from her usual level thereof.

Seiko didn’t visibly react to the news that they were together, having known that they were inextricably entwined for a long time, and merely offered a flat, “Congrats.” She did, however, begin to call Okarun by his name instead of “four-eyes” to his face, pile up a lot more food on his plate whenever he would come over, and relentlessly fluster and embarrass Momo by asking when they would get married and give her great-grandchildren. 

Little did Seiko know that, unbeknownst to each other, both of them contemplated this regularly. Neither of them would admit it until years after they graduated, but they would be mutually elated when they eventually did.

A week after Momo’s last confrontation with her, Aira started joining them for lunch. It was awkward at first, but, despite her abrasiveness, normally hidden from her former followers, Okarun and Momo came to appreciate her presence. Though she never said it aloud, she was secretly grateful to have some measure of refuge after losing her status.

More people entered their circle over time. Rin and Kinta soon approached them to hang out during free periods. The latter had apparently absorbed a tiny fraction of Okarun’s aura of popularity thanks to his ill-fated attempt at assistance during the fight. Momo was glad to let them and others in, even the ones that had previously believed in the awful rumors, so long as they apologized. Having more friends was always nice, especially for her until recently friendless boyfriend. 

They had a lovely time as a group when the Tanabata festival came around. Momo reveled in the way a stunned, red-faced Okarun called her beautiful in her yukata and done-up hair. With his now finely honed strength and dexterity, he put on a clinic winning prizes for her at the various games. 

She couldn’t help but assume a smug grin as everyone else watched with varying degrees of awe and envy. Graciously, she distributed them to the others once she had received too many to carry. They indulged in all kinds of festival foods, with Momo insisting she feed him each one as a reward for his gift-giving. Okarun, still in disbelief at how lucky he was to have her, cherished every bite.

At the end of the night they slipped away from the others to a secluded spot on a hill where they contentedly watched the festival’s fireworks show. They held hands and Momo leaned on him, nuzzling his cheek with hers. A few minutes in, driven by her impulse, she began to kiss him. It was gentle and chaste at first, but as she felt his desire match hers, they quickly started to make out furiously under the colorful bursts of light. 

As it went on, she climbed on top of him to unleash vast amounts of her ever intensifying adoration and, though it threatened to overwhelm him, he returned every drop with vigor. That they were able to limit themselves to that level of intimacy that night, heated and excited though they became, proved their self-control to be no less than Buddhaesque. 

The joy in their lives only continued to grow. Eventually, their relationship developed to the point where he dropped the honorific when addressing her and she could, very rarely, with crimson cheeks and a slight stutter, call him by his real name. Still, most of the time he was just Okarun, and he was happy with that.

Graduation did nothing to put any distance between them. They managed to get accepted into the same college. Both were too nervous for a time, but each secretly burned with the desire to ask the other to live together. When Okarun finally got up the courage to ask, Momo leapt onto him and rained kisses on his face as he carried her. Certain things they did once he moved into her dorm distracted them enough to almost become an academic obstacle, but they managed to avoid probation.

The wedding, years later, was blissful. All the friends they had made attended. Miko and Muko were the joint maids of honor. Kinta insisted he be the best man to his private first class and Okarun eventually relented. Momo wept profusely as he delivered the vows he’d poured his soul into and Okarun teared up as well watching her sob through hers. Even Aira was teary-eyed as she observed the two say, “I do.” She also shoved several girls out of the way to ensure she would be the one to catch the bouquet. 

Okarun and Momo ultimately did start a family together, one into which they poured endless amounts of love. She had known years before that he would be as wonderful a parent as he was a lover, and he knew the same about her. It came as no surprise to either of them that they were both right, but this did not diminish the wealth of gratitude they felt at learning it by one iota.

No life is without struggle, and they certainly encountered their share of it — though perhaps not as much as in certain lifetimes — but together, they were able to overcome whatever fate threw their way. She loved him more and more every day and every night and with her love grew his in turn; that never changed no matter how much time passed.

And all of it began because they were stupid enough to believe that ghosts and aliens were real.

A Joyful End

Notes:

And that's that. My first fanfiction on this site, and thus far my only multichapter story on here, is complete.

I got the idea for this story when someone asserted, quite ridiculously, that the only reason Okarun and Momo were both attracted to each other was because of the shared experience with the Serpo and Turbo Granny. This was absurd to me and I explained that the story of Dandadan is basically a romance where the leads bond over their shared interests. I imagined how that could happen in absence of anything paranormal. I hope, if you were not convinced before that they would get together in any such universe, that you are now.

After the pain of the previous two chapters, I just had to give them the ultra mega happy ending and load up on enough fluff to explode a teddy bear factory. It's the kind of ending I want for a couple as lovely as these two. I hope it feels earned!

If you've read through all the way to the end, thank you! This was a real treat to write; I reread it countless times as I did, tweaking events, syntax, word choice, and even italics relentlessly right up until publication for each chapter. I hope it was at least somewhat enjoyable for you to read as well.

If it was, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the ending as well as on the story as a whole. It would be great to hear which parts were your favorite or affected you the most, or even just an overall impression! Anything that comes to mind would be lovely.

There's no more to this story, but I have other stories, both written and in mind! They're all spicy. Check the existing ones on my profile out if you like something a little more than teen-rated. I don't know if I'll write another romantic saga like this anytime soon, but with as wonderful and inspiring as this ship is, who knows?

Right now I'm cooking up something involving Momo in a certain part time job outfit. I hope you'll see it soon!

See you next story, hopefully!