23. Just friends...?

"Eh?...w-what I feel...about...you?"

He blinked once, twice, and nearly three times. Looking frazzled by your diversion of question. Soon enough, he switched his gaze from you and towards the other side with a bit of his lip.

"No," he curtly responded, louder than intended, almost regretting it before he dipped his head back towards you. "...what I mean is...like you said before, you feel like you're being stared at even though you don't know where it's coming from, you felt that don't you?"

"...w-well, yeah," you responded swiftly, clearing your throat as you flickered your orbs to the side, shifting yourself awkwardly. "...could we talk about this somewhere else? It's kinda weird talking about this...in this position?"

"Tch." He immediately removed himself from you, shifting his head to the opposite direction, hiding the slight flush of his cheeks before he sped walk out the of the hallway.

You took slow strides of steps, chewing every word he spoke. Referring every weird thing that has happened thus far according to what he mentioned. Yet, your thoughts lingered back to Shinsou. His change of eyes. His quick recovery. His speed. His strength. His stealth. Is he some superhuman?

You shook your head at such thoughts, chewing your bottom lip as you continued to contemplate further. Your head sprung up in sudden realization of the common denominator that almost every unexpected person had which was that they always talked about how you smelled—especially the female whom recently and unexpectedly spoke to you.

You lifted your gaze, meeting those captivating violet eyes that was staring deadpan at you with his hands pocketed within. "...are you hungry?"

You nodded as your eyes loomed to the side, where you held a paper bag with the large order of sushi you purchased earlier. In which it reminded you of the blue haired male, who looked very...pale. Immediately, your mind's eye brought images of Touya, Shinsou, his friends, and the blue haired male. Another common denominator was that they were all very pale.

Yet, you felt the strange, uncanny feeling from the female earlier, yet she wasn't pale, but her complexion looked nearly perfect, as if she wasn't human. You shook your head once again, realizing that maybe it was just make-up.

You lifted the sushi package box towards the male, with a lopsided smile, eyes filled with rummaging uncertainty. "...Want some sushi?"

"Sea food?"

"Uh, yeah...?"

He shook his head in disapproval. "...no thanks."

You slumped with with a pouty look, right before you walked alongside with him and began to walk forward in silence. Still thinking through your thoughts, you uttered not a single word.

Suddenly, you felt an elbow jab onto your arm, causing you to shift your attention to the male beside you with curled brows. "What is it..?"

"Nothin', just feel like doing that."

"Ha?" You snarled before bumping him harder, yet he didn't move an inch. "...You weirdo, how are you not moving or even affected? You statue or what?"

"..." he looked over to you with a blatant stare, before he crinkled his nose at you with a scoff. "Take a better guess, but you haven't answered my question yet."

You released a lofty breath, averting your eyes to the front. "...Well, I feel kinda weird, or kinda unsafe...and confused actually," you looked back into his eyes. "...Every random person, or even you and Touya kept asking me about how I smell...it's so strange, I mean usually people would notice how someone would look, but not how someone would smell."

His eyes narrowed, red lip pressed together before he looked back to the front. "...but, isn't someone's smell also has to do with how someone looks?"

"Ha? What do you mean by that...?"

He shrugged. "What you look like has to do with what can be physically seen, which is a part of your body, and your smell also exudes our of your body...Same thing, isn't that right?"

You blinked repeatedly. "...well, yeah, but what I'm saying is that not everyone's first impression is what someone smells like, but usually what they look like...first hand."

He sighed. "I know, but what I mean is that, right after the looks, next is the scent, then your personality, if you do talk, that is."

You laughed heftily, shaking your head, before snapping it to see him. "Umm...why are we even talking about this anyway? We always have random conversations."

He scoffed, concealing a laugh, before coolly averting his violet eyes to the corner. "You tell me, but if you think about it, when you kiss someone, you don't just taste their lips, but you also, almost immediately smell their breath, then you get a taste of their ton—"

"OKAY, there," you cut him off with your lips puckered up, nose crinkled in a fierce blush. "I get your point okay?! First their appearance which is the lips, then their breath which is their scent, then their tongue which represents their personality, okay, okay, let's stop talking about it!"

"Pfft..." he began to laugh softly before it grew to release to an open laughter, causing you to look away from seeing and hearing him laugh so adorably. "...you pick up quite easily, guess you're not a total dumb-dumb."

"Why're you lecturing me about these things? You're not even dating anyone, as if you have experience."

"Ha?" He snarled with haughty eyes, ones that was still recovering from laughter. "...As if you know anything about me, I have far more experience than you can imagine."

You stared deadpan at him. "I can't imagine a girl dating a twerp like you."

He rolled his eyes off before turning back to the front with his lips pulled at each sides. "I still can't believe that you're dating that guy and you're with me right now..." he turned to you, unfazed. "...you've got no shame?"

"Hah? W-We're just friends, now you're the dumb-dumb."

"Frenemies," he corrected, snickering at your pouty look. "Get that right."

"Ha, yeah, let's stay that way," you muttered in disdain, feeling uncertainty in your voice as you flickered over to the other side.

'...yeah, we're just frenemies friends."

—

Soon enough, you two decided to hit the hay and head home, especially since there was twenty minutes left of project time before the next class comes around.

You took one step after another, up towards your bedroom to get changed. You rummaged your fingers through your wardrobe, finding some comfy clothing that would be suitable for later's class and also, for now.

Footsteps loomed from the bedroom entrance, knowing full well that it was your roommate. You looked waywardly, watching him change likewise, unsure of why you felt like looking at him.

Your eyes soon jolted when he slowly flickered his violet orbs over to you, as if he knew you were staring. Immediately, you shyly turned back to the front with a fierce warmth in your cheeks, unsure why you wouldn't feel totally creeped out by his usual stares, but something much different.

'I hope he won't be staring this time...but that's so unlikely."

Instead of usually getting into the washroom to change, you decided to remove your top shirt right on the spot, exposing with only your lacy bra in tact. You felt the cold atmosphere crash against your back like a mighty wind, right against your fresh, warm skin. You clutched tightly against the new top garment, holding it tightly with slight shivers down your spine. You felt safe here, unlike at the mall. Yet, at the same time you felt a pair of eyes staring intently at you once again, as if you already knew who it was.

You quickly shifted your eyes over to him, orbs widening when your gut feeling was right. He was staring at you the whole time, with a such intent gaze.

The corner of your brow irked in irritation before you quickly leaned forward to hide yourself near the doorway of the wardrobe with a squeak, immediately putting your top shirt on as soon as possible.

"This isn't the first time I've seen it, [Last Name]."

You growled softly. "...I already know that, you perv!"

He simply laughed shortly before he made his way over to you, nearly trapping you like before—with his arm at one side of the wardrobe door. You were glad that you've already placed your shirt back on, or else you'd be plain embarrassed like day one.

"Then why acting so shy?" He challenged, tilting his head with a playful gaze, red lips curled to the side.

You forced a scoff, shifting your gaze away. "...that's because you're just a friend, especially since you're a guy, it's simply weird."

He laughed gently. "Oh? Is it weird then that I show my top exposed too?"

"...n-no," you croaked, gulping in sudden nervousness at the smoothness of his words and deep voice. "...Guys are fine to do that, but girls is a no-no."

"Says who?"

"Well...it just is."

"Tch, such gender inequality," he murmured in disdain, before letting out a hefty laugh, removing himself from you.

"Ha? What gender inequality are you talking about?" You inquired with a snarl. "…It has nothing to do with that, just imagine if your girlfriend is seen exposed with her top, you wouldn't want to have other guys see it, don't you?"

"...guess not."

"Exactly," you affirmed, before you shut the wardrobe door closed. "And I'm it's the same situation I'm in right now."

He shrugged, making his way out of the room before looking back at you. "We're roommates, aren't we? We're basically living together, so might as well get comfortable exposing some stuff, yes?"

"HA?! That's not what I—AGH!" You huffed, making your way downstairs with him. "You're talking as if we're some married couple, we're not, you still have to respect my space."

"Now you're acting like my wife, nagging and lecturing me for such childish things," he joked with a playful snarl.

"You have another wife?" You laughed. I thought your cat was your only wifey?"

"I said you're acting LIKE my wife, so stop it."

"Awe, you see me as your wife?" You teased, raising a brow. "I thought I'm more LIKE as if I'm your annoying little sister, we're always arguing at such childish things, eh?"

"Hm, I dunno what you are to me, but I know one thing for sure, I have one wife and one wife only."

"Ha...? And that's...?"

"You."

"HA—?!" You shrieked, laughing intently at him with a snarl, eyes nearly prickling with tears at the corner. "...you're joking, that's never gonna happen, keep dreaming on, we're just friends."

He simply laughed along with you. "Hm, sounds like you're convincing yourself that, we're just frenemies."

You pouted, unsure why your cheeks began to heat up from that sudden thought. It brought back your girlish memories upstairs when you were daydreaming of bathing with him. That maybe only his possible wife could get there at that position. You shook your head at such absurd thoughts.

"...Nah, you convince yourself that, Shinsou," you retorted, angling your head at him assertively. "I know...we're just friends."

"Mmhn, the fact that you keep saying that makes it sound like you're convincing yourself," he replied. "I hope you're not hating me less enough to like me, [Name]."

You chewed your bottom lip, fist clutched tightly as you felt your breathing began to grew erratic. "Of course I don't, I hate you just as you said you hated me, we're frenemies, and we'll keep it like that..." you shot your eyes up at him with a solemn gaze, cheeks still flushed. "...we agree on that?"

He remained silent, lips pressed together with an irked frown.

'I hate that you're making me like you enough to possibly see you...more than a friend.'