11. First love-hate relationship

You frowned, mind boggling in disheveled confusion. Your tongue was tied of words at another one of his warnings. Yet, a part of you wanted to trust him since he was bluntly honest in almost everything, ever since you met him.

"...So, what do you expect me to do? Just break up with him because you're claiming that my boyfriend is a murderer?" You shot back softly, under gritted teeth at him. "...There's something you know about that I don't, everything would just fit together if you'd just tell me, Shinsou."

"..." he remained silent for a while, brows knitted slightly—taking in every question that blurted out of your lips. His eyes were filled with a cloud of thoughts, uncertainty tinged his lips.

You continued to stare at him, cocking a brow at him with squinted eyes, giving him a look to reply. You truly wanted answers. The more he warned you and claimed all these unusual things, the more suspicious and curious you've become—especially since you instinctively knew that there were many things that Touya left you out in the dark.

"...I can't say exactly, because..." he began, reluctant to continue. "I'm not supposed to, but, because you're already involved...you might as well know."

"Okay...So then tell me," you spoke quickly, leaning forward, gazing intently at him.

His flinched nearly overtook him when you drew closer, right before he crinkled his nose up and covered it with his hand. He backed off quickly with a tinge of red that surfaced his cheeks and looked off to the side.

You blinked, totally confused once again. "W-What's wrong? Don't tell me I stink again."

"Tch." He quickly took out the same black mask he wore—on your first day—which reminded you of the embarrassing position he placed you in.

"I don't understand why your scent is so incredibly strong," he murmured, strapping his black mask like a plastic glove sticking onto the hand. "...it's way too attractive."

Your eyes perked up with sudden surprise. "...Attractive?" You leaned closer to him with a grin, tilting adorably in his eyes. "...You think I'm attractive?"

He scoffed once again, rolling his eyes at the side—away from your gaze. "I said your scent is attractive, not the other way round."

"Oh?" You snarled, watching a tinge of red peaking above his mask, causing you to draw closer in confidence. "Then why are you looking away from me? You're blushing too~ You like me, don't you? That's why you're saying all these things about Touya."

His eyes widened, looking at you with incredulity. He scoffed, letting out a hefty laugh before he shook his head in disapproval. "Getting cocky are ya? Like I said, your scent is attractive, but I'm not particularly attracted to girls like you."

"Oh? Then..." you pursed your lips, averting your eyes to the corner before meeting back into his violet ones. "...What kind of girls do you like then?"

His eyes relaxed, squinting at you with confidence, while tilting it to the side, causing the tips his purple purple hair to topple coolly, as his violet eyes pierced with a heightened peak against your own. "Why the sudden curiosity?"

You couldn't help but stare at him once again. Despite, the mask on his face—which made him look cooler in your eyes—the most captivating about him was the way his violet eyes squinted intently at you—gazed at you unceasingly—as if you were his cat. His confidence oozed effortlessly, causing your heart to beat unawarely, leaving a red mark on your face.

You turned to the side, shyly biting your bottom lip from the sudden nervousness that rose from within. "...I was just wondering..."

He leaned closer, violet eyes locked onto your countenance, while trying your best to look away, but you felt exposed—wishing you had a mask on to hide your flushed face—unsure of why you'd ever be feeling this way.

You downright hated him for everything he had done, especially when he talked about Touya negatively, and shoving some random facts you never knew about. Yet, through it all, he seemed like a genuine person. Despite the attitude he gives off, which made him seem like he didn't care, he still has a way of sharing his concern nonetheless.

You gulped, reminding yourself of your hate for him to stop yourself of positively seeing him in a new light. Yet, the more you thought about him—even through his imperfections, that you found annoying—the more you somehow grew to possibly like him in a way you never thought possible. Maybe it was his slightly transparent honesty, and how he seemed real with you.

You shook your head, reminding yourself that you liked no one else but Touya—especially not your irritating roommate.

You inhaled sharply, before curling your brows to stare at him, pretending to be confident. "...I was just wondering...so that I can avoid being whatever girl you like..." you crossed your arms at him. "...and to make sure that you hate me forever, obviously."

He chuckled softly, tilting his head to the side momentarily before he looked back at you with those gorgeous violet eyes. "Ah, don't worry, rest assured, you have every trait that I hate about a girl."

"Oh?" You scoffed, chuckling to yourself in a mixture of offence, and somehow relief. "That's good, that way we can hate each other all year."

"Exactly," he remarked with a light laugh. "I'll enjoy hating you everyday while we work on this project."

You couldn't help but laugh, before you looked back at the project paper, fumbling it with your fingers gently. "Ah, I don't mind doing the same thing back to you, Shinsou," you looked back into his amused-looking eyes. "...So then, tell me, what are the traits you hate about me?"

He laughed gently, rubbing his eyes slightly as he shook his head in disapproval. "What kind of person in the right mind would ask their enemy what they hate about them?"

"Well..." you shrugged. "I guess, me."

"Hm, alright," he began, as he rubbed the back of his neck, before he stroke his purple hair from behind and towards the front. "Hold on, let me think."

"Tch," you scoffed, concealing another set of laughter. "You still have to think what you hate about me? Makes me think that there's more things you like about me than really hating me, Shinsou."

"Hm, I dunno, I guess I hate everything about you."

"Oh?" You raised a brow. "What exactly?"

"I said everything."

"And..." you drew closer. "...You can't even be specific about it?"

He backed off, making a 'tsk' sound before rolling his eyes. "I hate how you come so close to my face, making me smell you more, it's irritating how you're also always invading my bubble space."

"Hah?" You snarled. "Jokes on you, you're the one does the exact same thing, I absolutely hate it when you've been coming in the washroom without any permission or consideration for the past two weeks, even seeing all of my back parts!"

"Tch, I don't anymore, end of story."

"Well, you did," you spat, before reclining against your chair with a pouty, playful look at him. "And...I hate you for that."

"Well, I hate how you even got the attention of my cat, and now she's cheating on me."

Your brows knitted with an incredulous look at him. "Cheating? Are you dating your cat or what?"

He laughed momentarily, before he placed his palm against his cheek, resting his elbow on the table, as he kept his gaze onto you. "Close, but we're actually married."

You bit your lip from laughing, but your mouth betrayed you when you began to chuckle out loud. You shook your head at him, grinning from ear-to-ear at his humour. "...No wonder you hate me, it's because I'm not a cat right?"

He shrugged, eyes nearly softening at your adorable laughter. "Guess so."

"But..." you drew closer again with a confident smirk, growing more comfortable and confident around him. "...You seem to be repeating the same things when you first said on my first day, you seem to be running out of other ideas of your hatred towards me..." you tilted your head with a squinted set of eyes at his disturbed glance. "...could it be because you truly like me more than you actually hate me?"

"..." he simply blinked, staring dazed at you, before he coolly tapped your temple with two of his fingers, causing your head to topple backwards slightly. "...silly girl, the fact that you're thinking about this so much, makes me think that..." he leaned closer this time. "...you're the one who likes me more."

"Hah?!" You gaped, backing off immediately, unsure of why a wave of red rushed through your face at his sudden closure of proximity. You flickered your eyes to the front, lips pouted up in a sudden twitch of your eyes. "...I've never hated someone so much in my life."

"Yup, you totally like me."

You turned your head at him furiously. "I do not."

"Yes, you do," he pressed further.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"No."

You blinked. "Yes...?"

He smiled secretly in victory, behind his mask. He lifted his hand in expression, fluttering his eyes closed coolly. "See? I told you."

"What? You made me say it!" You whined, making a pouty face at him, before you huffed back to the front in annoyance. "Gosh, I hate you soooo much."

"Alright, kids!" Your teacher called out. "Class is dismissed for the rest of my class for you to work on your project!"

"WOOHOO!" The class hollered together, jumping in the air, while you and Shinsou just sat there dumbfounded. Realizing that you were blurred out from your current surroundings when you genuinely enjoyed your conversation with Shinsou.

You laughed nervously before turning back to the tall male beside you. "I almost forgot that there was a project," you murmured with a thinking hand on your chin. "...I guess I got lost talking to you."

He scoffed, hiding a slight chuckle. "You weirdo, of course I knew there was a project every moment, I was wondering when that talkative mouth of yours would stop yapping."

"HAH?!" You gaped at him once again. A throbbing vein popped at the corner of your head in utter irritation. "Then why didn't you tell me?!"

"Who knows?" He shrugged. "Somebody was busy liking me..."

"Tch," you rolled your eyes. "You're the one who's always honest about every little thing about me, so then, that means that..." you leaned closer with your brows raised. "...you mister, also forgotten about the project while you were enjoying talking to me."

He began to laugh, running his fingers through his soft, purple hair—almost tempting for you to touch it. "Oh, [Last Name], you just said one good quality about me."

"No, I did not."

"Yes, you did, you just told me I'm honest."

"So? Honest in the bad things," you snickered, crossing your arms. "That might as well be a bad quality."

"Ah, com'on," he murmured before he stood out of his spot. "Let's go work on the project somewhere else, I hate sitting in this class."

"I guess we share in something we hate," you responded, before pushing your chair back, causing slight screeching sounds to scrape against the floor.

You also stood up, gathered your belongings, and pushed the chair behind you. You fished out your phone, and checked that you had an hour left before the next class. Your teacher was extra generous this time—even though he expected for you to work on the project.

"Let's go back to the dorm, we can work there," he suggested softly, while you glanced back into his relaxed eyes—ones that no longer filled with his usual glare at you.

You were tempted to smile, and sure enough you did—not wanting to miss this moment if his softened gaze. "...You know, Shinsou, I guess you're not that bad after all."

"Hah?" He snarled, rolling his eyes with a scoff. "I was never bad at the start, I just happen to have a dorky roommate who stole my stuff."

You groaned. "That again? I seriously didn't steal anything from you...!!"

"The moment you came, you already stole my cat."

You giggled. "Not my fault that your cat likes me..." you crossed your arms with a playful look. "See? Even your cat likes me, so then that means you like me too~"

He rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Like I said, I hate you, so it's impossible to like you."

"But, it's YOUR cat, so at least a part of you likes me~"

"Tch," he scoffed, making his way past you, bumping shoulders towards the opposite direction. "Don't twist my words, YOU wished that I liked you."

"Pftt," you scoffed, hiding a laugh. "Welp, too bad I don't, in fact, I'm already taken."

He stopped in his tracks, a frown forlonged his face as soon as you mentioned that, which led exactly straight back to Touya. He let out a discontented sigh before he turned to you with the same blank look as before. "...Let's just go already, my cat will make me feel better, especially when the one I hate is right beside me."

You blinked, subtly frowning at how he suddenly changed his expression in an instant in reference of how you were dating Touya. You chewed your lip as you watched him walk off. But, you quickly caught up to him, right beside him. Right when you were having fun with him, things just gotten awkward with a single mention of your relationship status.

You sighed, hoping to make amends as soon as possible.

"Okay, fine, lets go back and see your cat," you spoke, filling in the momentary silence.

He turned at you blankly, before he rolled his eyes in dismissal, walking off with you by his side. You pursed your lips to the side, thought of a sly idea.

You quickly interlinked your arm around his own, earning a curled glare from him, eyes clearly filled with shock. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Doing something I love."

"Ha?" He gaped within his mask. "Admitting you love me? Tch, what a jump."

"No, duh," you rolled your eyes, while he tried to remove his arm from you, but you drew closer and embraced it tighter. "...I'm just having the pleasure of annoying the guy I hate the most."

"Gosh, you're annoying," he muttered in disdain. "I need my cat right now."

You chuckled lightly, walking through the halls with your bodies bumping at one another. "Alright, mister, we'll get back to your wife, and you'll feel all better."

"Pfft," he laughed aloud, looking back at you with the same amusement in his eyes, sparking once again. He shoved your body to topple you to the side, loosening his grip slightly. But, you managed to catch ahold of him before you fell over, causing him to topple along with you, bumping yourself onto the nearby locker, while Shinsou bumped atop of you—at your side.

Both of your eyes widened, his larger palm locked against the locker, right beside of you—to support his balance—while your arm was still linked against his own arm.

Soon enough, you began to laugh boisterously, causing his eyes to relax and laugh along with you at the sudden position. He shook his head and lifted himself off and pushed your head backwards with his two fingers. "...you clumsy dork, you have no idea how much I hate you right now."

You grinned with a light laugh. "Well, I hate you too~ You purple twerp."

He rolled your eyes, pulling you by your interlinked arm, before a pleasant laugh escaped his lips. "Com'on, let's go back already."

"Okay, okay," you grinned brightly, looking back at the front as you walked along with him.

His violet eyes loomed over you momentarily, from the side of your face and down to where you held his arm.

"...oh, [Last Name], I hate that you're making me like you even more," he thought within his mind.