Date written: October 16th, 2016. Saiki Hideyoshi x Sarumara Rei.

It was the worst day of the year again.

"Come on, you go first!"

"No, you go!"

"If you're not gonna give it to Saiki-kun, I will!"

"No fair! I was here first!"

He stifled a scoff, biting into the inside of his cheek as his fingernails dug into the hardbound cover of the book in his hands. Just as he was about to turn the page, a girl's voice spoke, trembling with nervousness.

"S-Saiki-kun...?"

Saiki Hideyoshi looked up, his gaze settling upon the petite girl standing just before his desk. Out of courtesy, he lowered his book, setting it down onto the wooden surface with a muffled thump.

"What is it?" He said bluntly, resting his cheek upon his knuckles. By the sight of her flushed cheeks, and the evident fidgeting, he could already guess what was about to happen.

He'd already had to encounter this exact same scene for the past few hours, ever since he'd stepped out of his home. It was rather creepy, to be honest, that a crowd of girls would know where he lived and at what time he left his house in order to go to school.

"U-um... I-I-I really like you, Saiki-kun! Would you please go out with me?" The girl finally summoned the courage to speak, thrusting a heart-shaped box covered in pink wrapper and tied with a delicate white bow right in front of his face.

Chocolates. Of course.

She trembled where she stood, as though terrified out of her wits as he leveled his calm, blue-grey eyes at her form.

"...Say my name." He said shortly. "If you say my full name correctly, then I might take it into consideration." With that, he gazed at the girl with no emotion on his face.

"Um... e-eto... S-S-Saiki..." She parted her lips, fiddling with her hands as she looked anywhere but at him. "S-Saiki... Hi-Hibiki-kun...?"

He let out a short, derisive laugh. It was expected, after all.

They only knew his surname, never his first name. What was famous about him was his family, his mother, never him. They all wanted the glory of dating a 'popular' theatre actor.

"It's Hideyoshi." He said quietly, staring at the frightened girl with cold eyes. "Saiki Hideyoshi. And regarding your question, my answer is a no."

Tears fell from the girl's eyes, and her hands trembled, stammering a quick apology before she sped out of the room. Frankly, Hideyoshi could still hear her sobs as the door slammed shut, and he released a pent-up sigh.

They were all the same, after all.

"Hey, hey, wasn't that a bit mean, Hide~?" An arm draped casually over his shoulders, and the boy looked up to meet familiar hazel eyes. "How many of them did you turn down today, too?"

"By my count, approximately thirty-five girls and counting." Hideyoshi replied succinctly, aiming a sharp glare at his childhood friend. "And why should you care if the manner with which I reject their advances is 'mean'? It's ludicrous to think that they 'like' me, when they don't even know my full name."

The latter exaggerated a sigh, dropping into his assigned seat next to the dark-haired male. Sarumara Rei grinned, cheekily wagging a finger in the air.

"And here I thought you're a gentleman, Hide!"

"Well," the Saiki shut his book for the second time, pursing his lips, "I'm not."

Rei hummed, as though deep in thought, before his features lit up in another of his grins. "Ah, right, right!" He exclaimed, digging into his bag and producing a medium-sized parcel covered with pale blue wrapper, placing it into a startled Hideyoshi's hands.

"There!" He said proudly, and the dark-haired boy glanced down at the package in confusion, before looking up at the boy.

"What--"

"It's chocolate." Rei said cheerily, that same sparkle in his eyes emphasized, "I made some for you."

Hideyoshi blinked, as if trying to comprehend the situation.

It was Valentine's Day, the worst day of the year for the misanthrophic Saiki, and here was his childhood friend, giving him a rather decently made package of chocolate.

Unbeknownst to him, his cheeks started to flush an astounding shade of crimson, noticeable in his normally pale skin.

Behind them, whispers erupted once more.

"No way...!"

"S-S-Saiki-kun and Sarumara-kun...?"

"I thought they were just friends!"

"Wh-who would have thought that they're together?!?!"

There was a loud crash, and the two looked back, seeing their female class representative collapsed on the floor, having fainted at the sight.

And despite the embarrassment and his incredibly flushed cheeks, Hideyoshi laughed. It was soft, lasting for a brief moment.

It was the worst day of the year again, but it was a time for stranger things to happen.

end