Chapter Text
Class had ended for the day, and after a nice nap in the janitor’s closet, a certain someone - with no small amount of conviction - was seeking advice.
“Touuuuudou-san?” A curious head of blue hair popped up next to the brunette, who was deeply engrossed in a text message he was composing.
“Manami-kun. Is there something I can help you with? I’m very, very busy.” Manami poked his head a bit closer, studying the screen of the phone unabashedly.
“Ah! You’re texting Maki-chan. I can wait.” With a dismissive noise, Toudou continued all but ignoring him. It was probably ten minutes (and sixteen texts) later that he looked up.
“...You’re still here?” A perfectly sculpted brow was raised with his question. Manami’s features lit up, and he nodded.
“I told you I could wait! Are you finished? Can I talk to you now?” Fully sitting on the bench beside him, he pulled his bag a little closer. It was much more functional as a pillow, but whatever.
“Mmn. Of course. I am always happy to offer my brilliance to an underclassmen. What’s on the agenda? Smalltalk? Beauty tips? Gossip? My time is somewhat limited, Manami-kun-” A distracted look at his silent phone. “but I can afford a few minutes.”
That’s all Manami needed, and he nodded with a smile. It faded into a thoughtful look after a moment, thoughts running through his head. How should he word this? It was a delicate subject, and he definitely needed at least something akin to a good reply. Senpai was logically the first choice, and for as much as Manami teased Toudou he trusted him. Hmm…
“What do you do when you have a crush on someone?” A good first step! He wasn’t nervous or anything, it was just hard to find the right words to use sometimes. This was somewhat unfamiliar territory. “I’d like to go about this the right way.”
Toudou seemed a mixture of elated, proud, and annoyed. Manami, being an only child, sometimes managed to feel a bit of a brotherly bond with him regardless of whether or not Toudou was ever annoyed or bothered by him.
“Manami-kun. Finally decided to throw a bone to the class rep?” A sly grin crept onto Toudou’s face.
Manami shook his head. “Nnn-nn.”
“Ah…” Toudou slung an arm around his shoulders, chuckling to himself. “So, you’re after one of your many - though fewer than me - fangirls? Personally, I think that redhead-”
“Oh! No, it isn’t a girl.” He smiled again. “It’s another boy.” A little odd, perhaps, but Manami found it so very hard not to like him at least a little more than normal. Toudou, on the other hand, seemed shocked. The arm retreated, the brunette gasping audibly.
“Manami-kun! Now I know these past two years I’ve been nothing but incredibly gracious to you, and I know my looks are some that simply cannot be ignored. However, I must inform you that-”
This earned Toudou a laugh from Manami, who was shaking his head again and waving his hands.
“Ah, it isn’t you.”
Instantly, the brunette was crestfallen.
“...Well why not?! H-have I wronged you in some way? Sangaku, I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to treat you-”
Again, Manami interrupted.
“It’s Sakamichi-kun. Onoda.”
The silence that followed was eerie. Toudou stared at him for a moment, eyes narrowed slightly.
“...That 3?” Considerate tilt of his head and a wave of his hand. “Alright, a 4 at best. Why him? Manami - the enemy??” Sitting away from him now, facing him and giving him a look of betrayal. “He beat you. He beat us.” Manami had come to terms with it after some time of mentally beating himself up over it. Toudou, on the other hand, seemed less forgiving. “...What’s he got that I don’t?”
Deciding he wasn’t going to get a very good answer from his senpai, Manami stood, smiling at him.
“He makes me feel alive.” A little bow of his head. “Thank you, Toudou-san. I have a lot to think about.” He didn’t, but he’d let Toudou think he’d done the world a good deed by talking to him. It was that same feigned graciousness that he left, looking for someone else to ask for advice.