Chapter Text
Fighting aliens and ghosts was one thing…Returning from said fight naked, wet, and in the middle of the school was a completely different awfulness. The three of them ran like hell, Momo leading them towards the gym. They all should have clothes there. From the gym Momo and Aira split from Okarun into their respective locker rooms.
“Oh, thank God,” Momo sighed with relief as her hands landed on her clothes in her locker. Aira was mumbling something much the same into her own locker.
Clothed and safe now, Momo remembered what happened before they were fighting aliens and her heart lurched. She didn’t want to talk to either of them. Maybe not ever. This was hyperbole she knew but the point was she needed to leave. And leave before either of them could stop her.
She sneaked out of the back of the gym as swiftly and quietly as she could, but she heard a door open as she let the door clothes behind her. Okarun, if she had to guess— Aira had still been busy reapplying makeup when she left the locker room.
There was a twang of guilt that made her feet carry her faster and faster away from the gym. When she got home she would probably have some explaining to do, but consequences be damned she wasn’t going back into that school today.
When Momo’s feet finally landed her in her bedroom she leaned against her closed door and slid to the floor. She leaned her forehead down on her knees. What an awful day.
It had probably only been thirty minutes when she heard the knocking on the front door. Loud but intermittent. Knock knock knock……knock knock knock……knock knock knock.
Eventually her grandmother came to her door. “Hey, that’s four eyes out there, ya know. You gonna get the door or what?”
Momo winced. “Tell him to go away,” she said. “I don’t wanna talk to him,” which probably came out as little more than a jumble of words, but she didn’t care enough to make herself repeat it.
*** *** ***
Ken was about to knock for maybe the twentieth time when the door suddenly opened. It was Miss Seiko, looking perturbed. “Knock it off, kid.”
He lowered his still raised hand. “Sorry, ma’am,” he bowed his head quickly. “I just wanted to make sure Miss Ayase was okay.” Which was the truth. Just maybe not the whole truth. He so badly wanted to explain what happened to her. Didn’t want her thinking less of him for even a second.
Miss Seiko shrugged, nonchalant as ever. “She seems alright.” A pause. “She doesn’t want to talk to you though.”
A knife in his chest would have felt similar Ken imagined. He struggled to find something to say in response, wracking his brain for anything convincing. Finally, his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Please,” Ken said, “Tell Miss Ayase that I am deeply sorry and would like to explain myself if she would give me the chance.”
The older woman looked moderately impressed actually. “Some advice, kid— you should be the one to tell her that.” A shrug. “Give it a few days and try again. Let her cool off, alright?”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” He began to walk away, stopping first to say a quick, “Thank you.”
The walk home was fraught with distressing thoughts and feelings. Ken reached for his phone a couple of times but thought better of it. Miss Ayase didn’t want to talk to him; she probably didn’t want texts from him either.
This is all started because of Miss Sharatori and her delusions that they were…what? Soulmates? Destined to be together? Something along those lines. He rolled his eyes at the mere thought of the girl. She was nice enough, sure, but he truly didn’t like her in that way and couldn't understand how she had even come to this conclusion actually.
He could see how it looked from Miss Ayase’s perspective though and it looked bad. It looked like he lied to her and snuck off to do who knows what with a crazy girl who tried to hurt her. It looked like he was betraying his only, new, and best friend to cop a feel. It looked like he was maybe the biggest bastard in the whole world.
*** *** ***
Her grandma tapped on the door lightly. "He's gone," she said. A pause. "You alright in there, Mo?"
"Yeah," she called back softly.
"Do you need anything?"
"No."
"I love you."
"Love you, too."
Momo stayed there until she heard her grandma's footsteps creep down the stairs. She sighed getting up, her limbs stiff from sitting like that for so long.
She made her way to the shower slowly, the day weighing heavy on her. Once in the hot water Momo felt like a dam inside her broke and she began to cry. It wasn't that big of a deal, she knew. It wasn't the end of the world. But she was tired and she almost died, again, and her friend had betrayed her. Not to mention the embarrassment of what happened at school. The tears were justified, Momo decided, letting the sobs hiccup out of her.
Before she had been so pissed off, but now Momo just felt sad and exhausted. Maybe, if she was lucky, her grandma would let her stay home from school tomorrow. Doubtful though. She would be lucky if her grandma didn't scold her for skipping half the day today.
When, eventually, there were no more tears left to cry she washed her face and turned off the water. She barely dried off and didn't bother with clothes before crawling into her bed. Sleep took her almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.