Chapter Text
/My name is Teruhashi Kokomi, and I’m the perfect pretty girl! Inside and out, I’m everything a guy could ever want. I’m beautiful, I’m kind... No one can resist my allure. All except for one- Saiki Kusuo. Saiki is perfectly average. With average grades and average looks, if anything, he should be fawning over me, desperate to add something to his life that isn’t completely horrendously boring. I must make him say “Oh wow!” And honestly, the audacity of him. Walking around like he’s immune to my charm./
So Teruhashi has been searching for him. She had been scanning the area surrounding their school for not quite 30 minutes, but she refused to be discouraged. Defeat was not a word in her vocabulary. Her delicate brows were knit only slightly, her drive and purpose disguised as leisure.
/Perfect girls don’t quit when they know they’re in the right. Perfect girls are determined!/
She wandered down the streets, the familiar feeling of eyes drawn to her every move as she walked. Light glinted off of her shining blue hair. Her head turned subtly from side to side, peering down streets insouciantly. Two younger girls passed, whispering excitedly and pointing at her. She inwardly basked in the attention like it was sunlight. Teruhashi’s lips curved into a friendly smile and she waved at the two girls, who squealed and excitedly waved back. Her eyes fell on a welcoming cafe. Its shutters were teal and decorated with little flowers. The awning fluttered gently in the breeze, seeming to beckon her inside.
/Isn’t that the cafe that Mera works at part-time? Saiki does like sweets. Maybe I should check inside. After all, destiny seems to favour the perfect./
She peeked in through the window before wandering inside. As she opened the door, a tiny bell rang, and she was immediately beset by the sweet smell of pastries. Teacups clinked in the background, the sound of people chatting in the background filled the air. She sighed, then suddenly became aware that someone was staring at her. She whipped her head around, hair swishing dramatically, and immediately locked eyes with someone. Her hair was blush pink, and her eyes were bright violet.
/Oh! That’s Saiki’s sister! What’s her name… Kuriko!/
Teruhashi glided over to the bench where Kuriko sat, all the while maintaining eye contact.
/She really does look like Saiki. Maybe she will be the one that helps me unlock the secrets of his heart!/
Kuriko’s shoulders were squared, her violet eyes sharp, and she stared with quiet confidence. She shifted her gaze down to the table in front of her, fiddling idly with the sleeves of her fitted purple sweater. But instead of the air of nervousness that Teruhashi expected, there was only calculated suspicion. Teruhashi tilted her head and gave her a warm smile.
“Oh, hello! Do I know you from somewhere?” she asked gently. “My name’s Teruhashi. Aren’t you Saiki Kuriko?”
Kuriko was silent for a moment, expression unreadable, before giving a curt nod. Teruhashi sat down opposite her, spine straight, chin up but not too much, making sure her skirt was carefully tucked beneath her. When you’re as perfect and beautiful as she is, you must learn to be careful of perverts. She would know in particular, but that’s a story for another time.
“You look a lot like your brother, did you know that?”
/It’s almost uncanny how much they’re alike. If I can figure her out, maybe I can figure him out, too. Even if it involves strategy, finesse and even a bit of trickery./
For the briefest of moments, Kuriko looked a bit uncomfortable, but quickly went back to staring down at the table, curtly nodding again.
“I have been told that we do look similar,” Kuriko assented blandly. Her tone was flat, as if she’d given this answer time and time again, to the point where she couldn’t bring herself to care anymore. The short answer surprised Teruhashi, as most people scrambled to shower her with compliments. Kuriko however, couldn’t seem to be bothered.
A waiter walked over to their table, eyes glued to Teruhashi. He gave her a shy smile.
“Hello, miss! Is there anything I can get for you?” he said breathlessly.
“Oh, yes, please! I’ll have cocoa if you don’t mind,” she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. The waiter nodded swiftly and raced back over to the kitchens. Teruhashi turned back to Kuriko and was surprised to see her gathering her things. “Oh, are you leaving already? I would love to talk to you more!” To her further dismay, Kuriko stood up and turned to leave.
“I’m sorry,” said Kuriko, not sounding sorry at all. “But there’s something I have to do.”
Alarm bells rang in Teruhashi’s mind.
/What should I do? I can’t exactly force her to stay. But I need to learn more about Saiki! Or at least learn more about her. Think, Kokomi, think! I know! I can tempt her with sweets! If she’s anything like her brother, she won’t be able to resist!/
“Wait! I could buy you something? Something sweet?”
At this, Kuriko hesitated. They both stood there for a moment before Kuriko broke the silence.
“What about coffee jelly?” she asked tentatively.
Teruhashi nodded swiftly, her excitement obvious.
/Success! She fell for my trap! Even across oceans, the Saiki family is bound by their strange little obsessions. Now let’s just see if I can get this Saiki to open up./
Ever so slowly, Kuriko made her way back to the table and sat back down. She set her bag on the bench beside her. Teruhashi gave her best friendly smile. Kuriko blinked, unimpressed.
/Darn! She’s just as hard to impress as Saiki is! Or, I guess Kusuo in this case. But that only makes for a sweeter challenge./
At this point, the waiter returned and carefully set her cocoa down on the table in front of her. Next to it was a folded napkin. Teruhashi didn’t have to look inside to know what was written on it. People were so predictable.
“Is there anything else I can do for you, miss?” he asked eagerly.
/He’s clearly desperate if he’s already given me his number. I’ll just have to pretend to be oblivious to his efforts for now. After all, perfect girls don’t publicly shame people./
“Actually, could you get a coffee jelly for my friend here?”
The waiter nodded and rushed off again.
“So, Kuriko, do you go to school around here?”
Kuriko shook her head.
“I go to school in the UK, but I sometimes come back here to visit,” she said, staring out the window. Teruhashi felt her smile twitch.
/She’s not even looking at me when she’s talking to me!/
“That’s so cool, Kuriko! What’s it like there?”
“Dreary.”
Teruhashi gave a lighthearted laugh and took a dainty sip of her cocoa. She stared for a moment.
/She really is quite pretty. Her hair looks so soft, I kind of want to touch it. No! Bad Kokomi! Don’t think such things! That would be weird./
“I really love your hair. Do you use anything special?”
“Shampoo.”
Teruhashi blinked, caught off guard by the short answer. Her cheeks tinged pink from embarrassment. As nonchalantly as she could, she raised a hand to cover her blush.
“Ah! I see. That was a silly question.”
/Are her eyes closed? How dare she! Am I not good enough for her? No, of course not! Everyone loves me! Perhaps it’s in the Saiki DNA to be oblivious to my perfection. Or maybe they’re just too shy to do anything. Yes. That must be it. Open your eyes! Embolden yourself, and grovel in admiration at my feet! She does look very serene, though./
Teruhashi was drawn out of her thoughts by the coffee jelly being set down on the table. Kuriko abruptly looked up, a slight sparkle in her eyes. She reached out and eagerly took the coffee jelly. What truly shocked Teruhashi was the folded napkin next to the jelly. Kuriko saw it and proceeded to look at it with such disgust that Teruhashi had to suppress a laugh. Kuriko’s eyes flicked over to her for the briefest of moments before focusing on the coffee jelly. As she took her first bite, Kuriko’s eyes sparkled.
Oh wow! She’s so cute! I wish she’d look at me like that.
Kuriko choked.
“Oh my goodness! Are you alright, Kuriko?”
Kuriko nodded.
“Yes, I’m alright. The food just went down the wrong pipe, is all.”
“Oh. I see.”
They sat in silence for a minute, the air thick with awkward tension.
/Should I offer her something else? No. Don’t seem too desperate. Perfect girls shouldn’t have to resort to desperate measures./
“You don’t talk much, do you?”
Kuriko shook her head.
“I suppose that it is nice to just sit in silence sometimes,” Teruhashi admitted thoughtfully. “Food always tastes better when it’s shared with friends.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
Teruhasi faltered.
“Oh- well- I suppose- that’s fair, I guess.” She paused. “If you like, could we change that?”
Kuriko froze, her spoon in midair. She raised an eyebrow.
“Are you asking me on a date?”
“What! No! Of course not!” she spluttered. “I mean- that would be so sudden! If I were to ask you out on a date, I would be much more smooth. Not that I would ask you out on a date! I don’t mean that you’re not pretty; you really are very pretty. I think I might ask you out if I were a guy. But- that’s not the point. I was only saying that I would like to hang out with you more! If you like.”
Teruhashi’s voice rose an octave almost imperceptibly as she spoke. She clutched her cup of cocoa tightly, as if it could ground her.
/No no no no no no no! That’s not what I meant at all! Oh, I’ve really messed up now. She’s never going to want to spend more time with me now! Unless she wants it to be a date? I suppose I wouldn’t mind. Wait! No! I’m straight! I suppose it’s only natural for girls to think I’m pretty as well. Does that mean Kuriko is a lesbian? No! Stop it! Calm down. Smile politely, you must be perfect. But she really is quite stunning…/
When Teruhashi looked up, Kuriko’s eyes were wide. Her face was caught between disbelief and exasperation.
“I’ll be going back to the UK soon. I don’t think I’ll have time.”
/I suppose that makes sense. Maybe I could surprise Kuriko this summer and visit her in the UK! Then she’ll have to notice me./
“Well! It’s been lovely spending time with you, Kuriko, but it’s about time I go. Say hello to your brother for me!”
She waved goodbye and walked swiftly out of the cafe, not bothering to see if Kuriko waved back. She fiddled with her flowy yellow skirt as she walked down the streets. As she walked, everything just seemed too much. The footsteps were too loud. The stares were too piercing.
The echo of Kuriko’s cool voice lingered in her ears even after Teruhashi had left the cafe. Every snippet of their conversation played on loop– the curt nods, the disinterested hums, the way her eyes had softened only for the coffee jelly. She forced a smile onto her face and pressed a hand to her chest, willing her heartbeat to slow.
/That went horribly! Now I’m sure she hates me. Perfect girls don’t fail conversations. Perfect girls don’t blush over other girls. Why do I care so much about what she thinks of me?/
As she turned the corner, she stopped.
/Oh no! I forgot to ask her about Kusuo!/