#saeki teru x daisy

[somevirtualnolife]

Three Things

1539 words

Also on Ao3

Rating: G

Series: Tokimeki Memorial: Girls Side 2nd Kiss

Pairing: Daisy (OC) x Saeki Teru

Summary: Saeki Teru goes to a baseball game to support Mizuki's cheerleading, but it looks like he isn't the only one who notices her.

Author’s Note: I'm somewhat back! It took me a while to figure out what I originally wanted to do with the part since I wanted it to be from Saeki's point of view. The ending of course, is a bit of a cliffhanger, but that just means I have to write more, eh?

While I do joke that I like to bully him, it was more that I wanted to show off the feeling of when in the game where Daisy's stats are getting really high and all the boys start to notice you and want to take you out on dates. And of course, the moments when Daisy is walking home from a date with one boy, but then another boy spots them.

I hope you all enjoy it!

“I don’t see why you had to drag us along,” Harry huffed as he crossed his arms, his eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. “Just because you want to see your girlfriend shaking her pompoms in a miniski-OW,”

“Sorry, my elbow slipped,” Saeki Teru flashed an apologetic smile on his face. “Also, we’re just friends,”

It was true, Mizuki and Saeki had already established they weren’t in a relationship. Not… technically. Obviously, he liked her, and they hung out a bunch, but to be a couple, that would complicate things. There were just… a lot of other things going on in his personal life, about his parents and Sangosho. He’s still been having difficulties having them see just how important it was to keep working at the café. They were just…

Close.

“Seems like couple behavior to me,” Harry mumbled, rubbing his stomach.

“I have to side with Saeki-kun actually,” a bi-speckled Itaru spoke up.  “I am assuming that neither Saeki-san nor Shirogawa-san have formally agreed that they are going steady, then they are technically not a couple, even if you have gone on a few dates. There’s something freeing about that, don’t you think?”

“Going steady? Are you from the 1950s or somethin’?” the musician continued to complain.

“But doesn’t that work in your favor, Hariya?” Itaru pushed his glasses up slightly, a slight smirk on his face. “Considering Nishimoto-san and Meiko-san…”

“WHOA-HEY! That’s different!!”

“Can we please move on from this topic? I just want to watch the game,” Saeki tried not to lose his cool with the two. There were way too many other students around for him to be too snarky.

He had to admit, Harry was right about one thing. Yes, he was here to see Mizuki and support her. He had noticed that she was coming to work more tired because of the extra practices they had been doing in preparation for both their cheerleading tournaments and to cheer for Hanegasaki’s other sports teams. So, he dragged Harry and Itaru to make it seem like they were just a bunch of boys ready to support their school’s baseball team during the semi-finals (albeit maybe he should have found people that were more inclined to enjoy sports). Being the Prince of Hanegasaki, if girls from his ‘fan club’ saw him treating Mizuki with favoritism, it could cause a lot of problems for her.  

“Hey guys!” a chipper voice called out to the three boys. Sure enough, there was Mizuki, waving her yellow pompoms as she walked up toward them.

“Hey, good to see you,” Saeki responded, clearing his throat. He could hear Harry snicker quietly beside him, but he would deal with him later.

“It’s, so awesome you guys could make it. The baseball team has been working hard this year!”

“Shiba is playing today, right?” Harry asked, a big grin on his face. “Man, that guy is so awesome.”

“Yep! Katsumi-kun has probably been working the hardest, in my opinion. With him as our ace, there is no way we can lose.”

As Mizuki continued to chat with Harry and Hikami, she lowered her pompoms and placed them behind her back, Saeki got a proper look at her outfit.

Okay fine. Harry was right about two things; he certainly didn’t dislike the cheerleading uniform, especially on Mizuki. The black knee-high stockings, the cerulean blue V-neck sweater that matched the (surprisingly) short skirt...

Was it him or was it getting warmer out here?

“Kiki-sempai! We’re gonna be starting soon!”

Saeki snapped out of his thoughts, which was probably for the best. Who is Kiki?

A bubbly, pink-haired boy in one of the black oendan uniforms came skipping down across the field and wrapped his arms around Mizuki from behind in a friendly manner.

A bit too friendly.

“Sorry, I was just catching up with my friends before the game,” Mizuki replied. “Shouta, these are Itaru Hikami, Harry Kounoshin, and Teru Saeki,”

Shouta’s purple eyes looked squarely at Saeki when Mizuki mentioned his name, looking him up and down a couple of times.   

“Ehh~? So, you’re the Prince of Hanegasaki huh,” he asked before leaning his chin onto Mizuki’s shoulder. While his voice sounded curious, his facial expression said otherwise. His purple eyes narrowed slightly, a slight sneer that the rest of the boys could see.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,”

Saeki felt something on his left temple twitch as well as a flutter in his chest. “Well, that’s not a nickname I chose, I assure you.”

“Mmm, well, I guess the girls will choose any pretty boy with a tan these days, huh?”

This little punk…

“Shouta-kun! Be nice. Teru works hard, so he does deserve that title” Mizuki playfully tapped one of his arms. “He’s right though, I really should get going, but I will talk to you guys after!”

With that, Shouta let her go and they took their leave, with her waving her pompoms one last time. Saeki could hear Harry snicker, which he felt warranted another elbow to the stomach, but he would leave it for now. Whatever. He didn’t care.

It wasn’t long before the baseball team came out and Mizuki and the rest of the cheerleading squad lead the Hanegasaki students into organized cheer whenever their batters were up. She wasn’t a different person while she was up there, but it was more like, cheerleading highlighted some of her best qualities. No- no, not those qualities. More like how she was just so hardworking and through that, could motivate people as well. While the two of them often bickered, he was also aware that she had a very positive and bubbly personality. It was enough that even he found himself in the spirit of the game. He actually wanted them to win and was following along with all the cheers. You know, to a point. He still needed to keep his composure after all. People were watching.

But he did have to admit this; Mizuki was incredibly cute out there. To top everything else off from earlier, there was certainly a lot of appeal to her shaking those pompoms. He didn’t think that he’d be the type to be into such frivolous, fanservice-y antics, but well. Here he was.

Okay fine, Harry was now right about three things.  

In the 9th inning, the crowd cheered and roared in celebration when the infamous Katsumi Shiba hit a home run, winning their team the game. Hanegasaki would be going to the finals! All that work really did pay off.  

“YOO! Now that was sick. Did you see that!? Just straight out of the park!” Harry said as everyone started to make their way off of the bleachers.

“I have to admit, this was truly a remarkable experience,” Itaru added. “Seeing how they did today, statistically speaking, they most certainly have a chance to win the city-wide tournament tomorrow against Habataki,”

“Ha-ha! YES, let’s bring it to those rich-kid snobs! But first, this calls for celebration. You guys up for karaoke or something?”

“I’ll catch up with you guys later,” Saeki responded, already starting to make his way in the opposite direction of them towards the field and small stadium. “I’m just gonna see if Mizuki needs anything,”

“You hear that Itaru? If she needs anything,” the guitarist started to make kissing sounds.

Oh, how he wanted to deck that musician square in the jaw, but for now, he continued walking, making sure that no one saw the pink rising in his cheeks. He then leaned against the wall of the concrete building, waiting for her to exit from the building where everyone was changing.

He did want to congratulate Mizuki for all her hard work and see if she wanted any company walking home. Celebrations for the actual athletes weren’t until tomorrow since they needed to be fresh for tomorrow’s game, and that included the cheerleaders. You couldn’t be doing dances and being flipped into the air while exhausted after all. Plus, it was just something he had gotten into the habit of lately. Because of her busy schedule, sometimes the only time they saw each other was when he would walk her home. It wasn’t anything weird, no matter what others thought.

Finally, he spotted the curly-haired cheerleader exiting through a door. Chatting with a very tall, muscular, and (admittedly) handsome baseball player.

Laughing and smiling.

“Mou, Katsumi-kun!” Saeki heard her say in playful annoyance, a big smile on her face.

And Katsumi Shiba, known for his serious demeanor, smiled back.

There was a flutter in his chest, just like when Shouta had his arms around Mizuki. That’s when he realized, it wasn’t a flutter, but a pang. Was this… jealousy?

No, he couldn’t be. Jealous? Jealous of what? That there’s a boy in the same club as her who has no problems placing his grubby little hands like it’s nothing? That the ace of the baseball team managed to make her laugh and blush? Why should he care? It’s like Itaru said, they were not officially together. They could hang out with whomever they wanted, and even go on dates. They had agreed. They were not a couple.

And now, he was starting to regret it.

[symoca]

[somevirtualnolife]

I always kind of laugh as to how I became such a big Saeki fan. It was sort of by accident. My favorite TMGS2 boys for a long time were Shiba-sempai and Masaki-sempai. But I remember receiving a prompt awhile back that I wanted to do a TMGS fic for and felt that Saeki would be most suited for it. Then I was like "Hmm, I need to properly play his route" as I only really had interactions with him through one-off dates and some of the obligatory cutscenes. So once I started to research him more through videos and actually play his route, I ended up being a HUGE sucker for him.

I always like to joke that in real life, I hate tsundere guys but in fiction they are my kryptonite. And Saeki was THE tsundere for him. His relationship with Daisy was kind of endearing and then adapting her a bit further to make it more playful really just sealed the deal for him.

His seiyuu (Masakazu Morita) is also super funny to see at the live TMGS events. Very animated, super competitive. If you can snag the Sports Day or Festival Blu Rays, you'll see what I mean.

For Saeki's birthday, feel free to do an AMA about him or Mizuki I guess, or what my headcanons are.

[somevirtualnolife]

A Birthday Fit For a Prince

1382 words

Also on Ao3

Rating: G

Series: Tokimeki Memorial: Girls Side 2nd Kiss

Pairing: Daisy (OC) x Saeki Teru

Summary: Wishing the seaside coffee prince a Happy Birthday! Whether he likes it or not.

Author’s Note: July 19th Saeki Teru's Birthday and this is the first year that I actually was prepared and had the time to write one. Please enjoy this fic with my usual OC, Mizuki!

I hope you look forward to the next chapter as well. :)

Birthdays are annoying.

That’s what Saeki Teru always told himself. Ultimately, birthdays were more about other people than the person whose birthday it actually was. There always seemed to be tons of people making a big fuss, whether they knew you or not. And tons of people also meant that Saeki would feel the need to go into Prince Mode, which he could usually manage, but it felt even more draining during celebrations. While most people would just be themselves in a situation like this, Saeki just couldn’t. Perhaps it was the people pleaser in him. He knew that they meant no harm, but even then he just felt that he always had to be on his best behaviour.

“Are you sure you don’t to go out for your birthday?” one of the girls surrounding him asked with pleading eyes. “We can go out for karaoke~!”

The white-haired young man felt the side of his right eye twitch. He couldn’t think of anything less that he’d want to do as a celebration. A dark, crowded room with everyone singing off-key? Pass.

“It’s fine,” his lips curved into an apologetic, but charming smile. “I don’t think we’d be able to get a room to fit everyone, and that would be unfair if I had to choose between you lovely maidens don’t you think?”

The gaggle of girls swooned in unison and agreement.

“Saeki-kun, you’re so considerate!”  

“Saeki-kun is always putting others before himself!”

“Truly a prince! We must think of something else to do then.”

Give me a break.

“Saeki.” he heard again, but the tone this time did not sound sweet and innocent, but instead, was curt, if not bordering on outright rude. Kind of like him when he was talking to…

He looked past the group in front of him and noticed a curly-haired brunette with a hand on her hip and her foot tapping impatiently.  

Mizuki.

“What kind of guy leaves a girl waiting, huh? Practice finished 15 minutes ago, and you promised me you were going to carry my things home!”

“I did?” Since when did she ever need help with her stuff?

She raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly. And then it clicked.

An out.

“Oh-oh right! Of course, my apologies. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“You’d better be.”

She nodded one more time before giving one last cold glance and walking off. Saeki’s eyes couldn’t help but linger, but not so much so that it was obvious. He didn’t want to blow their cover.

“Forgive me, ladies, it appears that I really can’t go out tonight. A promise is a promise and I would hate to let down the head cheerleader. They are cheering our baseball team to Koshien after all.”

The girls let out a collective cry of disappointment.

“Shirogawa-san making you carry her stuff on your birthday is just so plain rude though! Someone should talk to her about it.”

“She seems kind of scary though and the cheerleading team so they might come after us...” 

Saeki gave them one last reassuring smile, hoping that would be enough to keep them off for now. His smile was soon replaced by a scowl as soon as he turned the bend and headed down the stairs. They were pretty easy to please, but also incredibly difficult to get rid of. They weren’t bad per se, just a lot. He had always promised his parents that he would be on the best behaviour at school in exchange for being allowed to work at Sangosho. He had not anticipated to have an entire fan club come out of it.

Once he made it to the first floor, it wasn’t before long that he made it down to the shoe lockers and spotted Mizuki.

“Thanks. I thought I was never gonna get home,” he yawned before opening his locker. “Not the best way to get on their good side though, Mizuki.”

“Every fairy tale needs a wicked witch in his story, right? An evil sea queen dragging the prince down to her lair for someone to rescue. Which none of them are brave enough to do, so I guess you’re safe for now,” her fingers wiggled in front of her as though she were casting a spell, before a laugh finally escaped her lips.

He tried to keep a straight face, but he had to admit her antics were endearing. Guess he wasn’t the only one who could keep up an act.

“So do you actually have anything for me to carry or was that all an act as well?”

“Of course I do. If I’m gonna risk my neck saving you from a rabid group of fangirls, the least you can do is carry stuff for me,”

“I knew there was some kind of catch.” Saeki crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. That was how it always was with them, wasn’t it?

“You’re such a baby. Just be grateful that I’m not charging you actual money for my services. I could have just left you to fend for yourself.”

He made a tch sound. Knowing her, she probably had a whole stack of books for him to bring home, especially since the summer holidays were about to start. She just hit the top 20 in their year and she knew how determined she was to beat him in the next exams.

“Whatever. Just pass it here.”  

Rather than giving him her whole bag, Mizuki instead reached in and pulled out an envelope addressed to him.

“I know you hate celebrations, but Chiyo-chan took me to this really cute shop that sold stickers and couldn’t resist. They were made by a local artist too, who is totally obsessed with the ocean! Kind of like a certain someone I know” As excited as she sounded, her eyes were not meeting she extended her arm to hand the envelope to him.

“I’m not obsessed,” Saeki carefully took it from her hand and looked it over. It was light blue with a variety of sea animal stickers placed on the front and back. He then pulled open the flap. Inside were two items. The first being a conch-shaped card.

Happy Birthday, Teru!

Whenever I think of your birthday, I think of the start of the summer and the beach. I already know that you’re gonna hit the waves on your surfboard, so why not do it in style?

Your friend and cutest co-worker,

Mizuki

The second item looked like a sticker of some sort. A lighthouse with a mermaid on one side and a dolphin on the other. It was beautiful, looking more like a painting than a sticker. His heart twisted in the way that it always did whenever they were alone.

Your “friend”, huh? I guess they had agreed that was their label for now.

“I think the cat that hangs around Sangosho might be our cutest co-worker,” he responded with a slight smirk, quickly glancing up to see her reaction. As expected, she rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. 

“Whatever. Happy birthday, you idiot,” she shifted her bag strap from one shoulder to the other. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow, okay?”

Before she could leave, he gently took her hand into his, his turn now to avoid looking directly at her.

“I have to waterproof this so that it doesn’t come off the board, you know. And I need help deciding where to put it.” With his free hand, he scratched the back of his neck. “And even though I told him not to, Gramps made a cake… there’s no way the two of us could finish it tonight. And leftover cake just isn’t as good the next day.”

Mizuki’s eyes glanced around on either side of them before she interlocked her fingers with his. Her hands were not delicate, but he couldn’t help but want to treat them as such.

“You’re such a pain, you know that?”

“You’re the one that decided to get me a gift. Now you’ve forced me to celebrate. It’s kind of inconsiderate, don’t you think?”

“Mmhmm. Sure~” she nudged him slightly before leaning her head on his forearm as they walked.

Saeki didn’t want to say it aloud, but maybe, just maybe…

Birthdays weren’t all that bad after all.

[somevirtualnolife]

How To Date a Boy, 101 (Part 1)

1331 words

Also on Ao3

Rating: G

Series: Tokimeki Memorial: Girls Side 2nd Kiss

Pairing: Daisy (OC) x Saeki Teru

Summary: Mizuki has caught feelings for Saeki Teru. But how can she tell if he feels the same way? Guess there's only one way to find out: by taking the advice of your best friend and reading the best lifestyle magazine in Habataki.

Author’s Note: Yes... I have come back from the dead to write some TMGS fics! With GS4 coming out and replaying GS2, the creative juices have been a-flowing. Other than the many cute boys in the game, I have a soft spot for female friendships and always wished you could talk about your crush and do silly friend things in GS2 (I'm glad that it feels more like that in GS3), so I figured it was a great way to open the story. I wanted to capture how Mizuki is really just an insecure teenage girl, with very little experience in love. So while there isn't any Saeki in this chapter, I hope you can still appreciate the build-up!

I hope you look forward to the next chapter!

------------------------

Chapter 1: Love Mode

“You know if you studied consistently rather than the day before the exam, your grades would be much higher. Just because we’re second years doesn’t mean you should be slacking! You’ll gain bad habits.” Chiyomi chided as Mizuki took a small box of Pocky off the shelves of the convenience store and placed it in their basket. A perfect snack for all-night study sessions.

“Ugh, I know. It’s just between work and cheerleading, it doesn’t give me a whole lot of time to hit the books on my own,” Mizuki then put on her sweetest, most pleading smile. “Besides, it’s way more fun to study with an amazing friend like you, Chiyo-chan. Your notes are so concise and perfect, unlike mine.”

Chiyomi pursed her lips and looked. It would take a lot more than that to stop the lilac-haired girl from scolding Mizuki.

“Well, studying should be the most important thing in your life right now! As our teachers say, as it is our job as students is to get good grades. You shouldn’t let other things get in the way.”

Mizuki let out a sigh as they both continued down the aisles. She shouldn’t have expected anything less from the school council member.

“You should maybe consider cutting hours at your job? You said you work at a café, correct?”

Ba-bump. Mizuki could feel her cheeks flush as he picked up a hot can of coffee and stared at it with an unusual amount of intention. A great way to stay awake, but her palette for it has changed since working at Sangosho. Having properly brewed coffee by someone who was passionate about it…

“I’d… rather not.” She let out a sigh before putting it back.

She wasn’t sure if it was the pink in her cheeks or her cryptic answer that gave it away (not as though she was doing a job at hiding either), but Chiyomi suddenly started to stutter.

“Mizuki-chan!” Chiyomi finally blurted out, leaning in closely to Mizuki’s face, as though she needed to confirm what she had just seen. “You like someone, don’t you!?”

“No! I mean… not exactly!” Her eyes darted around as though she were looking for the answer inside the convenience store. Maybe it was the bluntness of the statement that threw the brunette off.

“... It’s complicated!”

“…It’s not Hikami-kun, is it?” Chiyomi stared at her intently, her eyes looking both suspicious, but also worried when she posed the question.

“What? No, of course not. I wouldn’t do that to you.” If Mizuki was bad at hiding her thoughts about boys, Chiyomi was ten times more obvious about her own. She was well aware of why her friend always invited her out all those times to the amusement park, and it wasn’t for the view from the top of the Ferris Wheel. In all honesty, Mizuki thought Chiyomi and Hikami looked cute together. They clearly shared similar interests and got along swimmingly. She couldn’t say the same for herself and her crush.

Chiyomi seemed relieved by that answer, yet still not entirely satisfied it seemed as she still stared intently. Mizuki wasn’t entirely sure how she could answer… for if the entire truth came out, it could cause quite the scandal at school. Saeki Teru going out with a girl that wasn’t one of his fans…

Ugh! What was she even saying!?

Did she like Saeki?

Sure, she had to admit, ever since that time at the fireworks festival, she did feel… different about him. The coffee prince was still a pain in her side, but she also wanted to be around him a lot more. She used to ask him to hang out without a second thought, but that’s because they were friends, like Chiyomi, Shouta, or Tatsuko. Now, anytime she called him to go out, she could feel her heartbeat a million times a second, terrified he might say no. Yes, she and Saeki were friends.

But would it be so bad if they could be something more? He was handsome and charismatic… even kind in his own way. Sure, he teased her, but she could also count dozens of times that he’s helped her out, whether it was teaching her about the different types of coffee beans, or protecting her from random men when they went out together. She could see why he had his own fan club. And when he smiled…

Oh boy. She did like him, didn’t she?

“It’s a guy that I work with at the café,” Mizuki finally answered. Not a lie, but just omitting a few key points. Who knew if there was one of Saeki’s groupies in here. “But I don’t even really know if he really feels the same way! He’s kind of hard to read at times and I’d hate to ruin what we have.” Though she liked to believe that he was fairly honest and upfront with her, it wasn’t unlike him to put on a façade in front of others.

“Hmmm… I do understand this issue,” Chiyomi crossed her arms and nodded, showing concern.

If Mizuki just had a way to figure out if Saeki in a way that didn’t make these weird between them, then maybe it wouldn’t be so scary.

The two girls then found themselves upon the magazine stands. Among the various manga and gravure magazines were of course several lifestyle magazines aimed at young women. Well, when in doubt, consult the experts, right?

Mizuki picked up one with a pure white cover, featuring very professional and very beautiful working women on the front cover. Real Woman Magazine: Two Sure Fire Ways to Find Out If Someone Likes You Pg. 36!

She quickly flipped to the page and scanned the page with her dark-brown eyes.

Tip 1: Ask them if they like you.

Tip 2: Tell them how you feel about them.

Being direct and honest is the most important thing in establishing a good relationship and-

“What kind of garbage advice is this?” Mizuki huffed, tossing it back on the rack. Honest? Direct?

No. Absolutely not. She would rather choose a life of solitude than be the first one to admit her feelings. What if he said no? What if he laughed in her face? No! Mizuki didn’t admit her romantic feelings, she did like any good teenager would: buried them underneath a mountain of snide, sarcastic comments, and hoped that the other person was smart enough to pick up on that! Was that really so hard to understand? Stupid lifestyle magazines.

“Oh, here’s one!” Chiyomi motioned for the brunette to come closer to her. “Look at this special love edition of Habataki Watcher! What to wear and 9 other ways to get your crush to notice and confess to you on page 22!”

Mizuki gasped. Unfortunately, the magazine was bound, meaning they couldn’t open it up in the store, but it wasn’t that much more expensive. She had to know. Habataki Watcher had yet to steer her wrong yet. Himeko’s columns were always spot on. Like they were written specifically for her, but maybe that was just a coincidence.

“Ah, but… this is totally not studying material! Sorry to sidetrack us,”

“Mizuki-chan.” Chiyomi placed the magazine in their basket and then clasped her hands around Mizuki’s. “This is studying. Studying for love!”

“Chiyo-chan…!!!” she could feel her eyes start to tear up. That was truly the cheesiest thing she had ever heard in her life, but seeing Chiyomi was supporting her, how could she not feel touched?

The two then raced to the cashier and quickly paid for their things. Mizuki suddenly felt a boost of confidence. She had the perfect magazine and the support of her friend. Maybe this was all that she needed to help her after all this time. A smirk appeared on her face as the doors of the convenience store automatically opened.

Saeki Teru, you’d better watch out, because Mizuki Shirogawa is about to capture your heart!

[somevirtualnolife]

Pretend to Be Nice

1806 words

Rating: G Series: Tokimeki Memorial: Girls Side 2nd Kiss Pairing: Daisy x Saeki Teru Summary: A bad storm prevents Mizuki from leaving Sangosho.   Author’s Note: Another one! This was actually my original premise for the One Word Prompt 'Glow', but I wasn't sure if it fit the theme as well as I wanted. But at the same time, I didn't want to abandon this work. So, here it is now! Enjoy! Apologies for any typos!

“Really? All bus service has been suspended? Surely the rain can’t be that bad…”

On cue, a flash of lighting dashed across the window, followed by a large, roaring boom that flickered the lights of the tiny café. Mizuki let out a slight yelp, nearly dropping her phone.

“Okay, well, thank you…” the red-head let out a disappointed sigh and then ended the call.

“So?” Saeki asked, not bothering to look up from the dishes he was drying.

“No luck,” she responded. “All buses are cancelled until the weather eases up a bit. And my parents still don’t seem to be answering,”

“Which means…” The white-haired teen lifted his head, his face going pale once he realized what it meant.

Alone. Together. For who knows how long.

Mizuki twisted her mouth disapprovingly as she saw him put down a cup. They weren’t exactly the best of friends, to put it mildly. His kindness was reserved for the customers of Sangosho and of course, his thrall of fan girls at school. It hadn’t been long since she had moved to the city, but she’d been around Saeki long enough to know that if they had to spend any more time together, there was no guarantee that the two of them would be alive the next day.  

“I’ll just walk home,” she said with a slight huff.

“In the dark? In this storm? By a beach with powerful, crashing waves?” Saeki tried to hold in a laugh as he leaned over the counter. “You really haven’t lived in a port city for awhile, have you?”

Ugh, she hated that smug smirk of his. He just thought he was so smart, didn’t he?

“It’s not that far. I can do it,” she said, insistently. It was just a little bit of rain! It was that or deal with his snarky comments the whole time. “The likeliness of being hit by lightning is one in seven million,”

“Mm-hmm,” he grinned. “And how has your luck been lately, Mizuki?”

“Bite me,” Mizuki responded, sticking her tongue out before she opened the large, wooden door and left.

A wave of regret swept over her as soon as she was outside. She could already feel her body drenched from the heavy rainfall. Then there was the wind, almost powerful enough to sweep her up and take her away. This was less of a storm, and more of a typhoon. It was then that another crack of thunder and lightning erupted across the sky, shaking the ground beneath her.

She took another step and almost immediately, a bolt of lighting hit one of the trees nearby.

A soft whimper escaped her lips.

Sure, the statistics were one in seven million, but maybe… she shouldn’t tempt fate. Her horoscope did call for terrible luck this week. But, that would also mean she’d have to face Saeki’s stupid, smug face. It was truly a difficult choice to make. Mizuki leaned back on the large door and close her eyes. Lightning or Saeki, lightning or Saeki…  

The brunette then felt herself falling backwards, and right onto her bottom as the support behind her disappeared. The door was now wide open, with a familiar white-haired waiter towering over her.

“Oh good. I thought I missed the chance of seeing you get fried by lightning,”

Fine, it was Saeki this time.

“Whatever,” she huffed, standing back up properly and crossing her arms.

“Relax. I’m kidding,” Saeki replied, tilting his head slightly, motioning for her to come back inside. Mizuki puffed her cheeks, but obliged. She’d choose the coffee-prince over lightning for now. “Get in before anything actually happens to you,”

That last big rumble must’ve knocked out the power, for Sangosho was almost pitch black. In the dark, it was quite eerie, like something out of a horror movie. Maybe her final nights would be here, trapped on a deserted beach with the person she hated the most in the whole entire world.

“Keeps getting better and better, huh?” Saeki said with an annoyed tone, most likely having the same thoughts as her.

Well, at least they were on the same wavelength.

Mizuki shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. She was only out for a short time, yet she was soaked from head to toe. She then felt a nudge to her shoulder in the dark and then something soft against her hand; a towel.

Reluctantly, she took it from Saeki’s hand before he walked passed her. Fine, sometimes he had basic decency, but that was about it. Nothing to get excited about.

“Did you really think you were going to make it home?” he asked while the sound of a cabinet opened in the background.

“I was willing to take the chance. You’re about as pleasant as a typhoon after all,” Mizuki could hear the boy let out a slight scoff, which couldn’t help but make her smile. She wanted to get in at least one jab in.

She then heard a scratching sound, soon followed by the slight sent of smoke. A match. It wasn’t before long that the soft glow of candles lit up the small café enough for her to walk without bumping into anything. Mizuki then slowly pulled off a stool from the counter and sat beside the boy.

Although the flames were small, they were greatly appreciated it. They were a pleasant sensation against her hands and cheeks.

“Thanks,” she finally mumbled and then wrapped the towel around her shoulders. She could see him shrug slightly.

“My grandfather would probably be mad I let something happen. For whatever reason, he seems to have taken a liking to you,”

“He must have good taste then,” Mizuki couldn’t help but beam. How they were related was beyond her. Saeki-san was such a kind-hearted, cheery, giving and caring person. How he put up with Saeki-kun’s negatively was truly a gift.  

“Don’t get cocky,” the boy complained and then flicked her ear. She let out a small yelp.

“Why are you so mean to me?” she complained, puffing her cheeks. “You know, if the girls saw you being such a jerk they would think twice about having a fan club dedicated to you,” Actually, they’d probably still place him on a pedestal, but she wasn’t going to admit that.

“You’re easy to tease. Nearly anything winds you up and you always walk into it,” he responded in a very matter-of-fact tone.

“Well that just makes you a bully then,” she propped her chin up against the palm of her hand and twisted her mouth again as she looked away from the boy.

“So, would you rather I just give you the fake princess treatment like all the other girls?” he scoffed again.

“I’m just saying that it’s impossible for all of your kindness to be a façade,”

Surely, he couldn’t only be nice because it was expected of him. There must’ve been a side to him that wanted to be kind just because.

Mizuki then felt a soft touch against her free arm. His fingertips lightly slid down her elbow to her hand. His fingers quickly locked with hers as he pulled it up towards his face. The reflection of the flames danced in his dark eyes as she looked back at him.

“Ojousama,” he started, his princely tone coming out full swing. “If I did anything to offend you-”

“Ew, stop,” she said, making a disgusted face.

“You told me you wanted me to be nice; I’m trying to be nice,” Saeki said, his voice full of his usual irritation. Even in the darkness, she could tell that his right eyebrow was twitching ever so slightly.

“This isn’t nice! It’s just weird!” how did his fan club find this charming!? She took it back, she didn’t want him to be nice if he was going to be so weird.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have pulled her hand back as hard as she did, for she quickly felt her tilt backwards. Her balance really was terrible tonight, wasn’t it?

“Wah!” Mizuki quickly shut her eyes, expecting the hard impact of the wooden floor against her head.

But instead of feeling immediate pain, she felt her arm yanked again to try and stop her from falling, but instead, the force fell along with her. At least it slowed her down enough that it wasn’t painful. Just a surprise.

When she opened her eyes, she saw leaning only slight over her was Saeki, propping himself up with one arm. The soft glow from the candles partially lit up his features. Mizuki hated to admit it, but she could sort of get why the girls at school fawned over him. His tanned skin, his chiselled features, the way his white strands fell over his face…

It’s a good thing that it was dark enough that her flushed cheeks weren’t apparent. They haven’t been this close since that time they were walking home and-

It was then that the lights flickered on, lighting up the restaurant again.

“You’re a real klutz, you know that?” Saeki muttered as he quickly pushed himself off her and stood up.

“It’s not my fault! You were being super weird,” she protested. Her flushed cheeks finally returned to their regular colour. Right. No matter how cute he was, he was still Saeki Teru.    

She could then hear a buzzing followed by a jingle; Her cellphone. She quickly dug into pocket and scrambled to answer it.

“Hello? Oh Dad!” she quickly said with a sigh of relief. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m still at the café, the buses are cancelled. I might have to stay the night if the weather doesn’t get better,”

Her brown eyes glanced back over at Saeki who had his back turned away from her as he put the candles away. “Yeah, I’m with Saeki-kun. Mmm? No, his grandfather had some business out of the city. Alone? Yeah. No-wait, Dad, it’s not like that-Dad, calm down,” it was too late. She winced as she could already hear him lecture her at top speed.

“… He’ll be coming to pick me up in a bit. It’s supposed to rain less in a half hour,” she let out a long sigh as she ended the call. It was probably a good idea. Not that she would ever do anything with Saeki! But… still.

“Right. That’s good,” Saeki said a little absent mindedly.

“You don’t have to stick around you know,” she added. “I think you’ve done enough. So uh, you can go upstairs,” His room was somewhere there, wasn’t it?

He let out a long sigh before looking up at the ceiling. Who knew what he was thinking.

“…Get home safe,” he finally said under his breath before quickly walking up the stairs.

Huh.

That might’ve been the first time he’s ever properly expressed concern for her.

Maybe he was nice.

[somevirtualnolife]

How to Date a Boy 101 (Part 2)

Also on Ao3

2823 words

Rating: G

Series: Tokimeki Memorial: Girls Side 2nd Kiss

Pairing: Daisy (OC) x Saeki Teru

Part 1: Here

It's date-time at the aquarium! Will Mizuki finally get that fairytale confession she wants? Will she and Saeki live happily ever after? The only way to find out is by following all the tips in the Habataki Watcher!

Mizuki opened her bag and took out her compact mirror. She carefully brushed her curls to one side, then the next, then just shook her head with a huff.

She shouldn’t be nervous... After all, Saeki and she have hung out dozen times before. It should be second nature by this point. There’s nothing weird about them going to the aquarium together.

So why was she nervous?

Deep breaths, Mizuki. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She just had to remember everything she and Chiyomi went over the night before and she’d be fine. Sure, her bespectacled friend was about as knowledgeable about dating as Mizuki was, but this time, they had proper reference material. If the Habataki Watcher really was anything to go by, Saeki not only would she get her feelings through to Saeki, but he should be professing her love to her in the most grandiose fashion possible.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?” she then heard from behind. Speak of the devil.

“No, I just got here myself actually,” Mizuki responded in a chipper manner. Honestly, him being a little late at least meant that she could take more time to prepare herself.

“Hmm, maybe I should have taken more time then. Really made you wait,” a playful smirk appeared on Saeki’s face.

“Hey!” She puffed her cheeks in irritation, which only made the white-haired boy grin more it seemed.

“By the way, those clothes…”

Mizuki eyes brightened. Already, the Habataki Watcher’s magic was being put to work.

Tip #1: Always be on point and up on the latest trends. And if you can, wear his favorite colour! He’ll no doubt take notice.

And that she did. Blue from head to toe! She only had a blue shirt in her closet, but then she borrowed a skirt from Chiyomi, and then a sweater from Todo… and a coat from her mother…

They were all totally in style though! Different styles mind you but in style all the same.

She turned her head and flicked her wavy brown hair before placing her hand on her hips. “Yes?”

“… Was it laundry day or did you get dressed in the dark?”

“E-excuse me!?” His words rammed her right in her stomach like a truck.

“What exactly were you going for? A blue sasquatch?” he crossed his arms, furrowing his brows.

“Well, you’re-”

Tip #2: Being nice and considerate is the way to a boy’s heart. Making a scene over something small could make it seem as though you’re too much to handle!

“…So funny, Saeki-kun,” she said through gritted teeth before forcing a laugh. “You’re right, it was totally laundry day! What’s a girl to do on such short notice? You know me, can’t keep myself organized!”

“We planned this two weeks ago and I know you’re obsessed with keeping everything in your planner,”

“I… ah…” she let out a frustrated sigh. “Can we just go inside?”

Tip #3 Show him that you’re interested in what he likes! It shows that you’re adventurous and engaged.

Okay, so the outfit was a bit of a bust. She should have coordinated better rather than just go straight for his favorite colour. But that didn’t mean that day was ruined yet! They were at the aquarium after all, one of Saeki’s favorite places. The perfect way to get this date back on track. That’s right Mizuki, the outfit was just a minor setback. She would still have Saeki-kun pouring out his feelings to her by the end of today, groveling at her feet.

“Did you know that ghost sharks have teeth in their stomachs?” she said as they strolled around the shark area. The aquarium had just received a whale shark, which

“Ghost sharks? I’m pretty sure they just have rows of teeth in their mouth?”

“Oh right!” she said, snapping her fingers. “Right ghost crabs are the ones them in their stomach to ward off enemies. Ghost sharks are the ones that have a retractable organ on their forehead!”

“What kind?”

“Oh yeah, which organ…” Chiyomi and her were looking at one of her ocean encyclopedias but before Mizuki could read the entry on the ghost shark, the purple-haired girl shut it quickly.

“That would be the reproductive organ, for male ghost sharks.” A chipper staff member said behind them.

A male reproductive organ? Wait a second, that’s-

“Oh.”

Mizuki just realized why Chiyomi didn’t want her reading that part. Her brown eyes then slowly glanced over at Saeki.

He was there covering his face.

The atmosphere in the shark section suddenly became heavy.

Tip #4: Let him take the lead and help you. Guys love to be able to look after people they care about.

Wait, didn’t they say that they love a girl who’s adventurous? How could she be both? Ugh, this was starting to get a little tiring. But if this was what she had to do. Also, her feet were sore. Why did she decide to wear heels again?

Oh, right because they were blue.

“Oi, Mizuki,” Saeki called, looking over his shoulder. “You okay?”

She smiled, though wincing slightly. “Yeah, I just need a bit of a break.”

“Well, there are some seats there where we can touch some of the crustaceans,” he motioned at a small water table in the center of the room. There were several children with their parents, as well as a few couples.

“Sure, that seems fine.”

The two of them took a seat. Mizuki wasn’t much for touching sea creatures, but she knew that Saeki loved them. So much to the point where he managed to drag out an octopus out of the ocean on their last hang out at the beach. Yeah, the octopus was certainly not her favorite memory, but seeing Saeki’s smile was the highlight of that day.

Right… Saeki’s smile. That was what she was looking for. Besides, these creatures were all docile and didn’t squirm, right? She’d be fine.

“Now, remember everyone! We don’t lift the creatures out of the water. You can hold the sea cucumber completely in our hands, but we don’t touch the bottom of the starfish, okay?” a staff worker explained to everyone. Well, perhaps not everyone, so much as one child whose parent was attempting to pry their fingers off a starfish.

Man, why was every elementary student that wasn’t Yuu a total nightmare? It’s not that she hated kids, but some of them were just too much. She tsked to herself and reached into the water..

But before she could, she suddenly felt something wet and slimy whip onto her face. She then froze, her eyes then looking back over to the child who had been thrashing around earlier.

And now his hand was empty. And the starfish was nowhere to be seen.

If there was ever a record for shrieking the loudest, Mizuki may have just beaten it.

Tip #5: Skinship is a must! Playfully nudging him or caressing his arm or cheek will make any guy know that you’re interested in him.

“I gotta say, I don’t think I would have ever expected to see you try and fight an 8-year-old kid,”

“I was not trying to fight him. I just wanted to give him a stern talking to about being respectful to animals,” Mizuki corrected him.

But yeah, had the parents or the staff not been around, she would have totally throttled that little kid. Maybe it wasn’t the best of light that Saeki could have seen her in, but she felt justified! Ugh, how much more did she have to endure? There was no way this was chipping away at his sarcastic exterior. How the heck was she supposed to get a confession out of him?

“Do you wanna grab anything from the gift shop?” Saeki asked her, pointing his head towards it.

“Oh yeah!” The perfect way to end a date, right? Though she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted a memento for this one. Nonetheless, if he was offering, she couldn’t refuse.

As they entered the gift shop, they came across a stand that had ornate shell-and-pearl phone straps.

“Oh, these are so cute! They even have different colours,” she said, looking them over with excitement.

“Mm, yeah they’re pretty nice.”

Saeki had leaned in over her shoulder, his face not that much further from hers. Mizuki could feel her face warm. Right. Now was a better time than any for some casual skinship!

Just as she was about to lightly poke Saeki on his sun-kissed cheek, he turned his head to face hers, which, unfortunately, resulted in her finger slipping from his cheek and getting him straight in his left eye.

It wasn’t hard to figure out what happened next.

“Saeki!” she cupped her hands over her mouth as the prince attempted to stand up, but instead stumbled backward over a sign, though thankfully not ramming his head on anything.

“A-are you okay?” Mizuki asked, finally offering her hand to help him up. “I’m SO sorry-”

“I’m fine!” he said, clearly annoyed and embarrassed as he quickly stood back up, brushing off his pants. Seems that his ego hurt more than this eye, which was maybe for the best. “I don’t know what is up with you today, but I don’t want you causing any more damage,”

Mizuki could feel her throat tighten and her heart sink into her gut.

Oh no.

This was not how things were supposed to go today.

“I-I’ll… wait for you by the s-station…”

And there you have it! Everything that you need to get the most romantic confession out of your crush!

The ride home on the train was quiet. She couldn’t even bring herself to look or converse with Saeki. She really blew it. Absolutely nothing went the way that she wanted and now the boy that she liked was never going to want to talk to her again. She could feel it. She’d just become another girl that he attempted to avoid in the hallways at school. He’d probably barely tolerate her at work. Maybe she should start looking for a new job…

She was such an idiot. Not only did she lose the chance to confess to Saeki, but it felt like she was just about to lose a friend. Whatever they had at the fireworks festival felt like it had been completely obliterated.

Her eyes started to sting as they welled up, but before any tears could fall, Mizuki felt something warm on top of her left hand.

“It’s our stop,” Saeki said with a slight sigh, squeezing her hand as he stood up. “Come on, let me walk you home,”

Mizuki’s head darted up, slightly confused. “Walk me home?”

“Yeah, walk you home.” He repeated, looking irritated, though with an ever so slight shade of pink on his cheeks. “You’ve been acting weird all day, who knows what’ll happen if you end up going home by yourself. Probably get attacked by a boar or something,”

Ah, of course. Her behaviour today was enough to worry any person about her wellbeing, but maybe it was better than anger. She slowly stood up and follow him off the train.

The sun was beginning to set as they exited the station, colouring the sky a beautiful orange, pink and violet. There was also a slight breeze in the air that whistled through the multi-coloured leaves signifying autumn. A picturesque view on what was probably the most humiliating day of Mizuki’s life.

Yet, Saeki was still here with her. Holding her hand. His were so much larger than hers, strong, yet tender. It was comforting but confusing. This of course, wasn’t the first time they had held hands. She had once complained that he walked too fast and in response, he held her hand so that she wouldn't fall behind. So, it just became a thing that they did. Still, today she would have figured that today would have been the day to end all that.

She bit her lip and couldn’t help but squeeze it slightly, trying to work up the courage to break the silence.

“I’m sor-”

“Sorry I got mad earlier,” Saeki spoke up, startling Mizuki. “And made fun of your clothes. That… wasn’t great of me. Probably didn’t exactly set the tone for today, eh?”

That… wasn’t what she was expecting. “It’s fine. I mean, it wasn’t exactly well picked out. I just kind of got stuck on the colour,”

“Why’s that?”

Ba-bump.

“Because… blue is your favorite colour.”

“Ah,” Saeki responded. For a moment, Mizuki felt his grip loosen on hers, but then tighten again. “How’d did you figure that out?”

“Well, I mean, your favorite thing in the world is the sea,” she continued. Mind as well be semi-honest. “And even your first name kind of rhymes with the colour. If you say it in English anyway. Blue… Teru. Plus, I noticed things like your tie from work and your glasses case were also blue,”

Mizuki heard him scoff lightly, but not in a way that seemed annoyed.

“Kind of stupid right?” she said.

“No. I don’t think it’s stupid. Also, I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say my first name,”

“Does it sound weird?”

“No- it’s just-,” Saeki stammered, looking up at the sky as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “It’s fine.”

That… wasn’t a bad reaction.

“Can keep calling you Teru?”

Saeki shrugged. His signification of a yes. Mizuki smiled, and with that, she slowly went from holding his hand to interlocking her fingers with his.

“Mizuki,” he finally spoke up again.

“Mmm?”

“… I just want to confirm something.” Despite talking to her, he seemed to be looking anywhere that wasn’t directed at her.

“You wore the colour blue today because I like blue, right?”

“Yeah.”

“…And you invited me to the aquarium because you know that I like going there.”

“I mean, I like going to the aquarium too. But I know it’s also one of your favorite spots, so… yes.”

Her brown eyes carefully glanced up observed the young prince’s face, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking. He didn’t seem angry, but he didn’t seem happy either. Just pensive. He hadn’t looked at her since they left the train either.

“Everything alright?” she finally asked.

“Ah- yeah. Everything’s fine. Thinking is all.” he replied, finally snapping out of his thoughts. “Oh, we’re here,”

The two stopped in front of the gate of her home. They both let go and finally looked at each other properly, though clearly unsure of how to proceed next.

“We should go to the planetarium next time,” he suddenly said.

“Since when do you like going to the planetarium?”

“Since always,” he replied, irritated. “Besides, if you act like a total spaz, then at least it’ll be dark enough for no one else to see,”

Mizuki puffed her cheeks. “Okay, I get it! I’m not going to live today down, am I?”

“What I’m trying to say is that… I know you like it, and I like… that… you thought of me today. In your own weird, overthinking way,” He cleared his throat.

She could feel her cheeks flush again, but hopefully, the sun had set enough that he couldn’t’ see it. Disaster averted it seemed.

“By the way, here,” he took a small bang from his coat pocket and placed it in her hands. “I got it while you were waiting outside.”

She opened the bag carefully and inside was the phone strap with shells and a green pearl. “Oh!”

Ah… it really was so cute! She then wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. It really was cute, and she was totally going to put it on when she got inside.

“Thank you, Teru,”

“Ah- well you know…” she could feel his muscles stiffen. “So, uh, next Sunday? Planetarium?”

She finally let him go and nodded, her eyes beaming. “Sure thing! Let’s meet at the station,”

The prince let out a sigh of relief and relaxed again. “Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

Mizuki waved as he turned around and started to leave. Okay, so the date was a bust and she never got her confession. But it was the first time he had ever invited her out. And the first time that she used his first name.

She let out a long sigh, scratching her head as she thought about everything that transpired today. It was a lot to think about, but at least understood one thing that came out of it.

“I really like you, don’t I?” she said to herself quietly as she looked back down at her phone strap.

“And I’ll let you know someday, I promise.”

Bonus Tip: Remember that only do what comes naturally to you. Everything else will fall in place eventually, for better or for worst.