"She… isn't picking up."

Akashi made no semblance of a response. He merely kept walking, down the corridor, and Yuzu didn't know what to make of his silence. Trailing behind, she couldn't see his face, but she knew it must've soured because a passing friend had mouthed to ask if she was in trouble. "I-I'll call her again—"

"No," he said, lifting a hand from his pocket. "I'll do it."

Yuzu watched with peeled eyes as he held a smartphone to his jaw. They were a metre apart (a safe distance to put between them, she reckoned), but she could practically hear the dial-tone as if it was ringing in her own ear. And in every break between the dull trills, she heard own heavy breathing instead.

Anego, even Lord Jesus can't save you if you pick up! So please don't!

Akashi had been generous when Saeri failed to turn up at the arranged time. What started as a grace period of five minutes stretched to ten, then twenty. At the thirtieth minute of her absence, he finally uncrossed his arms and told Yuzu to start her routine without further ado. The tension then was tolerable, but when there was still no sign of her vice-president even after having finished her solo, Yuzu found the air in the hall rather unbreathable.

"Do not worry."

She yelped. Was the anxiety she radiated actually tangible?

The redhead in front still had his back to her. His phone was still up. "Like I said, your solo is approved. And I will not revoke my words."

Yuzu nodded after a while, even though he couldn't see her. Even though that wasn't what she was worried about. Right before they left the hall, Akashi had suggested looking for Saeri. The way he mentioned his need to speak to her was calm and not sinister in any interpretable way, but Yuzu wasn't an idiot. She knew what 'speaking' entailed.

There was a spot in the dark recesses of her memory for how her skin crawled when Akashi began listing the places Saeri could be at…

"U-U-Um, Akashi-s-s-san," she said, hoping he wouldn't turn around. "Why don't w-we wait for the rehearsal to tell Anego the g-g-good news?" Yuzu might be a mouse of a girl, but she had loyalty to uphold. "Or I can p-pass your m-m-message to h-her. Y-You don't have to—"

"We're here."

Her courage was plucked too late, however.

The girl managed to squeeze in five silent prayers for Saeri to not be in her class before peering in to see them all unanswered. There her leader was—tucked in a corner by the window, brown hair spilled all over her desk, arched back rising and falling in soft motions. Sweetly but helplessly oblivious to her impending doom. An orange-cased smartphone buzzed right by her cheek.

Akashi was already three steps past the door before Yuzu could sneak a look at his face. A subscriber of Christian faith, she signed a cross over herself before following suit.

In his stride across, Akashi caped the room with silence. From the gaggle of gossip-mongers clustered around desks to the circus troupe at the back of the class—every person he passed hushed and stilled, curious and somehow wary of his presence. Serves you right for not waking Anego up, Yuzu thought, vindictively and unreasonably, as she watched a boy's desperate attempts to maintain balance when he froze mid-Kungfu stunt.

Saeri's phone continued to vibrate as Akashi drew closer to her desk, his own red phone still cradled next to his ear. Perhaps he wanted to give her a chance of redemption up till the very last moment—or was it just wishful thinking on Yuzu's part? The orange piece of metal seemed to buzz—no, tremble louder and harder than ever when Akashi was finally down to his last step.

The buzzing went on for several moments, and the thought of an earthquake inexplicably surfaced in Yuzu's mind. Saeri finally stirred at the sixth ring, eyelids twitching as she roused. Head still planted in the nest of her elbow, she unfurled a hand to grope for her phone. A bleary eye might have been looking at the screen, but clearly, nothing was registered because 'Incoming call: Akashi Seijuro' made no impression on her whatsoever.

"Shut the hell up," she slurred, almost incomprehensibly, before sliding a thumb over the 'reject' option. Her cheek then burrowed itself deeper into her arms and pushed her eyewear askew.

…

Akashi straightened his head from the slight tilt it had grown into during his wait. He took a breath (one hard enough for his chest to rise visibly) and parted his phone from his ear. His eyes briefly left Saeri for the first time to focus on tapping on the red gadget before stowing it. Akashi wasn't scowling, nor even frowning. His brow and lips were still set in straight lines, his eyes still opaque, still a perfect picture of composure. Yuzu found herself wishing he was not—at least she would know how to act accordingly if he showed some form of emotion.

There was a swell in background noise; Saeri's classmates realised that it would be safest for them to return to their own businesses. Some had even left for their after-school club activities (like they were supposed to, anyway). Yuzu was immensely thankful for it. She could finally hyperventilate without drawing attention with her gasps.

"Please don't get mad at Anego!" She vaguely wondered if he could understand squeaking. "She is just very tired!"

…Evidently.

"I-I'll wake her—"

"Doesn't it upset you?" He finally said, halting her in her tracks. His voice was as cool as ever, but also somewhat contemplative, as if he was undecided on what to do. "Your vice-president left you alone for a siesta, despite knowing full well how badly you fare with your nerves. The effect of her absence was visible in your solo just now, you realise."

Yuzu couldn't figure out what he wanted to achieve with his statement, and neither could she like what it insinuated.

"Anego cannot do more for me or my solo. Ever since you wanted to c-cut it out, there isn't anything m-more important to her than to get y-you to accept it—probably…" She trailed softly, grating the pads of her thumbs against her jacket's zipper. "She has spent most of her time on improving me, even though she has many other things to do. She could've just easily left me to my own devices, but she has accompanied me in every practise so far because she knows I'm not confident in dancing right. And she's serious in every one of them too."

Her reply was quick, and quick replies are honest and unfiltered, he found.

"It's not only about my solo. I can't imagine how much she and Chiaki-san have given to us. Our club was just formed this year, and most of the members are new to dancing, but how else do you think we've managed to secure so many successful performances in half a year?" Her thumbs were now red and engraved with marks. "I-I don't think I'm selfish enough to be upset at Anego for taking a break, e-even if it's at a wrong timing…" And the boldest of what she ever said, "I d-d-d-don't think you s-should be too… S-She's not the one dancing, a-after all…"

She was shaking so badly. Did he even take her seriously?

Only drifting chatter from other conversations followed her speech. Exhausted from anticipating his response, she finally peered up, and a part of her regretted it for he was looking at her. She didn't linger long enough to see what sort of look he had in his eyes. She just ducked back down quickly, as though it was an offense to grace them, her mouth stretched into a thin line.

Yet, a well-boding sign: the air around Akashi didn't feel as impregnable as before. Maybe he found a part of her words agreeable?

"It wasn't my intention to sound confronting, Shibasaki-san." The use of her last name seemed to surprise her as much as the ease of his words. "I was merely curious."

(Not that he actually expected her to speak badly of her vice-president, given her character.)

"Saeri is rarely careless."

A sigh ebbed from his lips as he pulled his gaze to the girl before him. Her cheek was sure to have a mark with the way they are pressed against her spectacles, Akashi found himself noticing. It also seemed to press them in a way that was unhealthy for the frame. He vaguely pondered if she had slept facing the window so she could hide her sleeping face from her classmates. "She is also usually tenacious. For her to fall into such a state… She must have been shouldering an unimaginable deal of stress."

There was a little bit of drool, but her sleeve blocked it well enough. Also, what could have kept her up all night to leave such dark shadows under her eyes?

Yuzu was less hesitant to lift her chin now. Puzzlement over his sudden change in demeanour wafted into her mind, but she brushed it off to focus on the matter at hand.

"Besides, you overestimate the extent of my control. Or rather, you think me unreasonable with boundaries." A chuckle was nearly detectable in his voice. "She is neither part of my club nor council. Other than a lecture, there isn't much I can do to her even if she intentionally skipped a meeting. And as with what you had said, the meeting was arranged for your solo, not hers. Ultimately, though she was the one who had implored me for it, there was no adamant need for her to be there other than to support supervision or provide morale."

Then, why did you insist on coming up to her class to look for her?! The question arose insuppressibly, but Yuzu decided against articulating it. Even though his clemency was what she had fervently been hoping for, it was still quite a surprise. Kind of like the sudden recoil from winning a game of tug-o'-war.

Even so, the victory was to be savoured. "Thank you for your understanding, Akashi-san!" She piped, dipping down repetitively. Finally, the black fog of anxiety in her guts began to ease. "I'll wake her up in time for rehearsal!"

"No. Let her sleep. She must need it," he said, pulling out his phone and making his leave. "I believe your club's set can function with a missing member? I'll notify the teachers in charge."

Yuzu's smile reached so much into her eyes it seemed to squeeze tears out of them. She made sure he was a step away from the door before stooping down to level her head with Saeri's, whispering excitedly to the sleeping girl. "Anego, you heard that? Wait—of course you didn't. You can't hear this too, but you're not going to die, and I can have my solo!" Her voice hitched loudly at some parts, but the brunette head barely twitched. "Akashi-san turned out to be a rather wonderful person—"

"One more thing."

Yuzu bit her tongue. He couldn't possibly have heard her comment. Could he...?

"Remove her glasses. It cannot be comfortable to sleep with them on like that."

The girl nodded, even though he had already left, and obediently carried out his order against the sting in her mouth, blessing herself with another cross before she did.

.

From: Akashi Seijuro
To: Sugiyama Saeri

(Today, 4:15pm)

You are excused from today's rehearsal. Yuzu will be performing her solo on Awards Day. You are right; she does express herself very well. Do not worry and rest yourself. Your efforts are commendable.

.

"...S-S-S-Shit!"

"I'm sorry I'm late!"

Saeri had: a pair of glasses sliding down her nose; clumps of hair dripping out of her ponytail; and a gap in her shirt (chest area!) opened by a loose button. However, the need to fix them all paled against her need to join her crew on the stage. Thank God she took that shortcut through the bushes—ten seconds later and she would've missed the start of their set.

She sputtered apologies as she darted her way through the hall, cheeks flushed from the run as well as the many stares on her, and unceremoniously dumped her bag next to her friends'. Surprise was clear on the faces in her club. Her appearance was contradictory to what Akashi and Yuzu have told them, but they accepted it easily anyway and backed up for her to climb onto the ledge. With a smile, as if she'd guessed Saeri would turn up anyway, Chiaki motioned to the tech crew on the second level to start their playlist.

"Is it alright?" The assistant asked, unsure of how the council president received such a display of tardiness. Nonetheless, his thumb hovered readily above the button.

"Just start."

As they watched the Street Dance Club decorate the stage with their moves, he wondered what could've put the curve on Akashi's lips.

Liar, Liar

16 Candles

"It's been a week. Come up and collect your test when I call your name."

The class groaned collectively; the liveliest it'd been since the past period. There was no acceptable reason to why the teacher had to wait till the last minute to give out their tests and cut into their break—for God's sake, she was even doing it student by student!

"Sensei, please just pass it out," somebody pleaded, "I really need to use the toilet…"

"Same here!"

"I gotta rush to baseball!"

Kise would've joined the protest if his heart wasn't up in his throat blocking all words from articulation. He stilled in his seat, uncharacteristically quiet, with his fingers laced and pressed against his mouth. The beads of sweat were glacial on his temples, and he itched to wipe them off but his muscles were locked.

He'd went through the heart-explosions for some of his other tests before (all scraped passes), but the intensity of his trepidation now was unprecedented. Forget nerve-wrecking; this anxiety could wreck souls.

Please, please, please! Give me a 'B'! I've never worked so hard for my studies before! Kise decided to squeeze his eyes shut. Watching his classmates file past him to and fro the teacher's desk only served to stress him out senseless. He arched his knuckles to form entwined fists—maybe his prayers would be more potent if his hands looked the part. Please don't let my—Saecchi's efforts go to waste!

"Kise Ryouta."

He was deaf to his name. Initially.

Kise only realised it was his turn when everyone started to look expectantly at him. Chirrups of 'all the best, Kise-kun' nudged him to his feet and followed his erratic steps down the room. Girls were beseeching divine help for the blonde while struggling against the urge to swoon at his nervous pout. Even the boys hoped for him to pass. Everybody knew it was imperative for him to compete in the Winter Cup—he said it a million times when he'd approached them for help.

Man… He over-did his makeup today, a boy in the front row mused as he passed. The model's complexion was unnaturally pale. Indistinguishable from that of his female colleagues in some shoots for cosmetics.

The teacher dropped a badly pencilled eyebrow and squinted up at him. Her lips were non-existent with the way they were pursed. A spidery hand cupped his test paper so that only its blank parts were visible.

Just give it to me already, damnnit! He was reminded of why he disliked his math teacher so much. Quit it with the suspense! It's so annoying!

Her beak-like nose crinkled. It always did before she talks. "Did you actually study for this test?"

(Was there any pure-blooded Japanese with noses that hooked, anyway?)

His heart plunged at how deliberately she'd enunciated 'actually'.

"Yes?" Then, on a firmer note, "yes. I did."

"Hmm…"

She nodded, as if she learned something, then pushed the papers into his jittery hands, almost scratching him with the many garnets fastened upon her knuckles. "Work hard for your club," she sniffed, before croaking the next name on her list.

…

Kise touched the test papers to the tip of his nose, blinking incessantly. Now that he was actually breathing, he could pick up hints of Salonpas on the white sheets.

A girl sitting beside where he stood smiled sweetly. "Kise-kun, what did you get?"

She received no reply.

"Sensei…" Kise muttered. His hands have already stopped shaking. "It's okay if I leave the class now, right?"

The woman didn't bother looking up. "No."

However, Kise could barely hear, speak, nor see with the enormous grin consuming his face. He wasn't even aware that he was standing in the middle of his class, chewing up the scenery with his height, distinctive appearance and luminous glee. The boy was a solar flare of delight, maybe with a touch of relief.

Everything was heliocentric to the two digits on his paper, circled in red pen.

"Kise-kun?" The girl repeated, wondering if she was ignored.

She was, but Kise gathered himself in time before it scratched his people-pleasing veneer. "Ah, sorry 'bout that! I got a very good grade," he chirped, aiming his smile down at her.

It picked hers up immediately, and a shower of praises gushed from all around.

"Thank you! Thank you!" He exclaimed, messing up the hair on his nape. It was one of the few times where it didn't matter when his cheeks ached from smiling too much at a crowd. It never ached when it came naturally, anyway. "Thank you all for helping me with math too!"

Ah! I nearly forgot!

"Special thanks to you, Mizusawa-san!" Kise beamed, very winsomely, at a rather surprised girl in the corner of the room.

Mizusawa Miyuki was happy for the blonde, as a supportive classmate and not as a fan, but she didn't feel the need to join the other girls in walking all the way to him just to offer her congratulations. Neither did she expect him to take that effort and come to her instead to offer his gratitude.

"Y-You're welcome, Kise-san," she said, fiddling with the tips of her waist-long black hair. She couldn't quite put her finger on why she was doing it, but the blonde's canary-bright smile seemed to have something to do with it. "I'm just glad you did well."

"Oh, that's right!" Her seatmate exclaimed, reminded by their conversation. "Miyuki-chan tutored Kise-kun on a Saturday once, right?"

Sighs of envy bubbled through the surrounding girls.

"Maybe I should study hard to top the class too so I can teach Kise-kun…"

"Uwah! I want to spend a day with him in the library too!"

"Damn it, Kise! Stop hogging all the chicks!" A boy shoved playfully at the model, the jealousy in his tone not entirely joking. Mizusawa Miyuki was a girl of both brains and beauty, and thus made herself very easily admired.

She blushed under the attention.

Well, nobody needs to know it wasn't productive… Kise thought as he widened his grin. Finished with the courtesies, he started easing his way out of the crowd. "Sorry, guys! I have to spread the good news!"

"Hey! I haven't dismissed you yet!" The teacher screeched, redundantly getting to her magenta heels because the flash of gold was already out of the door. A glimpse of his sports bag was all she caught.

"Getting an 87 doesn't give you the right to disobey me!"

Running this quickly in winter without proper warm-up probably wasn't healthy for his tendons, but all Kise could worry about was to find a quiet corridor where he could blabber on about the greatest achievement in his academic life thus far. He was much too ecstatic to text; simple characters wouldn't do his excitement justice. Thus, upon skidding into an empty hallway near the gym, he immediately skimmed through his contacts.

His thumb scrolled past 'Kasamatsu-senpai' and 'Kurokocchi', unwittingly.

Come on, Saecchi! Pick up, pick up!

He hummed a tune off the top of his mind and took in the sight of his campus field while waiting through the rings.

They finally ended at voicemail.

…

Kise stopped the call halfway through the second dialling.

That's right! Her classes end at four on Wednesdays! There was an urge to bump himself on the head, but he didn't go through with it. Rakuzan students sure have it tough…

Maybe he could call her later. Or should he wait for her to return it?

Damn it, why did she have to announce my grade to everyone?! Kise, slightly bummed by the thought of his teacher's parting shriek, narrowed his eyes at the five characters of Saeri's name. The five characters he'd grown so used to seeing. The five characters he'd sometimes groan at when they flash, but always end up smiling with when they were pressed to his ear. As I thought, you should be the first to know about it. You did so much the last two nights…

He lingered on the screen for a few seconds before pulling a face at it. Too bad you didn't pick up!

His school-cum-sports bag was heavier the second time he lifted it, and his shoes walked much slower than before, but at least the warmth and happiness was still incandescent in his chest. He was going to play for Winter Cup! He was going to play Kagami and Kuroko! And also, he'd never gotten an 87 before. Heck, he never even got past the 70-range. Surely, those pieces of papers crammed in his bag would stupefy everyone who once patronised his intellect.

A sudden conviction to take up Coach Genta's extra hellish, extra special training menu roused. He certainly felt confident enough for it. Perhaps his test grade was to him what those balance-bracelets were to their believers. The ones you wore and attain a sudden immunity to falls. Maybe it's all in the mind.

…

If only Saecchi picked up… How nice and assuaging would it be to let her know that her efforts did pay off. He could already envision her caramel hair bouncing as she perked up from the news. He didn't know what she would say for sure, but it'd probably start with a 'really?', even if she had expected it. She'd say it as an opening to her compliments, anyway. The girl would then probably titter around excitedly for a while before sliding in a comment about how a 'B' was no big deal to her. He could almost hear the smirk. She'd be likely to figure out the mistakes in his answers too, and maybe chide him a little for making them. Man…Couldn't she lay off for a bit? Then, maybe—

"Kise? What. You're early today."

"Kasamatsu-senpai…!"

The sight of his captain and polished, wooden floor came as a surprise to the blonde. He glanced around the gym dazedly, as if to confirm that he has indeed arrived at his destination.

Kasamatsu, as time-conscious as ever, growled. A hand readied itself to fling a basketball at his ace. "Hurry up and get changed! Since you're here early, we might as well make the best of it."

Kise flinched at the grate in his voice, but smiled nonetheless.

"Alright, alright, alright!" He jogged up to the shorter boy, and his bag thumped softly against his side. "But before that, senpai, guess what I got for my test!"

.

2 Missed Calls:

Kise Ryouta

(Today, 2:46PM)

.

"What does he… Oh! Really?!"

It was the fastest she'd flew to his contact yet. Saeri felt the tips of her bangs slap lightly against her eyelids as she whipped her head up, phone glued to her ear. The time shown on the notification told her he had called after his math lesson, and it has been a week since his test, so it didn't take much for her to deduce that he got his results back.

She nodded to some acquaintances who passed her by in the corridor. The off-white paint coating the ceilings looked brighter than usual—did the school get some washing done over the weekends? A colourful, Picasso-esque mural signalled that she had a building more to reach the hall. Hopefully, Kise would pick up before that happened, because crossing those doors meant surrendering her free time till the end of rehearsals.

Still ringing…

Saeri rubbed a thumb over the stitches in her nylon bag handles. Anything below a 70 was of no worry to her. Kise had already proven himself to be beyond that with what he'd scored in the drills she gave. She didn't anticipate whether he passed or aced; she was excited to hear the confirmation straight from his lips. Her heart, she came to differentiate, hammered for him to squeal on, loudly, about how he was really, really going to play against Kagamicchi and Kurokocchi once more—

"Something good must've happened."

She turned to see Akashi pacing down the adjacent walkway, his school bag hanging off his right shoulder as well.

Saeri couldn't believe she'd missed Akashi taking a path that converged with hers. She usually calculated stuff like that. Nonetheless, the sight of him always made her smile—oh, she was already smiling.

"Hi," she greeted, very briefly in case Kise chose the moment to answer.

He gestured patiently for her to focus on her call, but the tone changed to voicemail as soon as he did. Saeri hadn't notice how much she was looking forward to talking to the blonde until she heard the dull beep.

But, no matter. Akashi was walking right by her side!

"Yeah. Or at least, I think something good happened." There was a slight stumble in her reply, but Saeri blamed it on the distraction of tucking her phone away. "Kise-kun passed his math test!"

"He did?" Akashi was intrigued. The statement was nostalgic; a line he once needed to hear every time Teikou had a block test before a tournament.

"Well, I think he did. I got a missed call from him," she explained. "If it was anything bad, he would've just texted. I don't think he'll want a long and heavy phone call in school. The attention and concern he'll get will be suffocating."

"That makes sense," Akashi mused.

"Besides, he can't possibly fail. Failing isn't even a concern." She hooked a finger over her chin, watching her shoes step over every groove in the floor tiles. "I'd say it's somewhere between the 85 to 89 range. He would've been too careless to get anything above a 90."

Akashi seemed to perk at her proclamation.

"Pardon me." There was a minute crinkle in his eyes, one of genuine curiosity. "But do explain how you derived an 80 from Ryouta."

And also a tinge of disbelief, but it was mild enough to be polite.

"He's not stupid, you know." The words slipped out, and at first, it didn't occur to her how defensive they sounded. Saeri hastened to cover it with a laugh. "I mean, that's an easy mistake to make with how he is and all, and reviewing some of his work nearly drove me to suicide. But he can actually pick things up pretty quickly, if you knew the right way to explain, that is."

"You tutored him," he observed.

"The two longest nights of my life," she groaned. She then caught the questioning dip of his brow and her eyes widened at her mistake. Saeri cleared her throat, deciding that any further elaboration would either complicate things or reveal that she missed their meeting last Wednesday because she exhausted herself chatting with her fake-boyfriend.

"Maybe it'll fall to a 75," she glossed, returning her gaze to the ground. "But he did very well in the mock tests I made him do for preparation. He really did understand the concepts, so I'm still betting on the 80-range. Differentiation was probably what did him in. He also had a problem recalling graph interpretations, but I think he fixed it because it's practically a freebie of marks."

Silence from the other end only aggravated her regret for talking so much.

"Well, even a 90 isn't that much of a big deal to us—I mean, you. So, let's not talk about it," she rushed to a close, jotting a mental reminder to kick herself for being so cocky in front of the wrong crowd.

Saeri didn't need to turn to know that he was looking at her.

"No, it's fine," Akashi said, very coolly. As always. "I'm just surprised and a little impressed by how you've managed to get Ryouta, of all people, to study."

"Well, it wasn't that easy…"

But she couldn't add that it was something she would never do again.

"Thank you, once again," Saeri started, slightly unnerved by the silence that had settled in. "For giving Yuzu a chance even though I overslept that day." She winced. "I'm really sorry about that—"

"We've been through this," Akashi sighed. Not exasperatedly, but more as an assurance. "One sincere apology is enough."

"It was still irresponsible of me," she pressed. "I was the one who begged you for it."

"If you insist on being sorry, then be so for what you said to me in your sleep."

He'd dropped it lightly, easily—but not inconsequentially—and it fell on Saeri like an anchor.

…

"I s-said what?" She floundered, her mind turning white and her throat constricted. Her nap last Wednesday was an absolute blank void in her memories. She didn't mull over it, not at all.

Not till now. "What did I say? W-W-When?"

Akashi's eyes floated to the distance, as if he was contemplating. But it felt to the girl that it might be a pretence; he was dragging the wait out and he knew she was squirming. Just what did she say to him?!

"I gave you a call while you were asleep," he delivered, finally. "You didn't notice me standing before you, and you rejected my call."

Saeri could only blink as her face blanched.

"'Shut up'," he mimicked, in his flat way of talking. "No… Or was it 'shut the hell up'?"

Vermillion hair fell feather-like on his temples when he tilted his head at her. Satisfaction danced in the ruby and amber orbs of his, as it should for he'd picked his sentences so carefully to ensure maximum damage.

…

Everything internal screeched to a halt. The girl's body ceased to move; her soul had taken a momentary trip to the afterlife and back.

"I'm so sorry about that. I have no recollection of it at all," she sputtered quickly. Her head shook almost as if in denial.

"Then, you shouldn't be sorry," the redhead countered, not stopping for her. "It wasn't intentional."

Saeri jogged up to reclaim her place by his side. She decided against arguing, even though she was still deeply horrified by what she was purported to have said. She wasn't going to ruin their conversation any further.

Akashi gave her several moments to recover herself before starting, "about the outing Norita proposed…"

It clicked instantaneously in her mind. Of course, the celebration mentioned in the chat group with every leader in charge of Awards Day.

An outing with Akashi.

She was going to see Akashi outside his school uniform.

Saeri hoped she didn't come off as excited. "Have the Council decided on what we're going to do?"

"They made some suggestions, but I believe it should be the decision of the majority," he shared, then turned to her. "Do you have anything in mind?"

"You could bring us horse-riding," she tried. And leave everyone else behind. "Nah, I'm just kidding. Anything's fine by me."

Because it'll be with you. She pinched her thigh surreptitiously to stop herself from screaming. Damnnit, Sae! Back off with the cheese!

Akashi stared at her, and for a moment, she panicked about him reading minds. He then broke a small smile. "We'll discuss this further with the rest. But the Council was most favourable towards karaoke."

"Karaoke?" She nearly choked. "You're gonna sing?"

He looked amused by how incredulous she was. "Bystanders can enjoy themselves plenty."

"Kitazawa-kun will definitely bring alcohol, you know."

"He does seem like the type."

"You're—the Student Council is okay with that? We're minors!"

"The Council members are still teenagers, you remember," he said pointedly, lifting a brow. "And you cannot expect us to dictate your lives out of campus."

"You don't drink, do you?"

"It's not healthy."

Saeri briefly wondered if she would drink if she could. Foggy visuals from her first glimpse of Kise warned her to never touch the foul liquid in Akashi's presence. Ever.

In Akashi-kun's presence…

"You are going for it," she asked, not entirely certain of his reply, "right?"

It was pretty much a given considering his position as Council President, but Saeri still wanted the affirmation. Similar to how she wanted to hear Kise say that he'd scored in his test, though she wasn't as confident. She didn't want to thrill herself into insomnia over an outing (read: semi-group date, more emphasis on the 'group') only to turn up and be told that he was busy with something else.

He observed her for a bit before returning. "Are you going?"

"Is that a factor?" She asked, feeling the beginnings of a smile.

"Perhaps," Akashi said, looking straight into her gaze with a curl playing on his lips. "Or it can be an incentive."

…

Saeri desperately struggled against being mute, but she was caught so off-guard by his answer, it stopped her in her tracks altogether for the second time.

Did he just flirt with me…?

Maybe Akashi could indeed read minds—it was suggested as much in the glint in his eyes when he glanced back at her to catch up.

"We should hurry to rehearsal," he said, hair blazing under sunlight through the windows. Saeri was sure nothing else could look so pretty. "Awards Day is but in four days."

.

1 Missed Call:

Sugiyama Saeri

(Today, 4:08PM)

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"Hey! Over here! Kise!"

"I WON'T RET YOU, MOLIYAMA-SENPAI!"

"So close!"

"Damnnit, Kise! If you can just forget about your freaking phone for once—!"

"I'm sorry, Kasama—OUCH!"

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1 Missed Call:

Kise Ryouta

(Today, 6:54PM)

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"Presses and vice-presses, you're wanted at the back of the hall. C'mon! Chop, chop!"

"CAN'T WE CATCH A BREAK?! We just finished a full run!"

"Don't scream when you say that to Akashi-san, Kirishima. Move it, Sugiyama. You're so slow."

"Aren't you tired?"

"I don't—"

"Because that huge mouth sure takes a lot of work to move."

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Incoming Call:

Sugiyama Saeri

(Today, 8:45PM)

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"FINALLY!"

"FINALLY!"

A/N: First off, tremendous thanks to Fanficuserhihi, TheDroidsYoureLookingFor, princess thieves of heart, Guest #1, Guest #2, WalkingOnShadows, Raika-chan, SugarIsMyDrug, Bliss Autumn, miemae04, Skywaters, Skyla-chan.99, Marquise de Nile, Heinaa, Ninja99, leogirl321, Lucy Jacob, Doujin-Maker, kashitaru, Guest #3, crystalviolet24, Guest #4, iLovePun, Guest #5, whisperingmist, ice queen, Dancing Peony, Guest #6, hitsugaya-tomome, and kalmaegi for the lovely, lovely reviews, and to everyone who has taken their precious time off to read this, maybe like this and have waited around for an update. I know it's been so long, and I'm so sorry for it… You guys know how it is with finals and all… ^^' I had this devastating writer's block as well. For some time, words just couldn't flow out like they used to, and in fact, I think this chapter's a little choppy too.

I read Liar, Liar back over, and realised how unsatisfied I am with my style of writing. Not sure if it's apparent, but I'm trying to use a less flowery sort of writing now. Also, I think I'm doing too much of 'telling' rather than 'showing', you know? I'll work myself to improve, I promise! I might rewrite Liar, Liar in the future after I'm done with it. Idk.

I got some messages (THANK YOU!) asking if I have discontinued Liar, Liar. Just gonna put it out (again?) that I will never abandon this story. Please trust me on this, and believe it whenever a break between updates takes way too long!

As usual, please tell me if I'm going all right with characterization and flow. I feel that the starting's a little abrupt with the resolution, but I'll elaborate more on what went on in future chapters, probably in a future POV of Akashi. Hope this isn't revealing in anyway, hah.

Leave me your thoughts, please! :)

P/S: Just a little self-promotion: I started a MayuzumiOC story. It's called Page-Turner, and it's written epistolary style. I can't not write about my new favourite character now, can I? ^^ Check it out if you like!

P/P/S: Speaking of Mayuzumi… Mayuzumi speaking… EVERY SATURDAY IS EARGASM DAY. But I honestly thought he'd sound lower and more snarky though.

P/P/P/S: Since we're on that subject: I've always imagined Saeri to be voiced by Yukino Satsuki. Think Otae from Gintama, but with a slightly younger air? What does Saeri sound like to you all, anyway?