Dedication: @strikerkudo Thank you again! And ahh, I hope youâll like it!
Itâs a nice day, decided Rantaro as he looked up at the sky, the warm rays of sunshine caressing his face.
He had a two-hour break between the classes and no idea what to do with all this free time. The weather was too nice to hide in the cold corridors of Hopeâs Peak Academy and there was no one in the dorms at this time of the day. It didnât leave him with that many options. Before he could think about it more though, he spotted a familiar figure sitting at the stairs leading to the main entrance of the Academy. Â
His legs started to take him in that direction before he could think this through. He crossed the distance in less than a minute, standing before his classmate with a bright smile plastered on his smile.
They never talked much. He always had the impression that small talk wasnât welcome and that she wouldnât have appreciated it if he - or anyone, really - approached her without a good reason.
But Rantaro was⊠curious.
Curious enough to get closer and ask.
âWanna grab some coffee?â
The question was innocent enough but it was clear that it took her by surprise, he could tell from the way her head shot up and eyes widened slightly. The grip on the bag she was holding tightened.
As soon as she got over her initial surprise, Makiâs red eyes squinted, staring him in that cold and laced with suspicion way that she almost always did. She looked at him as if she was expecting that heâs going to come up with some kind of surprise attack and tackle her to the ground if she lets her guard down.
âBut thatâs up to you,â Rantaro added quickly, noticing the wary look on her face.
He smiled - a small and friendly smile - and showed his hands in a non-threatening gesture, letting her know that he meant no harm. There was no ulterior motive. He simply wanted to hang out with a fellow classmate.
Maki barely interacted with anyone other than Kaito, Shuichi or Kaede, mostly keeping to herself and sending death glares to anyone who dared to get too close (Rantaro suspected that Kokichi must have had a death wish, considering how often he hangs out around Maki, almost like he was purposefully trying to provoke her). Even after almost two years of sharing the same class, Rantaro barely knew anything about her other than her talent and some small, unimportant details that didnât really tell him much about who she was as a person.
âFine,â she spat finally in a way that sounded anything but fine.
Rantaro chuckled softly, ignoring her glare and less than thrilled response. âGreat! Come on, I know a really nice coffee shop only five minutes from here.â
Maki hesitated but after a second started to follow him, her lips pressed into a thin line. She looked like a lost dog thatâs been offered a piece of meat, both curious and cautious.
Rantaro liked to think that he had a pretty good understanding of others. Sure, Maki wasnât easy to befriend but if someone like Kaito managed to do it then there must have been hope⊠Right?
He looked forward to getting to know her better.
And if not today then, well, that coffee shop served really good coffee.
