Soul For A Girlfriend?

As I went down the street and turned around the corner, I noticed Moriko standing on the side of the road, speaking to someone over a call. She seemed to be looking around frequently, as if she was waiting for someone.

Probably her boyfriend?

But I didn't have knowledge about her having a boyfriend because Shiraishi never talked about it and nor have I heard Moriko mention it herself on any occasion. 

She was alone in the mixer, which made me assume that she didn't have any partner at that moment.

I was walking towards her and my mind was starting to think of ways to greet her or start a conversation to make it less awkward than just passing by her while making eye contact like an idiot.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her, as her eyes shifted towards me and she replied in a casual tone, "Nothing specific."

She wasn't surprised at my sudden presence and seemed rather calm. Putting her mobile back in her handbag, she turned towards me and replied, "I was just asking mom what to bring from the supermarket."

"Ah, we're going in the opposite direction." I said, and she narrowed her eyes, "Apparently."

I noticed there was something different about her that day. She was wearing spectacles, which was quite an odd sight for me. I was used to seeing her in school without them.

"Wait… you wear glasses?" I pointed out with a bit of a shock in my voice as she replied a bit hesitantly, "Not always…"

I didn't say anything except look at her in silence. I was looking at her outfit, which was a white top with frilled sleeves and navy blue coloured pants with some white sneakers.

She was looking decent

"Don't stare at me like that…" I heard her voice, which sounded to be filled with embarrassment as I averted my eyes and she added, "I use contacts at school."

I didn't mean to make her feel uncomfortable like that. Being stared at by someone is definitely awkward since I also don't like it. But looking at her eyes made me recall a person from my past.

"I see… you remin…" As I was about to tell her, she interjected me and asked while pointing towards the white carry bag in my hand, "What is in that?"

"A book." I answered, and she narrowed her eyes at me. Resting her arms on her waist, she asked, "You're still a bookworm?"

"I've always liked reading books. Though it's obviously not the school textbooks." I chuckled, and it appeared that she agreed with my claim as she nodded instantly, "Yes, I hate them too."

"You study?" I asked sarcastically, and she rolled her eyes. "Excuse me? I will study!"

"You don't seem like someone who studies." I said, glancing at her, and she immediately shit back with a sly smile on her face, "You don't seem like someone who could have a girlfriend. But here we are."

That was a good roast.

"Jeez, chill out." I sighed in defeat and she laughed, "You pissed me off first."

"What are you? A third grader?" I said while shaking my head from left to right as she just rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Are you waiting for someone?" I asked, as she looked at me but didn't reply. To probe her a bit, I added, "Your boyfriend?"

"I don't have one." She replied in a plain tone, which caught me off guard. With a surprised tone in my voice, I asked, "That's difficult to believe."

"Well, believe me or not. It's up to you." She replied in a bored tone and shrugged, as I nodded and asked something really stupid, "But you're quite popular in your class, aren't you?"

I realised how stupid that statement was after those words left my mouth.

"Being popular doesn't mean I would have to date someone." She replied, and I nodded, "Of course, I'm not saying that."

"You don't have many friends, do you?" She asked while narrowing her eyes as I nodded, "I have only a handful of friends."

I didn't have many friends, but I was acquainted with a lot of students. So I ended up having small talks with people every now and then, even though socialising wasn't something I was fond of.

"Quite conservative." She commented and seemed to be thinking about herself.

We're having our small conversation. I heard the noise of a car approaching us. So instinctively, I walked a bit more towards the side of the road. It was a narrow road with no sidewalks or anything.

As I walked a bit closer to Moriko while my eyes were still on the car. I felt her body closing in on me as I held her shoulders gently, trying not to collide with her.

The car passed by me and with a loud noise and it splashed water all over my clothes from a puddle next to me. I felt the cold water running down my back in the winter as I shivered.

I shifted my eyes towards the car and noticed it speeding down the road and eventually disappearing from my field of vision. I remember looking towards the carry bag I was holding to check if the book was alright or not. And fortunately, it wasn't harmed at all.

"Sorry for that…" I said, getting away from her. She wasn't wet since I was standing in front of her and ended up guarding her unintentionally. Looking at her, I asked, "Did you get wet?"

"Nah... I'm alright. Th… thanks." She replied, looking towards my clothes, which were a mess at that point. Running my hands through my hair, I said, "You're lucky that you weren't standing next to the puddle."

"I guess." She replied plainly, and I decided to end the conversation. "I'm gonna head back. Can't roam around in wet clothes in winter."

I walked past her as she gave me a slight nod and waved at me. That day ended up being worthless.

r nothing as I couldn't do what I intended to and got wet on top of that.