Chapter 168 - Giving Him A Chance?

Naoto's POV

My head was messed up with the thoughts running wild as I was recalling my conversation with Yuna last night. She said some really stupid stuff, but somehow they ended up making sense. 

I don't remember how but the topic of Sakamaki was stirred up between us, as we talked about it for a while. And the entire time, I couldn't help but feel awkward and restless as she kept talking about him.

And somehow she ended up convincing me that I should give dating Sakamaki a chance and see how things turn out rather than turning him down in the first instance. At first, I was a bit skeptical about the thought of dating a junior, but Yuna's words actually made me contemplate on that issue.

I gave it some thought, and Sakamaki was indeed a pretty reliable guy, even though he was rude and had no respect for others. He is also stupid sometimes and says things which make no sense whatsoever, but keeping them aside, he was a pretty nice guy after all.

I remember when I first met him. He was in a duel with Vivian, preparing to plant a kick to his head, but I stopped them in that instant. I couldn't look at his face until he turned around towards me and gazed at me with his dark-coloured eyes.

Somehow, by the way he talked with me and acted around my friends, it all looked way too perfect and calculated as if he had some ulterior motives, but as time went on, I noticed that he was genuinely interested in my friends.

I have heard from Yuna how he helped her during the event when I gave up on my duties as a club president and Yuna had to manage the club one week before the sports festival. She said that without him, the event might've taken a different turn.

As far as my concern goes, I've been feeling weird lately too. Whenever the thought of him crosses my mind or we stumble upon each other, a weird gut wrenching sensation overwhelms me.

His eyes always looked so cold and distant, but still they carried a glimpse of care for me to the extent that he went out of his way to help me out. He had no solid reasons to get involved with the club or my personal matters.

His words may have been bitter, and they stung like a pin to my heart, but what he said actually made sense when I gave it a thought. He was a junior, but at times; he appeared more mature than me.

I was walking down the stairs when I noticed Sakamaki strolling past the stairs. Rushing down quickly, I just made it in time to get a hold of his left arm.

As my fingers were about to wrap around his wrists, I noticed his other hand grabbing my arm and, with a sudden jerk; I found myself being pulled towards him as he raised the elbow of his left hand to hit me in the face.

I could react in time, as his eyes met with mine, which were wide open in anxiety, and his grip became softer as he let go of my hand and an awkward smile formed in his face.

I retracted my arm as the print of his fingers were on my pale skin. Caressing that hand with my other hand, I said, "I can see how you held your own against Vivian now."

Looking at his fast reflex and movements, I'm pretty sure that he could've knocked me out cold if that elbow actually made contact with my face.

His eyebrows furrowed and narrowing his eyes at me, he said, "Oh... that's old news...just leave it."

I could help but feel startled by this sudden commotion as my heart was actually beating quite fast. With a heavy sigh, I said, "Also, are you crazy?"

My eyes shifted towards his arms as I noticed his vascular forearm being exposed from his rolled-up sleeves. Looking at them, I commented, "If that hit me, it would've broken my nose for sure."

He just nodded, as I clicked my tongue and mumbled under my breath, "You… and Vivian… weirdos…"

Hearing me say that, his expression changed into one of disbelief as he ranted about how he and Vivian were different, and I shouldn't pile them together because Vivian was definitely a bigger douchebag than him. 

His husky voice resonated in the background as I was occupied by the thought of something else. Looking at him for a while, I asked, "Well… are you busy right now?"

Narrowing his eyes, he nodded, "Not really…" 

But there was something odd about his expression. Though mostly it was difficult to judge what he was thinking or feeling, at that moment I could clearly tell that something was pissing him off. With a bit of concern in my voice, I asked, "You seem a bit stressed?"

He nodded and went on rant again about his chocy milk or something running out of stock at the start of the month, so he couldn't buy it today and was sad because of that. Though it was really childish, I found that side of him kind of cute.

I was making sure that he was in a good mood because I was planning to ask him about something. But as Ivan Turgenev said, "If you wait for the moment to be perfect, then that moment may never come."

He asked me something, but I didn't pay attention to him as I was immersed in thoughts and replied hesitantly, "Ye… Yes. Well,l you see… Can you come with me for a bit?"

"Huh?" My eyes shifted towards him, as he was looking at me with his usual cold expression. Sometimes the vibes that radiated off him felt really vague and distasteful.

I walked up the stairs and looked back again to notice him staring at me intently with visible confusion on his face. Giving him a sharp look, I said, "Oi… I told you to come with me."

An awkward smile formed on his face as he looked around him and quickly walked towards me while saying, "Oh… chill… no need to stare at me like that."

I was walking towards the hallway next to the library because it's quite peaceful even during lunch time.. As I was walking with him following me, I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Yuna convinced me to ask him out.