A study date. That might be what cringy teenage boys would call what he had proposed to Alice a week ago. His balls weren't made of steel or anything, his brain had just gone on autopilot.
Now, on the day of that very date, Akuma's eyes narrowed while surveying the room that looked more like a warzone than an actual teenage boy's room. Three times he'd flipped everything over to find the perfect outfit, only to realize something devastating.
It was all garbage.
How could he fix such a travesty? Could it even be fixed? What sorcery could possibly make him look presentable for a study date?
The bags under his already terrifying crimson glare didn't help—he'd stayed up all last night watching anime like some kind of insomniac otaku.
"Okay… Maybe I can find a random delinquent and take his outfit. No what am I thinking!"
Flailing around and darting between piles of clothes, every bit of math, english, history and science learned in the past 3 years slipped through his mind like water. Worse yet, he questioned if he'd even be a good tutor. Studying for him meant reading over the textbook once and memorizing the formulas. No notes, no songs, no tricks.
"Yeah, so just go ahead and remember everything in this 200-page thick ass textbook."
Ridiculous. So much so that he contemplated not going.
"Human, what troubles you so?"
The voice drifted from his bed. He'd almost forgotten about Wujing.
"It's a girl from my school. I'm going over to her house to tutor her, but I can't figure out what to wear."
Wujing paused for a moment.
"Um… If that is all, then I would not recommend donning anything lavish. She is most likely to wear house clothes, so you should try to match that environment."
"…That… was surprisingly helpful."
Plain black sweatpants paired with a slightly loose shirt. That's what he settled on before displaying himself to Wujing.
"Like this?"
The bags under his eyes remained unavoidable. Even with eight hours of sleep, his eyes always carried that slightly worn look.
"That will do. But if I may, why is your shirt so loose?"
"I'm trying to hide my muscles. The last thing I want is to look like my older brother, Tenshi. That guy's a barbarian who only cares about training. In fact, there's no doubt in his mind that he's on top of that 10,000-meter mountain we always used to train."
"I see… You two must not get along."
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
His phone buzzed.
"It's go time!" Read the message sent to him.
Fireworks couldn't have lit up brighter than Akuma's eyes in that moment.
"This girl. Does she make you excited?"
"Huh? W–What are you asking me?"
"I was just curious. I realized that I've been staying at your home for the past 8 days, and yet I do not really know that much about you. I just want to get closer to you is all."
"Yeah, well what makes you think I care about that? You're a free loader, so I could care less about you."
A smile that reminded Akuma of a fresh field of flowers spread across Wujing's face.
"You are such a liar."
"…"
"Human, I get the feeling we are a lot alike."
"…And what makes you figure that?"
Sitting up straighter, Wujing's expression grew more serious.
"Well. I think that you and I both suffer from fortune. You see, where I come from, simply surviving a day is a battle. Unlike most realms, Gaia has no protective barrier, so the gods are able to come and go as they wish. Because of that, I have lost many friends over the course of my life. And yet, I remain standing. I have just enough fortune to see the next day, but enough misfortune to wish I hadn't… I won't ask you to lose that mask of yours, but if you insist on wearing it. Please don't let it crack."
A chuckle escaped Akuma.
"Mask, huh…"
†
Alice scrambled across the room.
Her bedroom was an absolute mess—nowhere near clean enough for company. She knew that and yet she couldn't help but send Akuma a lame message about it being go time. Once again, procrastination had claimed victory.
Exhaustion from staying up all night probably didn't help. The reality that Akuma was really coming over to her house still felt surreal.
"Why didn't I just go to his house instead?! No, then I would've been stuck picking out an outfit for hours. Besides, I couldn't just intrude like that, he'd probably hate me."
The messy room stared back at her accusingly. Clothes, novels and other items littered every corner while she stood there in nothing but her pajamas, having prioritized a shower over everything else.
"If he sees this mess, what'll he think of me? That I'm a slob? A slob who reads novels all day instead of hanging out with friends? Will he… hate me?"
It wasn't that she preferred watching her sink pile up to Mt. Everest, her face was just always buried in a book. Romance novels, class notes, anything with words on it captured her attention completely.
Perhaps that's why she struggled so much with math.
"Get it together, Alice. There's no point in stressing yourself over what's already happened. You just need to do what you can. Yeah, think good thoughts. In the first place, we live ten minutes apart driving. And if I remember correctly, he walks everywhere he goes. So that's at least thirty minutes. Plenty of–"
The doorbell's ring sent her mind into complete haywire.
Her plans, her attempts to flip her attitude, everything, all gone in an instant. Shattered like fine glass hitting concrete.
Alice collapsed to her knees, feeling utterly defeated. The finishing blow came when she caught her reflection in the mirror and realized her hair looked like she'd been struck by lightning.
True, they lived 10 minutes away and Akuma walked everywhere he went. But she'd made one miscalculation. One fatal flaw in her equation.
Akuma was not a normal teenage boy.
Those crimson eyes weren't his only unnatural feature. There was his superhuman strength—the power to pummel a hundred delinquents, ace any test, and smile while doing both. His abnormal nature was no secret. At this point the entire city had heard tales of what he could do.
Alice's frame trembled like a house cat facing a tiger.
Only five minutes had passed since she sent that text and yet there he was. And of course, her room hadn't gotten any cleaner.
"Wait a sec… Who says that's Akuma at the door anyways? For all I know it could be a scammer. Or Aniya or Samantha. Yeah!"
Desperate hope convinced her that her friends from school stood at that door. But deep down she knew the truth. She was fucked. Truly and royally.
With forced enthusiasm, she skipped downstairs and cracked the door open, poking her gentle and welcoming smile through.
"Yes, how can I help you?" she inquired, clinging to the scammer theory.
However, an awkward stare and equally awkward silence greeted her instead.
It was Akuma.
For a moment he looked around, avoiding eye contact while mustering the courage to greet her. But when he finally did…
"H–Hey, Alice."
The door slammed shut, leaving him outside looking like an actual scammer.
"It's over. My life's over. He'll call me a slob for sure. He'll… hate me."
Outside, Akuma pondered why she would've done that. Had he blown it already? He'd barely said anything, so how? Maybe the awkward silence beforehand was the culprit? Could something so small really ruin him forever?!
Trembling fingers contemplated knocking on the door. His breath caught in his throat before being swallowed down with a powerful gulp.
But then the door cracked open once again.
"Sorry for closing the door on you. I didn't mean to." A sweet voice drifted through the small crack between door and frame.
"N–Nah, it's cool… It's kinda my fault for rushing over here. I guess I should've given you a few more minutes, huh…" Akuma scratched his head and forced a smile. "…Sorry about that."
Alice saw through his fake smile and started to feel even worse about herself. After all, she's the one who told him she was ready. Even still, she couldn't bring herself to let him see her current state.
"Um… This may sound rude, but I'm gonna leave the door open. You can come in after 10 seconds. Also, could we study downstairs?"
"O–Of course."
Studying downstairs made perfect sense. There's no way she'd let him into her room—after all, he was just a guy she knew from school. Though the ten-second delay puzzled him. Was that some kind of Inari family ritual? Like a good luck charm or something along those lines? Whatever the case, you wouldn't find him filing any complaints.
Like they say, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
Ten seconds later, he let himself in.
The overwhelming scent of sweet strawberry hit him immediately. Not just where she'd previously stood, but everywhere. Like it was the default aroma for her entire home.
The sensation was jarring. His house smelled nothing like that, reeking instead with the oily and sweaty stench of depression. Likely because the two others who lived there were always training and always came home drenched in sweat. There was also his latest company, who only took a shower once every other day.
Akuma felt glad Alice hadn't invited herself to his house instead.
A few supplies sat on the living room table: notebooks, a math textbook, pencils and paper. Honestly, it looked more like preparation for taking her final test rather than studying for it.
Sinking into the living room sofa, Akuma couldn't help but feel like a free loader. He was here on business but even then, this place was far too comforting for someone like him.
"I'm so sorry, Akuma. I didn't mean to keep you waiting." The voice came tumbling from the staircase behind him.
Time suspended itself the moment he turned his gaze, his expression utterly captivated.
Her shoulder-length pink hair flowed like ribbons of silk, dancing gently while she hurried toward the sofa. Having run at full speed, her face was slightly flushed while she panted. Her cute and fuzzy pajamas was unexpected and had truly caught his breath.
This wasn't the first time he'd found himself leering at her, but something about this moment felt wrong. Like he really was a pervert.
"Hm? Akuma? Is there something on my face?" Alice asked, noticing his fixed expression.
"Huh? Oh, ah… It's nothing. I'm just… tired. Yeah, tired. I actually stayed up all night so I couldn't get much sleep."
"Really? Oh god, don't tell me I'm bothering your weekend?"
"Nah, you're good. I'm alright. I'm actually used to it."
A forced laugh escaped him while he tried wearing his horrible sleep schedule as some badge of honor.
Alice wanted to tell him that she'd hardly slept too, but she couldn't find the courage. In fact, she couldn't even find the courage to let him know why she had asked him to stand outside for 10 seconds and what she was doing until now. The answer being that she was fixing her hair.
"Used to it, huh…" Alice slid her nervous fingers over Akuma's hand. "It'd be nice if you could be used to something else, don't you think?"
"H–Huh?! Wh…What's that supposed to mean?"
Pouting while removing her hand, Alice looked away.
"Oh, never mind. Geez, Akuma. You can be so dense at times."
"…"
Akuma didn't respond. Normally, he'd be thinking about how cute her pouting face was, but this time something else occupied his mind. Something that caused his expression to look pained and regretful.
(I'm sorry, Alice, but Wujing is right about me. I am a liar. Everything from the way I avert my gaze when nervous to my stutter to even the way I breath… It's all calculated. None of it is the real me. For one, I'm not as dense as you think I am. I know, I've always known. That you're in love with me… I just don't know why.)