(A/N: Attention, all chapters starting from the next chapter will require coins to be unlocked. I sincerely thank everyone who jas read up to this point for their support, and I hope you can continue to do so. So please humor this shameless Author.)
Cute
'I feel like I'm in trouble.' Mike mused as Theresa dragged him towards their dorm building, and something told him that this wouldn't be the last time this happened.
As they walked, though, Mike couldn't help but notice that she looked... different?
'Her hair...' He realized.
Somehow, and for some reason, she undid all her braids before braiding her hair again into a single, large braid.
Mike didn't know how to explain it, but she looked... valiant?
The two of them reached the dorm, and as soon as they entered the elevator, Theresa closed the doors but didn't set any floor for them to ascend to, so the elevator just stayed put.
Mike was about to question it when Theresa rounded on him, her chest heaving with repressed anger.
"What the hell were you thinking!?" She shouted, and Mike was about to respond when she pressed her fist to her forehead.
"Ugh. Don't answer that! Seriously, don't you have any sense of self-preservation?! You do well one time, and next, you're picking fights? Why would you do that? What if you got seriously hurt? Or what if you were the one the Disciplinary Committee came for!?" She bombarded him with questions, but Mike got the feeling that she didn't want him to respond. Not yet anyway, so he stayed silent.
"Moreover, you got half the school watching! What do you think is going to happen when mews spreads that a no-name engaged Agnes Agni dammit!? Don't you care for your reputation?! She's going to boycott you to death! You can't be so damn careless in a place like this and do whatever you want! Don't you know that your actions have consequences that affect you and the people around you?! What the hell, Mike?!" Her nostrils flared, and Mike stared as his instincts gave him the go-ahead to reply.
Even then, Mike's brain short-circuited from the barrage of words. As such, he said the first thing that came to mind.
"Your hair is really pretty."
Silence.
Theresa stared at him wide-eyed as his words hit her, and he watched slowly as her as her face which had been red from anger and irritation slowly got even redder, but this time, it was from embarrassment and exasperation.
Moreover, Mike thought he faintly perceived something that felt suspiciously like glee.
"Y-You... You..." She retreated a bit and looked away, her voice trembling slightly.
"You can't just... say things like that..." She mumbled, and Mike scratched his head.
"I mean it, though. Granted, that probably doesn't match the situation, but I'm being serious. Your braids from before were pretty nice, but this suits you great too. I might actually prefer it. Ah, but don't take my words to heart. It's your hair after all, you can do whatever you–" Before Mike could go on a tangent...
"Okay! Okay! I hear you! Theresa waved her hands quickly and cut him off, her head quite literally releasing steam as her face nearly got as red as her hair.
She covered her face and took a few deep breaths, Mike keeping silent as he wasn't sure what to say.
After a while, though, Theresa seemed to regain her composure a little and dropped her hands. Her face was still a bit red, but she didn't look like she was about to have a meltdown anymore.
"Look, just tell me, why did you engage Agnes?" Theresa asked, her tone becoming serious.
"You see, that's where you're mistaken. I didn't engage HER. She engaged ME." Mike corrected while gesturing with his hands. He seemed oddly unbothered, considering everything that happened.
Theresa's eyes widened at the revelation.
"Oh... you didn't seek her out yourself...?" She asked, her gaze softening.
Mike shook his head.
"So... you weren't trying to get revenge for me or anything?" She asked again, and Mike was about to shake his head before pausing.
"Well... not initially, but then she insulted you during the confrontation, so it was a bit of a bonus." Mike shrugged. "Besides, it's not like I fought back." Theresa sighed.
"Why didn't you just walk away? I know you could have escaped if you really tried." She asked pointedly, and Mike hesitated.
He could easily just say that he wasn't certain he could run, seeing as he was surrounded, and Agnes would most likely give chase.
But even then, it was better than risking a direct confrontation. He could easily chalk it up to a moment of bad judgemental, but he knew what he truly chose to do in that moment.
But how could he explain to her that the idea of running from that situation was something he found to be genuinely distasteful? Like the concept of fleeing was beneath him at that point in time.
After a moment, Mike sighed.
"I didn't want to run." He said simply.
Theresa stared at him for a few seconds, then she stretched forth her hand and flicked his forehead.
Mike blinked, more surprised than hurt. He was too durable to get hurt by that sort of thing anyway. However, it was the feelings behind it that surprised him.
Throughout the mix of mild embarrassment and frustration, he noticed something akin to fondness from Theresa.
"You're an idiot." She mumbled before smiling softly. "But you're a nice person."
Mike smiled at that.
"Thanks." He tilted his head. "By the way, some people are waiting outside for the elevator." He suddenly said, and Theresa blinked before remembering where they were.
"Oh, crap." She quickly turned around and tapped the button for their floor, the elevator complying as they were lifted.
As it ascended, Mike couldn't help but give Theresa a glance. He inspected her side profile discreetly and couldn't help but think.
'She really is pretty.'
The elevator doors then opened, and the two of them were met by a small group of dissatisfied students who'd also been waiting for the elevator.
A couple of unhappy comments and mumbled apologies later, the two of them were back in the empty hallway.
They stood like that for a while, the silence between the stretching and slowly turning awkward, both looking for what to say right then.
"Uh... right, I was actually looking for you before I got... you know." Mike suddenly remembered, and Theresa perked up.
"Hm?" She hummed questioningly and gestured for him to continue.
"Well, we have time to burn before it gets late. So... I was wondering if you'd be up for another sparring session?" He asked, and Theresa raised a brow, causing Mike to force a cough.
"And... it'd be nice if you gave me more pointers..." He mumbled and looked away, feeling a bit shy.
Theresa stared for a bit, then...
"Pfft." Mike's head swiveled towards her when he heard her giggle. He watched as she let out her amusement, her hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to hide it.
"Hey..." Mike frowned, sounding a bit indignant.
"I'm sorry... it's just... you're kinda adorable, you know?" Mike's eyes widened, and he felt his heart do weird things when she said that.
"H-Huh?!" He stammered. Staring at her with wide eyes.
"I mean it..." She shook her head before looking at him, but now, all signs of tension were gone from her expression.
"Alright. I was feeling bored anyway. So sure, we can spar, and I don't mind giving you pointers. No offense, but watching you fight is borderline painful." Mike pouted at the last part, but he decided not to say anything.
'Also, I was going to find you earlier to ask if we could hang out, so this arrangement suits me just fine.' Theresa said inwardly as she gestured for Mike to follow her back to the elevator.
'Cute, huh?' Mike thought as he lightly brushed his face.
'Weird... I don't hate it.'