“Today was confusing” I thought to myself as I laid on my bed with a hand to my ruby red cheek.

  Just after hitting me she left without a word and I did not see her again. She never apologised. A part of me was hoping she would text and explain what had happened.

  Sure, getting hit with a ball going that fast is going to hurt but I didn't feel like it was something to hit someone over, especially when seconds before you had been laughing along with them. Her personality had completely shifted within a second, it was terrifying.

  I got to see Saito-san laugh today and it seemed like she was enjoying herself which made me feel warm inside. It was nice seeing a part of her foreign to me though it didn’t last long.

  At least my Sister was gone when I got home. There was a bright side of today, there was also Haruka who had left me some of her usual uplifting texts.

  “Saito-san…”

  I do not get her at all, one moment she was giddy and enjoying herself and the next she felt like I had kicked a hornet’s nest. I could still feel the sting from the slap, it was going to leave a scratch for a while. Did she have to hit me that hard?

  “Uhh she pisses me off.”

  I now had two marks to remember her by, a hickey on my tummy to the side of my belly button and a red hand mark imprinted on my cheek. There was a stark difference in how I ended up with both. It was puzzling.

  At this point I was pacing around my room in angst, I just didn’t get her at all. How long was this arrangement going to go on for? Was I going to end up with injuries a lot more now? How troublesome.

  “What to do…? Is there any point trying to have a relationship with that girl? Should I just do the requests and leave?” She was a difficult one, always leaving me questioning myself.

  “I said I would do her hair, I guess I should do that much.”

  It’s not like I was against hanging around with her, I was apprehensive at first knowing she was a trouble but for some reason I couldn't find it in me to stay away. There was something about her that made me want to stick with her.

  “UUUUGH. This is useless to think about, she’s completely unpredictable. We’re…Total opposites.”

  Me and Saito-san could be said to be total opposites. She always wore her heart on her sleeve and never disguised herself. She was honest and open about who she was and never hid it. Unlike me, who is buried so far under the dirt of my perfect image.

  This feeling… It was admiration and envy, I was sure of it.

  While I was thinking about Saito-san I received a text in the group chat for Haruka, Arima and Hamada. It was Haruka asking when we would next hang out, she also pointed out how I had been “Too busy” recently and it wasn’t fair the school got to keep me to itself.

  I scoffed at the text which had managed to separate me from my confusion for a moment. I told them we would hang out next time my schedule clears up or at the weekend. Summer break was also just around the corner which meant 40 days of freedom.

  As I was scrolling through my contacts after replying to Haruka I noticed Saito’s name and wondered what she was up to right now. It would be weird to contact her out of the blue wouldn't it? I sighed wondering why I was even thinking about any of this.

  My finger hovered above her name but as I thought about it my logic managed to get a hold of me and my fingers drifted from her name as I began browsing random internet videos instead.

  “This isn’t working, I can’t stop thinking of her. What an annoying girl… Maybe I should just sleep?”

  I asked myself, instinctively rubbing my belly where she had left her hickey. I didn't realise it but her marks had become a bit of an obsession where my hands would wander whenever I was thinking of her, or more accurately, racking my head over her ridiculous antics.

  Slowly I began to drift away in the tributaries of my thoughts and my vision darkened.

  ?

  The day had suddenly become bleak as the blue skies betrayed us and turned into a grey veil. It was the end of another school day. The clouds draped as everything around us was soaked. It was the rainy season after all. Due to this I knew it would be impossible to meet Saito-san in our usual spot as clubs would be doing their activities in the gym. Wandering the halls after the last period ended, I sent her a text asking what we should do.

  I was still a little shocked at what had occurred yesterday and her sudden change of character but I wasn’t going to skip out on doing her requests, if I did then my life would be over.

  “You’re going to cut my hair right? Come to my place then, we can meet in the shoe lockers.”

  “That's okay with me but I’ll just let my parents know. Also how far away do you live?”

  I knew she had to live relatively closely due to our encounter at the supermarket but I wanted to ask to be sure.

  “About 15 minutes walk from here.”

  That's not too far but it is raining and I don't want to spend too long in the chilly outside, I didn't want a cold on top of it all.

  A few minutes later I met up with Saito-san who seemed the same as ever, as if yesterday's events had no effect on her. I wasn’t as composed, I mean, she had hit me with enough force that the scratch she left was still visible today. It didn’t help that the cold made my cheeks rosy, exaggerating the mark.

  We began walking and I followed her lead in silence. It was awkward, and if any of the other students saw us walking together they would definitely be confused by this strange pairing. Thankfully most people were concerned with their own business and trying not to get soaked.

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  Pivoting like a machine Saito-san turned to face me and spoke up “Is that from me?” her eyes suggested she was talking about the scratch on my face.

  “It is.”

  She didn’t say anything more, it was like she just wanted to make sure I knew she had done it, not even a smidgen of remorse on her face. Actually, there was not much of anything on her face barring the black eye she still had.

  We eventually arrived at what appeared to be her residence. It was small and only had one floor, it looked rather cozy from the outside. I entered after her.

  “Excuse the intrusion”

  “You can leave your shoes in the rack by the door, I’ll be back with a couple of towels for our hair.”

  Was this really the house of a family? It was bare and empty, there were no decorations, no hanging ornaments, almost no furniture. The only room with anything inside of it was the kitchen which looked barely used. Perhaps she was living on her own? If that was the case that would explain why she needed work but it did beg the question of where her parents were. Though given the marks on her face maybe it was best I didn’t know.

  Shortly after she returned with two towels and threw one at my face, giggling to herself she began to dry her hair. Seriously, how immature. After drying up she beckoned me to follow her into what I assumed was her bedroom.

  Just like the rest of the house the bedroom was plain and lacking any decoration, say for a large bookshelf covered in manga and light novels. I never took her for a nerd but everyone has hobbies I suppose.

  “Your room is interesting Saito-san”

  “You were thinking of something rude just now weren’t you?”

  “Caught me” I raised my hands in the air teasing her “I just didn’t imagine you a nerd”

  “Oh these. Yeah I guess I like to lose myself in fiction, this world of ours is kinda shitty.”

  What a cynical outlook, I couldn’t disagree though, it would be hypocrisy given how much I've imagined being someone else.

  “Here” She handed me a pair of scissors and a comb. “I’ll be back in a moment, you like hot cocoa right?”

  “Oh um, yeah I like it.”

  A few minutes later she returned holding a tray with two mugs on it, presumably with hot cocoa in them. That was surprisingly considerate of her.

  I sipped on the hot cocoa as she wandered her bookshelves looking for something to read.

  “Are we going to cut your hair then?” I prompted her as I wasn’t sure if she remembered why I was even here.

  Without saying a word she sat cross legged on the floor and gave me a look that said “Hurry it up”.

  I got up and grabbed the tools she handed me earlier and started combing through her hair. It was surprisingly silky for such a shoddy job. I ran my hands through it softly, grabbed some strands and let me slip through my fingers. I was a little jealous of how nice her hair was and I couldn’t help myself from playing with it a little.

  “Saito-san, your hair is lovely you know, you should look after it better.”

  She didn’t reply with words and instead just mumbled an affirmative.

  I began lining up her hair and cutting it evenly. Her hair was not in an awful state but whatever had happened to it previously left it scattered and uneven.

  I finished it, prompting her to take a look for herself. She sat up and walked out, presumably to look in a mirror of some sort. When she returned she uttered a few words. “It is satisfactory I suppose.”

  “Glad you like it. You can be more honest, you know?”

  “No I can’t, you’ll get arrogant also that’s a little ironic don't you think?”

  I could tell she actually liked it and was just being reserved but what she said was also true. She is just that kind of girl I suppose. I still had one concern though, today’s request, it still hadn’t been completed.

  “Okay okay. Say, Saito-san, what about today’s request?”

  “Hmm? Oh, you just cut my hair.”

  “No, I offered to do that, it was not a request. I don’t do things halfway, I said one request every day, I meant it.”

  It’s not like I was desperate to be slaved around but if I let cutting her hair be the request it would leave me a bit unsettled like I was abusing her carefree attitude. It’s not like I particularly disliked the ordering around either. I had thought it before but there really was a serenity in not having any control and having that disconnect from life was refreshing.

  “So needy Shiori-san” She sighed with a smile grin

  “Huh? What are you talking about?”

  “Just say you like being ordered around like a dog.”

  “I think you've read too many manga, pervert.”

  “Pervert? Who said anything like that, it’s clearly you who has a depraved mind, just what exactly are you thinking of? Fine fine Shiori-san, we can also do a request today” She teased with a huge smirk on her face.

  “What have I just done?” I started thinking to myself.

  As I cursed inwardly at myself for being so unthoughtful and impulsive Saito-san stood up and was now looking down at me with her glowing smile and gorgeous eyes. I gulped as I stared into them. She leant down and lifted me up by my arms, I followed her flow knowing I brought this on myself.

  As I now stood only a few inches from her, I could feel her soft breaths bounce up to my chest, she pushed me back gently as I glided down onto the bed. My legs flopped over the side still touching the floor but my back was completely flat. I felt the bed bend and curve as she sat over me.

  Her hand appeared from her side and began advancing towards my face, she placed her firm cold hand on my cheek and began running her thumb over the mark she had left on me the day before when she slapped me. I looked up into her longing eyes which had never seemed gentler than now.

  She was being delicate with me which in contrast to her usual self left me feeling sort of uneasy but it wasn't a feeling that I hated. I was too lost in her touch to realise she hadn't even made a request yet, she was just doing whatever she wanted.

  As my mind was left blank and I was staring into her alluring eyes I felt a sharp coldness as her other hand had slithered under my top and gripped my waist. The sudden chill from her frozen hand made my body quiver impulsively.

  “S- Saito-san?” I almost moaned but stopped myself.

  She launched her face towards mine and bracing for something I decided to close my eyes and wait…

  But nothing happened.

  When I finally opened my eyes again Saito-san’s face was next to mine. She had embraced me in a hug.

  “Stay like this for a bit, that's my request Shiori-san”

  She left me embarrassed and flustered. Jeez this girl, what the heck was that? You can’t play with my heart like that, I thought she was going to kiss me. Was I wrong for thinking that with the way she was touching me? I remembered she’s the type of girl to enjoy teasing someone.

  I wrapped my arms around her and held her close embracing the hug, my arms had moved on their own and it felt right to enclose her like this.

  Sighing, I reassured her. “Okay, let us stay like this for a bit.”