[KaoMika] W is for Love

[anakiddwrites]

Mika receives a weird message and has an unexpected meeting with a senpai, a simple start that would change their lives.

Spin-off of the kaomika visual novel Sweet Wave - it serves as prequel or complement from Mika POV of the VN's first scene.

watch the VN walkthrough on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2k8XVBF9reqDAqEQuG7OtZSbacxe90Jm

"Hey,
This might sound rather sudden, haha... but you know... we're almost graduating, and I would like to go forward without any regrets. And like... I can't help but feel drawn to you, it's stronger than me.
So, would you go on a date with me? Just tell me yes or no.
Please go easy on me ~ ;) I'm opening my heart fully because I do care immensely about you.

Sincerely,

Kaoru Hakaze"

Well. Well. Well.

That was… the last thing Mika imagined reading so early in the morning.

"........NNNNNNNNNNNNWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA????????"

Mika Kagehira’s thoughts blanked out and he stared at his phone so intensely he didn't realize the looks of other students passing by his troubled figure at the school gates. The day had barely started and it was already building up to be a mess.

"Who...who... who's this...?" Mika's fingers jumbled at the phone, trying to open the keyboard. He didn't know why he had this "Kaoru Hakaze" contact saved, which was bothering him as much as the sudden flirty message.

"-Nnwa, NAH!" He whined, realizing he pressed Send without finishing the simple question, meaning that Kaoru Hakaze would receive just a 'w' as answer to such intricate and open-hearted message. Among more distressed noises, Mika clutched his teddy bear closer to his chest and entered the school, head down until reaching the classroom. Maybe he could forget this and just carry on with his day.

… But the day didn’t turn any better.

"Where is it?? Wheeeeeeere is it!!!!!!!!????????? Why?? Nnnhhhhaaaah...."

A few hours later, after a rather distressed and useless morning class, Mika was on his knees at the Handicrafts Room, trying to find a specific stuffed friend and failing miserably. Half of the shelves had been opened and its contents were scattered on the floor, but no sign of the little teddy bear.

"I brought him with me... I'm sure... Lilo-tannn... w-where.... I'm so sorry..." He couldn't fight the tears of frustration, finding a little comfort in the purple blanket that was always laying around for Shu. Mika pulled it over his head, curling in the corner of the room and holding his knees.

"Nnnha… I'm s-so useless... I hate it… I hate today..."

Dwelling in his troubles like that, Mika was too stressed to realize knocks at the door and steps coming in, until the muffled words of an unknown voice lit up a sharp annoyance within him.

"That's not good for your eyes...~-" Hummed the voice, like it was no big deal.

This is it.

Mika Kagehira is done with today.

"AND WHAT DO YANNO ABOUT MY EYES, HUH?"

Mika stands up suddenly, blanket on his head and shouting back without even questioning who said that or why they are in the club room. Frustrated and annoyed, he takes a moment to actually see a blond boy falling on his butt in front of him, palid as if he had seen a ghost.

"Hey... Sorry...?" The stranger practically whispers and Mika averts his eyes instinctively. He isn't even angry at this boy specifically, but sure it’s a bad moment.

"... What'cha wanna here...?" Mika inquires harshly, looking away and not really digging a conversation with a stranger right now. Hopefully he would leave quickly.

"Hm... I need to talk to Itsuki-kun, but I guess my timing is bad, haha... Unless I'm the one who somehow caused this...?"

"Nothin' to do... with ya... snif..." Mika shakes his head strongly, the problem at his hands coming back full force to his mind.

"I l-lost... someone important... snif... ah... I need to keep goin'... I can't let him.. All alone in the dark, it's t-too sad, nha..." He crawls slowly to a drawer again, regretting he had stopped looking. The teddy bear needed him the most now, so he couldn't give up to pathetically cry in a corner.

"... What is it? Color, size...?"

The blond boy suddenly asks and Mika turns his head, blinking. Taken off guard by the other's interest, he answers.

"N-not very big... brown body... violet eyes... cotton filled."

"Wait, cotton filled?" For some reason, the blond rises eyebrows and looks confused for a moment, but then he just calms down again and looks Mika in the eyes. "Where... where should it be...?"

"At home, usually... I just... took him with me today ta try on his new clothes, but now I can't find him any'here..."

"Are you sure you didn't forget it at home...?"

"Nah! I'm sure I was holdin' him when I came ta school...! Ah-!"

Mika perked up, wide eyes staring at the blond boy for a second like he just had an insight. Yes, he remembers now. There is another place the teddy bear could be, how didn't he realize before?

Leaving the blond behind without any other word, Mika runs as fast as he can to 2B class again, taking deep breaths and trying to control his anxiety. Hopefully his guess would be right... and carefully he opens the teacher's locker to check it.

"I found ya!!!" He shouts and laughs, finding the plushie neatly placed inside there. Immediately, Mika picks him up and hugs him close.

"I'm sorry I took so long! Forgive me! ♪ Waaa, I'm so happy!!!"

Letting out a loud laugh of happiness and relief, Mika spins and lifts the teddy bear in the air. He takes a minute to notice the blond boy at the classroom’s door, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"I forgot I took him ta classroom to introduce him ta Naru-chan..! But Yukkun must've kept him in the locker when we cleaned after class..." Mika explains, flashing a large and warm smile. "Wehehe, I'm such an airhead...!" He hugs the plush close once more, nuzzling it.

"Ahaha! Well, I'm glad it's solved... Sometimes we just forget things, especially when we have a lot on our minds..!" The blond boy scratches his hair, offering a light laugh. Mika still feels embarrassed at the whole deal, but hops closer to the other, smiling friendly.

"Yer really helped me, so thank ya kindly! But... Sorry, who are ya again? I d-don't remember a lot of senpais well..." Admitting it is embarrassing, but if this boy haven't talked sense into him, Mika knows he would be panicking at the Handicrafts room until now and probably would cause Oshi-san some trouble.

"Ah, don't sweat it, it's hard to remember everyone's faces and names. My name is Kaoru Hakaze, I'm Itsuki-kun's and Mademoiselle-chan's classmate.~ You are Kagehira-kun, right?"

Oh.

Uh-oh.

Mika even nods and bows to the answer, but the name throws him in a loop immediately. He can feel his soul leaving his body while he instinctively takes a step back, clutching the bear tight. Really, what were the chances?? All he wanted was to forget the weird message and the weirder reply, but now it was thrown in his face to deal with. Today isn’t really his day...

"H-Hakaze... s-senpai...? W-wa..."

"Ah... Did I do something wrong...? Did we even talk before...?"

"Hm-hm!!" Mika shakes his head strongly, face burning. "W-wawa-... I remember now why I left class and forgot Lilo-tan... B-because of a weird m-message... and..." He takes a deep breath, shoulders shrinking and eyes staring at the floor as if trying to disappear into it. Articulating words was hard, but he tries to explain his side.

"T-that was... the s-sender's name... I was so nervous I somehow replied, but!! I dunno, I don't u-understand what was that...?!"

The moments Kaoru took to reply felt like an eternity for Mika, now self-conscious of every breath. But eventually the blond boy speaks up, a lot calmer than Mika expected. Still, not enough to calm the younger boy’s nerves.

"Ah... look, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm not a bad guy, really, really! I just kinda messed up, haha...!"

"... So... It was a mistake?"

"Hm... Something like that. I'm sorry for bothering you, really, really...! But if you are unsure, you can ask Mademoiselle-chan...! She knows I'm good friends with Itsuki-kun..!"

"Hakaze-senpai's... a friend...?" Mika tilts head on that. Shu never talks about his friends except the oddballs sometimes… But Kaoru nods in confirmation, confident of his claims.

'Yes, yes ~ Besides the usual classmate's chitchat, like, Itsuki-kun, Mademoiselle-chan and I even had a good time at the arcade before! We played crane games together...! He's really good at it... you like crane games too, right?"

The gears in Mika's brain sparkle a connection from that, recalling the day Shu went to the arcade with the classmates. He played crane games and won a prize... yes, of course he would remember it like it was yesterday.

"This suits your tastes, so keep it." Shu had shoved the bear in Mika's hands without further details, but making the boy happy nonetheless.

"Nnnhha?? Waa, it's super cute, Oshi-san!! Wehehe, thank ya kindly!!! Hello, lil'fella ~ I'll give ya a nice name!!"

"No need to thank me. Hakaze won it in the crane game and wouldn't have an use to it, so I said I could pass it for you."

"Waa, who? Thankie him fer me too, Oshi-san! Ehe, he got the jackpot, ne?" Mika giggled, lifting the little one in his arms. "Ne, Lilo-tan?"

The scene being clear as a day in his mind again, Mika points at Kaoru surprised, looking from the blond boy to the plush.

"Waaa I remember now, I think?? Oshi-san told me someone gave him Lilo-tan in the arcade, then let me have him! It's been a long time! But... Madonee said Oshi-san had a good time in the arcade with friends..." Mika smiles softly, remembering Madonee's soothing voice when talking about ‘Shu-kun's friend that spent time with him at the arcade.’ Now that’s enough to feel more relaxed in the senpai's presence.

"Ehe.. Oshi-san had a really good night's sleep that time, so thank ya kindly again, Hakaze-senpai...~"

"A-ah..? Y-you're welcome...? I didn't do anything, really, really...! W-well, then, now you know you don't need to worry about the message! Just forget about it, and I'll too, ok?"

Kaoru was getting ready to leave with a smile, but Mika grabs his sleeve suddenly, a bit anxious again. Right, he still haven't thanked the senpai properly, especially knowing more about him and Shu. After all, the blond wouldn't know, but moments of peace like the arcade's day were still a rare treasure at the time. And now he had helped finding Lilo-tan, too…

"I.. I r-really wanna thank ya properly for helpin' with Lilo-tan, he's real important ta me...! So.. nnha..." Mika shoves hands in his pockets, looking for something, and finally handing Kaoru a bunch of cheap candies and a ticket. That was everything he could do to thank someone... and also to help Valkyrie reach a full house in the process.

"Valkyrie will perform at the Underground Livehouse... ~ Oshi-san's gonna show his best new artwork, so it's a unique chance!" He couldn't help standing proud and smiling largely, excited for finally standing on stage with Oshi-san again.

"I guess it won't hurt to watch one of my classmate's lives before the school year ends... And I don't have anything better to do either. ~" Kaoru finally smiles and Mika is about to thank him for accepting quickly, but when he looks properly to the senpai, something feels... off.

"Eh...?"

Kaoru is smiling kindly for sure, but... somehow it feels forced and numbed to Mika, like the sun hiding behind the clouds. Does he have something on his mind, perhaps?

"Hm?" Kaoru asks, oblivious to the boy's impression. Well, Mika himself doesn't know how to explain this feeling in words, so he just smiles back and hugs Lilo-tan closer.

"Nothin'... I guess it's just my imagination... So... see ya there, Hakaze-senpai!"

Mika hopped to the side and left the room before things became even more awkward. It wasn't like he knew the other enough to say something out of nowhere, but part of him worried a bit. At least, he could stay at peace with the message and Kaoru didn't even mention the weird reply! That was sure an ounce of luck for the day.

"Hakaze-senpai looks like a cool guy, in the end ~ ne, Lilo-tan? I'm glad Oshi-san has some good classmates... ~" He muses to himself, chest puffed and looking forward to the show two nights from now. It’s going to be a blast, no doubt.