- one -

〚 third person 〛

☾☾☾

'monochrome. that's how the world used to look, but the moment i saw senpai, the world became colorful.'

Momo's routine usually began at 4 AM when she wakes up from her eight hour slumber. Up and out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom to take a quick shower that typically lasted five to ten minutes. When she got out, she completely dried off and put on her school uniform that had been stained pink from a mishap a long time ago. Afterward, she made her way into the kitchen to begin preparing her boxed lunches like she always did. She filled the containers with food, being extra careful to separate them by food type. Once she finished that, she wrapped the bentos up and placed a handwritten note on it.

Returning to her room upstairs, she finished her routine by getting completely ready for school. She pulled up her thigh high socks and put on her sweater which used to be cream colored but was now dark pink. She applied very little make-up, feeling like her skin would get messed up if she put too much. Make-up was banned at school anyway.

"I think Senpai will like it." Momo exclaimed to herself as she smiled in the mirror. The slight change in appearance inflicted a small hope in her that he'd at least notice and acknowledge it. She joyfully imagined the scenario in her mind of him reacting to the small change.

"Morning, Senpai!" Momo greeted as she spotted the familiar upperclassmen.

His eyes slid over to hers, slightly widening when he saw her hair tied up in pigtails instead of a half-up ponytail. A small blush graced his cheeks as his hand flew up to cover his face. "Momo-chan, you're..." He stammered, struggling to reply to her. "..too cute."

"I love you too, senpai!" Momo's face lit up as her cheeks burned pink.

She was brought back to reality by the intrusive thought that he would genuinely not react that way, and she knew that. Nonetheless, she was still upset that her tiny daydream ended so quickly.

Can't you let a girl dream? She thought with a small pout sitting on her plump pink lips.

Recovered from her silly heartbreak earlier, Momo packed the bentos into her bag and slung it over her shoulders. She skipped over to the door and sat down to put on her shoes. Once they were on properly, she threw the front door open and headed off in the direction of her school.

"So pretty." She whispered under her breath as she admired the beautiful morning sky that had multiple colors within it. The ombre of orange and red made the sky look so wonderful. It was the best part of waking up early.

She pranced onto school grounds, grinning brightly as she headed into the school. Automatically, she made a beeline for the second year classrooms which was a complete different direction from her own classroom. Soft hums exited her lips as she skipped over to the door that belonged to class 2-5 and stood before it.

Without hesitation, she knocked on the door and awaited an answer. Her ears perked up when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Her smile slightly broadened when the door slid open to reveal a familiar upperclassman.

His soft green hair was longer than it was last year, needing to be put up in a small half-up ponytail at the back of his head. His cheeks were littered with small freckles that accented his naturally rosy cheeks. A welcoming smile sat upon his lips as he glanced down at Momo who returned the smile.

"Morning, Tadacchi!" Momo greeted gleefully, throwing her arms around his waist as she hugged him tightly. He chuckled softly, patting her head as he hugged her back. When she pulled away, she glanced around for the upperclassman she was looking for. "Where's senpai?"

Yamaguchi scratched his cheek as his eyes slid off to the door. "He went to the faculty room to deliver some forms. Are you going to wait for him to come back?"

Momo nodded, taking a seat in his seat in the back of the classroom. "No one's here, so I'll wait!"

Not long after she said that, he entered the classroom with a small sigh exiting his lips. Her heart skipped a beat when the male's eyes slid over to her, connecting with hers. His expression slightly changed as he stood up straighter, closing the door behind him.

"Morning, Tsukki-senpai!" Momo greeted, wreathed in smiles upon seeing her favorite senpai. This is the best part of waking up early and coming to school.

"Again, shorty?" He deadpanned with a flat look, sauntering over to Momo who stood up from his desk. He plopped into his seat, peering over at Momo who stood in front of him. She was too busy digging through her bag to notice his focus on her.

"Ta-da!" She cheered as she placed the bento onto his desk happily. The small note slipped off, landing near his hand. "I used a different wrapping this time! Is it better?"

"Don't you have something better to do than make me bentos everyday?" Tsukishima murmured as he picked up the bento, inspecting the different wrapping she used this time. "Isn't it a waste of time and energy to get up early and do this every single morning?"

She rocked on her heels, fiddling with her hands behind her back. Momo shook her head with an unfaltering smile. "Of course not, Tsukki-senpai! I do it with the intention of making you happy, and that makes me happy!"

Tsukishima's expression remained indifferent at her words, used to this kind of behavior from her. It was futile to ask her to stop making him bentos at this point. He knew she probably wouldn't stop. He didn't necessarily hate it, but he didn't love it.

Yamaguchi chuckled quietly, enjoying the small exchange between his best friend and an underclassmen. It was rare to find an underclassmen who was this close to the infamous 'Tsukishima-senpai,' but Momo didn't know that.

"Do you like the wrapping?" Momo asked, pointing at the furoshiki that surrounded the bento box. Tsukishima stared at the cloth and shrugged. "I remember you said you didn't like the weirdly printed cloths, so I went out and bought some without print. Tadacchi told me you're fond of the color blue and yellow, so I bought bunch of those!"

"Jeez," Tsukishima leaned back in his seat, raising an eyebrow at the female who never stopped smiling. "Where are you getting all this money from?"

Momo held up a finger, pointing up at the ceiling for no reason at all. "My parents! They give me a monthly allowance."

"Wow, you're spoiled." Tsukishima muttered under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Do you notice anything different about me today?" Momo insinuated, grinning cheesily at Tsukishima who eyed her lazily. Her smile dropped when Tsukishima shook his head, finding no difference with her appearance. A pout made its way to her lips as she put her hands on her hips. "So mean, Tsukki-senpai! I did it for you, and you don't even notice it!"

Tsukishima glanced at Yamaguchi who sat beside him, inspecting Momo's appearance for the difference she spoke of.

"Her hair?" assumed Yamaguchi, earning a thumbs-up and a smile from Momo.

"Ah, I see." Tsukishima said, leaving it at that which made Momo's pout return. She puffed up her cheeks, making Tsukishima slightly smirk since she resembled a chipmunk.

She huffed softly, picking up her bag from the ground. "I'll let it slide this time. You're lucky you're my favorite senpai."

A small beep came from her phone, signaling that there was five minutes before people would begin to fill up the classroom. Deciding this would be the best time to leave, she turned on her heels and headed towards the door.

"Bye, Tadacchi! Bye, Tsukki-senpai! I hope you enjoy your bento!" With one last cheery grin, she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Her footsteps echoed in the quiet hall as she made her way to the first year classrooms.

A content smile rested on her face as she skipped down the hall gleefully. It wasn't much, but it was enough for her to see her favorite senpai every morning before school.

Seeing him in the morning, being able to talk to him while giving him a bento every day, made her feel like she could complete the day without being upset. It made her feel..stronger. She wanted to complete the day, so she could start it all over again, just for that small sliver of attention she got from him every morning.

It made life feel worth it. Like she had a purpose in this dull world full of nothing.

No matter how bad the day got, nothing could stop her from getting up again and doing it all over.

"Because you, Tsukki-senpai, give me purpose."