nekumiko writes

As far as clichés go, their first meeting did involve coffee and exchanging numbers before they parted ways.

Except it was not a meet-cute.

In fact, she even cried.

Who wouldn't, when you're just trying to get through a stressful day and suddenly a venti-sized iced americano gets dumped onto the front of your shirt?

"I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was –” the culprit's apology is cut off when he hears it.

A sob.

Seungkwan's I'm sorry's grow even more frantic. People are starting to notice them, and a misleading article is not what he wants his coffee run to end up in.

But as she stands frozen right there on the sidewalk, partly from the cold liquid and the other from shock, he wills himself to calm down.

Cautiously, he touches her arm and asks in a now-gentle tone, "Are you okay?"

She finally looks up. Her face mask only allows her teary eyes to be seen, but he guesses that they're about the same age.

"I'm so, so sorry," he continues. "Let me help you, please?"

Luckily, they find a nearby bench. Seungkwan hands her all the tissues that came with his coffee order so she could dry her shirt, but a huge stain has already formed. He could only watch as she gave up with a sigh.

She then turns away from him to pull her mask down and wipe her dried tears away. "Sorry," she speaks for the first time. "That was very childish. This isn't even my favorite shirt."

"It's okay. I… can see there's more to it than that."

She sniffles. "Yeah… just a bad day."

"And I made it worse. I’m really sorry."

She shakes her head, pulling her mask back up so she could meet his eyes. "It was an accident. Don't worry."

Still, that does not make it okay for Seungkwan. "Please let me buy you a new one!"

"A new what?"

"A new shirt."

She gasps and then aggressively waves her hands in refusal. "No need! It's fine. I'm on my way home anyway."

"Please, I insist."

"Sir," she says with a slight frown now, starting to put distance between them on the bench, "I don't even know you."

Seungkwan is left speechless for a moment. On the bright side, this assures him that his hat-and-face-mask disguise today is effective. But that is working against his favor right now, as he could only reply with, "I'm sorry. I can't really reveal my identity here ."

"And why?"

"I can't show my face here ."

"Then at least tell me your name first?"

He takes a deep breath. Here goes. "...Boo Seungkwan."

"..."

"..."

"Do you mean the idol? Who's appeared in a lot of TV shows?"

This is getting even more embarrassing. "Yes."

"You have got to be kidding me."

He sighs. "You see? I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"I really can't! Because I would've known!"

"What do you mean? Are you… a CARAT?"

"Yes!" 

Good job, Seungkwan. You just ruined the day of your own group's fan.

She crosses her arms. "Well, okay, I guess you do sound like him. And your eyes…" she trails off and looks away, as if suddenly shy. But it is then that she notices something beside Seungkwan.

He follows her line of sight and finds his almost-empty coffee cup. 

She clears her throat before continuing, "And you did spill an iced americano on me." 

If the situation had been any lighter, he would've laughed at that.

"But this is just too good to be true, you know?"

Seungkwan looks around. There aren't a lot of people around, so maybe…?

"Woah, what are you doing?"

He is moving closer to her again. For some reason, he really wants her to believe him, and he tells himself it's because he has to convince her that he has good intentions. "Okay, I can show my face to you, but I have to be… close."

"Sir –"

"Just a quick peek? Enough for only you to see." He reaches up to touch his face mask.

"Hey, no!" she almost-shouts, grabbing his hand. It's her turn to look around for passersby, and though she finds none, she continues in a semi-whisper, "That would be too risky if ever you were telling the truth! If you really are my –" she pauses, eyes widening. It's as if she's filtering out her next words as she lets go of his hand. "If you really are him, I don't want to get you in trouble."

Once again, he is at a loss. She's right. What was I thinking?

But then she sighs in defeat. "Fine. Let's say you're a good person for now. But where are we going anyway?"

Seungkwan straightens up as he looks back at the street. "There's a nearby shop that I think would suit your style."

She appears to be thinking about it for a few silent moments as she watches a few cars pass by. And then she looks back at him. "Alright. It's still broad daylight anyway, so I could just kick your ass if you try anything."

He chuckles, standing up. "Deal."

"And nothing too expensive, okay?"

"Mhmm." He then takes off his jacket to drape it on her shoulders. "To cover your stained shirt as we walk."

He could see her eyes smile. "Thank you."

~~~

"Boo-nim."

"Boo-nim?" Seungkwan repeats with a small laugh.

"How else would I call you?" She peeks out from the dressing room's curtain. "Without… you know, catching anyone's attention. If you ever are him. "

"You’ve got a point." He nods. "Anyway, do you need anything?"

She hesitates. "Well, this shirt is too cute. I like it so much."

"Show me?"

"But it's also too expensive."

"That's okay."

"No, it's not! I'll find a new one."

"At least show it to me first?"

"And why?"

"I also think it would look good on you."

She hums in suspicion, but pulls back the curtain anyway.

Seungkwan nods in approval. "Let's take it."

"I already told you –!"

"Excuse me," he calls out to a nearby staff. "We'll take this shirt. Is it okay if she wears it now?"

"Boo-nim!" she tries to protest, but gets completely ignored.

A while later, she’s back in the dressing room to take the tag off and put the newly-bought shirt on. Despite her concern, it does suit her. And to get it for free? This might just be the only good thing to happen to her today, and for that, she feels grateful. You don't meet kind strangers like these every day. So she steps out to thank her companion, only to find him seemingly lost in thought. "Boo-nim? Are you okay?"

Seungkwan seems to snap out of it when he hears her concerned voice. "Yes! Are you done?"

She nods. "I'm sorry for all the trouble today."

"I'm the one who spilled coffee on you. It's all on me. So again, I'm sorry. I hope this could make up for it."

"Actually, just you helping me calm down was already enough. A new shirt isn't really necessary, but thank you very much. You're being too kind."

They smile at each other – at least, their eyes did – until Seungkwan starts to fidget. "I… uh, never really caught your name."

"Oh." This surprises her too. Then again, she'd been distrustful of him earlier. She laughs. “Sorry, I think we were too focused on you proving that you’re…” she trails off. Suddenly, the reality of the situation comes back to her. What if…? 

"Oh, that reminds me,” he says in a low whisper, “maybe I can do that face reveal here?"

That unnerves her even more. Just how would she react if he's an actual idol? And the Boo Seungkwan of all people? "W-where?"

After confirming that no one's paying attention to them, he ushers her back to the dressing room, this time getting in with her before pulling the curtain closed again. "Okay. This might be surprising but please, can I ask you to keep your voice down?"

She could only nod.

And so Seungkwan takes off his hat, shakes his hair out, and finally pulls down his mask.

And just like that, she's in tears again. She covers her face with her hands as she suppresses a whine. This day couldn't get more embarrassing.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"It's you. It really is you all this time." She peeks at him from between her fingers. "I really can't tell you my name."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's like I'm stepping on a forbidden boundary."

"Oh, come on." Seungkwan gently pulls her hands away from her face. "Aren't I just a person, too?"

This time, she's the one left speechless. Oh no. Did I just offend him?

"You've been with me for the past hour without knowing who I really am. But we're getting along already, right? I just wanted to keep this going, to get to know you more."

"Are you sure?"

He smiles. "Yes."

This is the smile she's always adored from behind the screen, from photos, from afar. No, this smile is, right at this moment, exclusively for her. With that, she tells him her name.

Seungkwan repeats her name, testing it on his tongue, and it's just so heavenly to hear. "It's nice to meet you." He then lets go of her hands so he could give her his phone. "Can I have your number too?"

Her hands are shaking, but she manages to carefully type in her contact details.

To make sure, Seungkwan sends her a message: a mere 'Hi' sticker.

She feels like fainting.

"Lastly," he says, putting his phone back in his pocket, "can I also see your face?"

Now this effectively saps all her positive feelings again. "Oh no. I'm barefaced. And I've been crying a lot today!"

"I am barefaced right now too, see?" 

"But you still look beautiful…" she mutters.

"What?" He moves closer to hear her.

"Nothing! Please, I'll just send you a selca."

"Come on, it's just us."

"I really don't –"

"Okay, since you said I'm being too kind by buying you a shirt, you can consider this as payment."

"That's unfair!"

Seungkwan softly says her name, pouting. "Please? How can we be friends if I don't know what you look like?"

She sighs. Not that pout. "O-okay." Her heart is beating so fast as she pulls her mask down. Yet even now that she's nervous, she finds that Seungkwan's smile is contagious in person too.

"There, that's better. And you do look pretty, especially with a smile."

Just then, the curtain is pulled back from the outside. In a blur, Seungkwan is suddenly pulling her into him, hiding his face in her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, "there's a mirror behind you." True enough, he is facing the room's mirror, and if he wasn't fast enough, the staff would've seen his face.

But everything happening right now is too surreal! Though his arms are only hovering around her, she could still feel him breathing so close to her. She could smell his perfume, much stronger now than when his jacket was draped around her. "It's okay," she manages to whisper back.

Despite the displeased staff scolding them about using the dressing room for "things they shouldn't do in public," they thankfully got out of the store without revealing Seungkwan's identity. 

And as soon as they part ways at the bus stop, they start chatting.

On her way home while he gets ready for practice.

As she prepares dinner while he's taking a break.

As she gets ready for bed while he's cooling down after practice.

'Boo-nim!' she types, insisting to use it as a nickname. 'If I close my eyes now, I wouldn't be waking up from a long dream, right?'

'Of course,' Seungkwan is quick to reply. 'Now, it was really nice meeting you, and I loved talking to you. But you need to rest already. I put you through so much today.'

'Stop saying that!' She shakes her head at his stubbornness. ' You rest now too, please. You might be busy tomorrow.'

Seungkwan sighs, thinking about tomorrow's schedule. 'I actually will be. How about you?’

'Nah, it's still the weekend, so I could relax.'

'I wish I could do that too.'

That makes her pause. As much as she wants to, as he put it, 'keep this going,' she realizes this might just be a one-time thing after all. Seungkwan just happened to be free today, and she just happened to be there.

'Did you fall asleep already?'

It's not anyone's fault. They just live in two very different worlds. So the least she could do is to not make him feel guilty. 'No, sorry. Just fixed something here. Don't forget to take breaks, okay? Fighting!'

'Thank you. Talk to you again tomorrow! I'll message you during breaks.'

She smiles a bit sadly as she replies with an okay, along with a wish good night. 

Exiting the messaging app, she is faced by Seungkwan's smile again… in her phone wallpaper. Now that she's seen it up close, what used to make her feel giddy now fills her with yearning. 

"I really hope I'll meet you again."

~~~

"Someone's been glued to his phone since he got back."

Seungkwan briefly glances at Seokmin and Soonyoung before he presses 'Send.' He then pockets his phone. "No, I'm not."

"Did I say it's you?" Seokmin smiles teasingly.

"Whatever." Seungkwan drinks from his water bottle. "I'm just scrolling through Instagram."

"Scrolling through someone's Instagram profile," Soonyoung now joins in.

"Why are you two even looking at my phone?"

The two older members only hound him even more, moving to trap him on both sides. "You met someone today?" Seokmin presses on. "Or someone you already know but –"

"Nothing like that!" Noticing that some other members are now looking at them, he continues more softly, "Stop it, please. Not now." 

Soonyoung and Seokmin share a look before they both pat Seungkwan on the back. 

"Go away." He groans as he tries to shake them off.

“Okay, okay!” They laugh as they both run away.

With a tired sigh, Seungkwan pulls his phone out again to check her new message. Seeing that she finally said good night, he smiles again… until he notices Seokmin and Soonyoung still watching him from afar.

Okay, maybe I was a bit curious. But it's just normal to want to know a new friend more, right?  

With how she almost didn't tell him her name earlier, Seungkwan considers himself lucky that she gave her Instagram handle when he asked. At least, that means he got through to her, right? That she wants to treat him as an equal too.

So while he'd been waiting for her replies, he practically studied her feed (but was careful not to interact with any post even if he wanted to). By now, he'd already noted a few conversation topics he could casually bring up sometime. 

Because he does plan to meet her more often.

She’d noticed them.

Those dark eyes watching the bread she’s carefully arranging in the glass case. They would curiously trail from the tongs to the bread, and then would patiently wait for the next one.

Once she finishes placing the final piece in the end row, she finally looks at them.

And those eyes are now looking at her. Intently. Intensely.

She feels her cheeks warm up. She could only see the person’s eyes and nose with how close they are to the glass case, but their gaze pins her on the spot. As if she’s being scrutinized. After a few long seconds, she finally manages to look away, to look down at the bread in front of her. And a thought seizes her. Maybe he just wants to order already and I've been very slow? In her panic, she hurriedly stands up, barely avoiding bumping her head against the glass case.

Instantly, a boy about her age springs up from the other side.

And again, she stops. Is he the one staring at me?

His school blazer is carelessly thrown over his shoulders as if it's a cape. Blond, shoulder-length hair tied in a half-ponytail. And the same dark eyes that hold her gaze once more.

A delinquent.

In contrast, he currently has a giddy smile on, and his face is all soft features and clear of any cuts and bruises.

He's beautiful.

“Hello,” he begins, “are you the baker?”

“Uh, only part-time.”

“Really?" He looks genuinely surprised. "So you don’t bake every day?”

“No."

He crosses his arms and frowns a little, seeming to be in thought.

"...Is there something wrong with my bread?"

At this, he looks up again as if he's offended. "No! Your bread is perfect! I love them!"

Now, it's her turn to be taken aback. "Oh, um, thank you." She smiles, albeit awkwardly.

"I'm just trying to remember when the bread tastes best. Because that would mean you baked them."

She gasps. The only other baker here is her uncle, who has been running this bakery for years. I can't possibly be compared to that! She laughs nervously and replies, "Sir, thank you so much for your praise, but I'd appreciate it more if you come here every day! We have fresh, delicious batches each day and—”

A laugh suddenly cuts her off. "Mei," her aunt, who mans the counter, gently says, "the young man is basically just asking when he could see you again."

Her jaw drops.

At the same time, the boy clears his throat and looks away, shoving his hands deeper in his pockets. "I mean, I did figure it out just now…"

"Really?" she asks. "How?"

He turns back to her with a mischievous grin. "I told you. I just have to remember when I like the bread here the most: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. So, is that when you work?"

What do I do with this guy? "Y-yes."

His grin widens.

Mei sighs in defeat but smiles back as she picks up her tongs again. This isn't usually part of her job, but she didn't want to break the boy's happy spell just yet. “Okay, then. What would you like to buy?”

“Everything you baked today,” he replies without missing a beat.

Her forehead creases into a small frown, confused. "Do you mean… one of everything here?”

“Of course. You can even make it two of—”

“Oi, Mikey!” A tall guy suddenly enters the bakery, the tinkling of the windchime by the door a contrast to his booming voice. “How much longer are you gonna take just ordering?”

The boy — Mikey — only laughs as he looks at his approaching friend. And then he tilts his head towards her direction. “I finally met the baker!”

The taller guy promptly looks at her, unnerving her with his glare. Clad in a black-and-white patterned long jacket, he screams ‘delinquent’ even more with his blond hair shaved at the sides to reveal a dragon tattoo on his left temple.

“H-hi?” she says in an attempt to maintain professionalism.

He relaxes his shoulders, and while his frown remains, he addresses her more calmly. “Just please give him his order. We’re kinda in a hurry.”

She nods before turning back to Mikey. “Are you serious with…?” she trails off, still unbelieving.

“Yeah, I’ll have one of each. Ah, no, I’ll take two from this new batch. These are my favorite.”

“Okay.” Mei hides her proud smile from him by grabbing a paper bag and sitting back down to start filling it with bread. “Are you feeding this to a big group?”

“Huh?” Mikey places his arms on top of the glass display case (which is totally not allowed) and leans until he can look at her from above. “No way! You baked that just for me~”

She pauses to look up at his earnest expression. What do I even reply to that?

Mikey only disappears from Mei’s sight because her aunt lightheartedly - which is unusual - pushes him off the case, laughing again as she says, “Please let the poor girl do her work.” And then she starts ringing up his order.

She silently finishes packing, and ends up handing two full paper bags to Mikey. “Are you sure you can finish all these?”

He grins happily. “Of course. I told you I like all of them.” Mikey starts to leave, but as his friend opens the door for him, he looks back at her to wave goodbye. “I’ll see you on Friday, Mei!” And he’s out.

She couldn’t even reply with the usual ‘Thank you for your patronage’ out of disbelief.

“He’s been here every day for a while now, you know,” her aunt says, breaking her trance.

“Really?”

She nods, a teasing smile on her face. “It’s true that he loves the bread you make. So I think he’s really waiting for you to come out all this time to personally tell you that.”

“Ugh, not you too.” Mei shakes her head and then goes back to the kitchen.

Theirs is a small, unassuming family bakery off to the side of the business district. While they are not as popular as other shops, loyal customers would still flock to them because of years’ worth of reputation. So it shouldn’t be strange for someone like Mikey to frequent the shop. But is he really going to start coming by on her shifts only from now on?

Even on her days off, Mei still has to pass by the bakery on her way home, so she looks through its windows today to check.

No sign of that blond boy anywhere.

She feels a bit guilty. But it’s not like she can force him to buy bread every day, can she? On another note, she couldn’t shake off the fuzzy feeling she’s been getting whenever she remembers their encounter. Baking is only a hobby and a way to help her family, but because she’s in the kitchen all the time, she hadn't been able to think about how her food could make someone happy until yesterday.

“Are you looking for me?” a familiar voice suddenly says from behind her.

Mei turns around, startled.

There he is, the boy who has occupied her thoughts since yesterday. Up close, she realizes he’s a head taller than her. And that he is undeniably good-looking, especially now that the afternoon sunlight is right behind him like a halo. But it’s his knowing grin that makes her heart jump.

“No, I’m not!” she replies, stepping back a little. “Just checking to see if things are okay. Out of habit, you know.”

He hums, sounding unconvinced.

“Anyway, you should go inside before the bakery gets busy!”

“Huh? I’m not going in.”

She bites her lip, expecting what he’s about to say next.

“Because you’re not working today.”

Mei narrows her eyes at him. “Okay, look. Why are you teasing me? Who even are you?”

“Oh, that’s right. I didn’t get to tell you my name yesterday.”

“That’s not -”

“But I think you’ve heard it? Anyway, I go by Mikey. You can call me that too.”

She pauses. She had quickly lost control of this conversation. “Okay… Mikey…”

“And you’re Mei, right?”

She gasps, placing her hands on her hips. “How are we on a first-name basis right away?”

He only smiles.

“Okay, fine. It’s not like I care about it that much.” Not because you’re cute. “Anyway, it’s nice to properly meet you, Mikey. But I think I need to go now. So… see you tomorrow?”

“Wait, I can walk with you!”

“Huh?”

“It’s getting dark, you know.”

Now, Mei laughs nervously. “I think I should be more concerned about letting a complete stranger know where I live.”

“Well then, I will be a friend who can keep you company on your way home.”

“You’re pretty persistent, aren’t you?”

He shrugs. “I can also give you a ride on my bike next time?”

She bites back a giddy smile. Maybe he is genuine about being friends. “Okay. But I’m warning you: I’m pretty strong, okay? I can easily punch you if you do something weird.”

Mikey grins again, as if accepting a challenge. “Sure.”

They start walking then, with Mei leading the way and Mikey falling in step beside her. After passing by a few establishments, she speaks again, “Wait, if you’re not even going to buy something from the bakery, why are you waiting outside?”

He looks startled. “Uh, isn’t it obvious?”

“That you’re stalking me?”

“What? No! I don’t even know what school you go to.”

“Well, I don’t know. You might have someone find that out for you today and then you’d be there outside my school tomorrow.”

Mikey laughs. “Do you really think that's something I would do?"

"Well…" She suddenly goes quiet, looking down at the path. Oh no, Mei, what if you just misjudged him? He does look like a delinquent, but—

"As if I want anyone else among the guys to see you," he mutters.

She side-eyes him as he kicks a stone from the pavement. 'The guys?'

Mikey then turns back to her. "But would you want that?”

“Want what?”

"For me to wait outside your school."

She gasps. "No way! That's too embarrassing!"

“Huh? Why?”

“It just is! People might think…” she trails off. That you're my...

“Hmm?”

“Ah, nothing! Let’s just meet up at the bakery.”

“Oh, so does that mean I can walk you home from now on? Even after your shifts?”

She lightly pushes him. “How do our conversations end up like this?”

Mikey chuckles, but his smile soon disappears when his stomach lets out a loud rumble.

Mei immediately stops them both from walking. “Mikey.” She shakes her head. “If you’re hungry, you could’ve bought something back there.”

He huffs, crossing his arms. “No way!”

She frowns. “Are you really going to keep this up?”

“Yes.”

“Then I can’t help you.”

“Fine with me.”

They stare each other down.

Until Mikey’s stomach grumbles again.

“Please,” Mei says with genuine concern in her expression now, “you need to eat. You’re our customer and I can’t just let you go hungry!” She tugs at his arm, intent on going back to the bakery.

But this guy stands his ground.

Mei sighs. “Fine. I won’t let you walk me home if you’re like this.”

Mikey suddenly looks horrified. “Mei,” he whines, “don’t you just have anything on you right now?”

“What?”

He groans, looking away to mutter, “I… don’t really have anything to buy with today.”

And then she remembers that he bought each of everything at the bakery yesterday. She bites back a giggle. “You’re so ridiculous.” Then she opens her school bag. “I think I only have a few sweets here, though.”

“That’s okay!”

She hands him a few pieces of candy. “Don’t buy more than you could handle next time.”

“Actually, Ken-chin bought it for me. He’s not here right now, so…”

“Ken-chin?”

“That guy with me from yesterday.”

“Oh my god. Please tell me you’ll pay him back.”

“Huh? Of course I will!”

“Mikey.”

“I swear.” Mikey reaches over to ease out the frown on her forehead. “Don’t worry too much.” He smiles at her again. "Here." He takes her hand and places half of the candies. "These are yours anyway, so let's share."

"Oh, um, okay." She then watches him pop three candies all at once in his mouth.

Mikey is an enigma to her. With his recklessness and straightforwardness, he's not like any friend she's ever had. And with someone like him, she's sure she'd always be on her toes.

Is it the air of mystery—the lingering sense that there’s so much more behind his sweet smile that doesn’t match his dark gaze—that makes her feel more inclined to keep him around?

If you would ask Kita when he fell in love with her, he’d say it was that time she cooked rice without a rice cooker. At least, that’s as far back as he could remember seeing her in a different light.

The Inarizaki Volleyball Club probably doesn’t need a manager because of how Kita keeps everything well-maintained - the equipment, uniforms, and even the restroom. But it wouldn’t hurt to have extra help.

Although, since she only needed a club under her name, she was allowed to not even attend every day, and she had done just that for a year. But in her second year, Kita eventually found her regularly working beside him to make sure the team had everything they needed in practices and matches. He did ask her why, but she quickly changed the topic to picking up the uniforms from the laundromat.

It was on that unusually stormy night during the team’s summer training camp.

Because of the howling winds outside, the lights have been flickering on and off in the neighborhood, so practice is cut short before it becomes completely dark. They return to the inn, where the couple who owns the place tells them they would prepare dinner in advance. Kita then quickly drops off his bag and changes his clothes so he could help out in the kitchen.

Despite the dimming lights, the middle-aged couple are working fast. The wife is on the stove frying fish, while the husband is making dumplings.

Kita then sees the rice cooker sitting unplugged on the counter. "Excuse me,” he says, catching the attention of the couple. “Do you mind if I help out? I can cook rice traditionally.”

“Oh,” the husband replies, “we appreciate it, but your manager is already taking care of that.”

“She is?”

As if on cue, she emerges from behind a wall, carrying a pot. “Kita-san?” she calls out before smiling brightly. “You've come at the right time! Please help me.” And then she disappears behind the wall again.

Kita finds her sitting beside an open sack of rice grains, the scoop in her hand and the pot on her lap. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

She looks up. “Oh, nothing's wrong. I just never cooked for the team before, so I don’t know if this is enough.”

He sits beside her and reaches for the pot.

She looks startled for a moment, but then smiles again and gives it to him.

It takes Kita a moment to carefully consider his answer. “You need more than this.” He gently takes the scoop in her hand, brushing against her warm skin. He scoops more grains into the pot and then stands up again. “Come on.”

She stands as well, but immediately holds onto the pot, stopping Kita from walking away. “What do you think you’re gonna do with this?”

“What else? I’ll be cooking rice.”

“But I told them I’d do it!”

“I can do it.”

“I can do it too.” She smirks. “Or are you here to doubt me again, Kita-san?”

He sighs in mock defeat. “Fine.” Then he gives the pot back.

She grins. "Thanks."

“Won’t it be heavy, though? That's a lot of rice to wash.”

She puts the pot in the sink and starts up the faucet, shaking her head. “You always underestimate my strength. I’ve handled heavier stuff than this.” She turns the faucet off and drains the water. “You’re a witness to that.”

Kita stays silent beside her, watching her work and talk at the same time. This is their norm. Light banter, eye contact, hands brushing against each other, standing at close proximity, and watching her back as he helped with her manager duties. But for some reason today, he is focused too much on her exposed nape and her lips, hyperaware of her hands and her voice. He doesn't even realize he'd tuned her actual words out until she looks back at him expectantly.

“Are you okay, Kita-san?"

"Huh? Yes."

She giggles. "I asked you to please move to the side a little. I need light."

"Sorry." Kita then steps aside.

She then holds the pot to her chest level, carefully measuring the amount of water with her finger. And then she puts the lid over the pot.

Kita follows her to the stove, too.

“Oban,” she says softly to the wife, who is just removing a pan from the stove, “I’ll be cooking the rice now.”

The wife thanks her while Kita swoops in to take the pan. “Oban, is there anything else you need more help with?”

The two of them move around the kitchen to clean up and help with plating. From time to time, she would check on the rice, adjusting the fire in the stove. And whenever she does, Kita finds himself watching her intently, not really understanding what’s so... captivating about it. Is it because she’s cooking food for them? Like she mentioned earlier, this is her first time, because she'd only bought food for them before. But is it that unusual? Because surely, as their manager, she’d be making more food for the team from now on.

Finally, she calls him over excitedly. “Kita-san! Look at this!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” she whines. “Why do you always assume something’s wrong?”

He only smiles at her, finally reaching her side.

“Just please look!” She lifts the lid again and continues, “Just look at how perfect my rice is!”

“It does look good.”

“I bet it tastes delicious, too.”

“It would taste like rice.”

She turns to him with a deadpan stare. “Cold.” She covers the pot again, and then pauses. Her lips form into a small smile, but her hands reach for the hem of her shirt to fidget with it as she speaks again. “Hey, Kita-san,” she begins, her gaze still trained on the pot. “Would I make a good wife?”

“You just cooked rice.”

That makes her head whip towards him so fast. Her smile vanishes, her eyes widen, and a pink tint is creeping up on her cheeks. “Ahh, I mean with how --!” she cuts herself off to look away, waving a hand in front of her face. "Never mind. I’ll just go call the others. Dinner would be ready soon.” She hurriedly walks away from him, only stopping by the couple to thank them before exiting the kitchen.

Quite often, Kita has been told that he can’t read the room. And usually, he doesn’t mind. It's more important for him to get his thoughts across, to correct something he thinks is wrong or illogical, even if it's in a brutally honest way. But right now, it’s bothering him that she got upset by his words. She has never reacted this way before, so what did I say wrong?

“I think your girl meant something more than that, young man,” the husband tells him.

Kita turns to the couple who are both looking at him teasingly. “My girl?” he repeats.

“Aren’t you two together?”

He shakes his head. “No, she’s just our manager. I just help her out sometimes.”

“I see…”

The couple share a look, and then the wife turns to him. “You should follow her, though. We’re about to wrap up here anyway. Thank you both so much for your help.”

The husband also expresses his gratitude, and with that, Kita thanks them as well and starts to leave.

But as he passes by the wife on his way out, he overhears her mutter, “Ah, young love.”

And he pretends he just didn’t.

---

But maybe Kita really does have reason to worry.

Their manager sits with the sophomores on the other side of the dining table, not in her usual spot next to him. It's not like she's obligated to, though. She is a sophomore and she gets along well with them. If someone had noticed this, they just didn't bring it up, because her sitting with them is new, but should not be unusual.

But she hasn’t once made eye contact, and deliberately avoided touching him when she passed him a bowl. Now that's something alarmingly different.

The storm outside has thankfully subsided, but he feels another one brewing right here.

“You're going to burn a hole through her head,” Aran suddenly says beside him, just low enough for the two of them to hear.

Kita blinks and turns back to his food, realizing he’d been staring. “Sorry, that was rude of me.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Though, I don’t think she noticed.”

Kita only sighs.

Aran hesitates. “Is there something wrong?”

“I think so. I might have said something wrong, but I don’t know what.”

“Do you need my help?”

Just then, Kita notices Suna, who is sitting right across from him, discreetly looking at the two of them. “Maybe later.”

The team finishes eating, and their manager volunteers to help clean up. Unsurprisingly, Kita does the same.

And for the first time since their last conversation, she finally looks up at him.

An unfamiliar feeling blooms in his chest right then. And Kita does not understand. Why does it feel like he hadn’t met her gaze for a long time, when it was actually just a few minutes ago? This is strange, but not unwelcome. He can’t help but smile down at her.

She approaches him to take the plates he had stacked from his hands. “Kita-san,” she starts.

And that makes the warmth in his chest spread even wider. It’s not like she’d been quiet during dinner. She had talked and laughed along with everyone else, but not once was he involved.

“Don’t worry about this." She smiles. "This is my job, and you need to rest because you still have practice tomorrow.”

What?

“Please go rest with the others. I’ll be fine here with Oban.”

Kita feels himself sinking fast as he watches her walk away. It doesn’t even register that he’d been pulled out of the room by Aran until they almost bump into Suna in the hallway.

“Wow,” the second-year says as he pockets his phone. “Kita-san getting rejected. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“What are you still doing here, Suna?” Aran asks.

“Just lagging behind,” Suna nonchalantly replies, turning around to walk ahead of them.

Aran makes sure their junior is a safe distance away before he turns to his friend. "So, have you figured it out? That was a bit heavy back there."

Kita crosses his arms in thought, once again revisiting that conversation in the kitchen.

"What did you even say to her last?" Aran continues asking as they start down the corridor. "What made things suddenly different?"

And then it finally clicks. Kita stops walking, uncrossing his arms and looking away. "She asked me if she'd make a good wife."

"WHAT?"

---

The next day at practice, their manager goes by her day normally. Watching over them, assisting them. To an outsider, nothing seems off.

She probably thinks nothing of it now, Kita tries to assure himself when he takes a break from practicing serves.

Instantly, she stands up to give him his towel and water bottle. She compliments him, and he thanks her like usual. But the tension is still there, especially when she doesn't initiate more conversation. They may not talk a lot during practice, but she always has something to say.

That's how Kita knew he still needs to do what Aran told him to.

Yet even as practice ends and they both help prepare dinner again, he just can't seem to find the right words. It brings a small frown on his forehead, which the team isn't used to seeing.

Which makes dinner silent.

Until the twins, of course, start nudging each other's sides with their elbows, bringing up each other's mistakes at practice that they think might have upset their captain. As they keep going back and forth, their voices start to raise and their nudges turn into painful jabs.

"Stop that," Kita says.

And they do right away.

Somehow, even without the frown on his face now, Kita looks even more intimidating.

"Kita-san," their manager, sitting right across from him today, takes one for the team by asking, "why do you look so upset, though?"

His heart suddenly starts pounding. What would he even say? "I'm not. I just…"

Everyone looks at him then. Did their captain just stutter?

"...About what you said yesterday."

She looks puzzled. "Which one?"

The team looks as confused as her now, except for Aran who holds his breath.

"I've given it a lot of thought," Kita continues, "and I have to say that, with the effort and care you put in every day, you would be a good wife."

Silence settles over them for five seconds, before the whole table erupts into chaos.

Their manager quickly hides her face behind her hands.

Atsumu shouts, "What kind of confession is that?"

At that, Kita immediately realizes his mistake. "It's not –”

"Kita-san."

He looks back at their manager.

She seems to be forcing herself to calm down, because her cheeks are still flushed. She weakly points to the door. "Can we talk?"

The hollers and laughter grow louder as both of them stand up and exit, especially when she catches hold of his wrist to lead him away from the noisy room.

Finally, she stops and turns around to face him, looking upset. She lets go, leaving behind a warm spot on his wrist. "Why did you say that?"

His forehead creases again. "I'm sorry. I worded it wrong. Aran told me I should give you an answer, but I just… didn’t know how to say it without sounding like that."

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Of course," she says softly.

Kita falls silent. He doesn’t like how everyone is reacting, and he definitely had not intended to put her on the spot like this. It's true that he wants to answer her question, because it seems like his answer would make her happy. But why, then, does it feel like he’s lying when he says that’s just what it is?

She sighs loudly, snapping him out of his thoughts. And then she smiles again, as if it had all been a small joke. "Kita-san, please be careful with your words next time. I'll go clear it up with them now." And then she leaves.

And that would be the last time they would ever talk about it. But just because neither of them had brought it up anymore, doesn't mean it left his mind.

Yet months pass. Summer and Spring Nationals have become more important than that incident, especially because they have fallen back to their usual dynamic. So Kita focuses on playing.

And even as he graduates from the team, career talks and college applications start for the third-years. Meanwhile, the juniors, their manager included, become busy with transitioning for the new team.

Eventually, Kita’s batch and then hers both graduate high school.

Now, years have passed. They have all taken different paths. She had moved to Osaka to pursue a career, while Kita stayed in Hyogo to become a rice farmer.

Is it a coincidence? For his chosen work to constantly bring him back to the first time he started developing feelings for her, to remind him of all the time lost?

Because they had all grown older, Kita of course understood his feelings now. But it’s too late to even start anything anymore, especially when they haven't kept in touch for the last five years.

She has probably found someone emotionally smarter than me by now, he would often think.

For some reason, this pops up in his train of thought again today, making the already sweltering day even more upsetting.

"Kita-san!"

The heat must be making him delusional. He straightens up and wipes the sweat off his forehead. At least he’s finished with today’s work, so he can go home and --

"Kita-san! Heyyy!"

He sighs. Why is he hearing her voice? It's not like she knows this place anyway. And even if she does, why would she bother going all the way out here, right? Yet the small hope bubbling up in Kita's chest makes him turn around.

And there, at the end of the field, stands his former team manager, so silly to not have an umbrella nor a hat to protect herself from the sun. But she is still smiling, waving both of her arms more enthusiastically now that she has caught his attention.

Kita calls out her name as a question, still unsure of what he's seeing.

"Yes, it's me! Can I go there?"

And Kita feels like his breath is knocked out of him. What is she doing here? But he isn’t given enough time to process this when she sees her already taking a few steps forward. Kita clears his throat to shout back a reply. “Just wait there! I'll come over!" Taking a deep breath, he crosses the distance, quick yet careful not to slip on the damp ground.

But he should have known she can still be too excited to listen sometimes. She tries to meet him halfway, and that's how she slips.

Fortunately, she is already within Kita’s reach.

Catching her breath, she holds on to him to stand upright again. And then she laughs, a very welcome sound in the peaceful field. "As expected of you, Kita-san!"

Kita only stares at her, not letting her go just yet. His former manager that he'd only seen in pictures and heard about from his former teammates' stories is now right in front of him, in between his arms.

"Sorry for dropping by so suddenly --!" she is cut off with her own squeal as Kita envelops her in his embrace.

Because right now, Kita needs to feel that she's real. He has convinced himself that there's no chance anymore for them to meet again, that their time together will just remain a memory. But here he is now, holding on to her as if she would suddenly disappear.

Finally, she relaxes and hugs him back. Then, she says softly, "I missed you too." A few moments pass before she gently pulls back with a grin. "I’m sorry, but where can I wash my feet? They still got muddy."

Back at his house, where Kita hears the water running in the bathroom, he holds his head in hands as he finally comes back to his senses. What did he just do? After all those years of not contacting her, he doesn't even say hello and instead hugs her without her consent? Did he just disrespect her? And then embarrassment takes over when he notices his sweat-soaked shirt. Did he really hold her like that while looking and smelling awful?

"Kita-san, are you alright?"

He looks up, but immediately looks away and nods in reply.

"Why don't you take a bath for now?" she asks, depressing Kita even more. He must have really disgusted her. "We can catch up afterwards."

---

While he was showering, Kita had heard the clanging of pots and utensils, and the kitchen sink’s faucet turning on and off. Now that he’s back, he confirms his suspicion.

She is cooking rice.

His rice.

The rice he had worked so hard to grow is now being cooked carefully by her own hands to fill both of their tummies soon.

Kita can't help but smile.

She notices him watching her, so she smiles back at him before turning the stove on.

Kita steps closer. "You really make a good wife."

She gasps, instantly turning to him.

He only stares back, still smiling.

Her brow slightly furrows. "Kita-san, there's no one else to joke around with like this."

"I mean it. Even back then. I just didn’t understand… no, I just denied it. But now..." He gulps. "You do make a good wife. Maybe not mine, but anyone would be honored to have you. I just want you to know that."

"Kita-san," she says, stepping even closer to him, "do you not want me to be your wife?"

"I do!" he says right away, sounding frustrated.

She bites her lip, as if fighting a smile. "You do?"

"I do."

"Skipping the dating part?"

"I would date to marry you."

She hides her face in her hands. "Oh my god! You are serious." She looks up again to pout. "How can you say all these things but still be unsure?"

"Because we live very different lives now. I can't tie you down here when you've got your own dreams to pursue."

"But life would be fine for me out here. As long as it's with you, Kita-san."

Kita stops to hold her gaze.

It’s intense, warm, and most importantly, honest.

And he is glad that the first time he actually let himself cry for her, it's because he’s too happy. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she says, smiling again as she reaches up to wipe his tears away.

He kisses one of her palms and pulls her close. To embrace her once again. To kiss the top of her head, and then the tip of her nose, and finally, her lips.

Kita has always prided himself on being built by the things he does every day. But love is not just an individual effort, and because he didn't do much for it, he thought he'd lost all his chances.

But here she is, willingly coming back to his life, showing him she loves him too. Maybe even more than he does.

He doesn’t believe in luck, but maybe it has helped him this time. He is too careful to be reckless, but if she’s willing to take the risk with him, they would figure things out.

But all that matters right now is this. Melting in each other’s arms, catching up on lost time. A moment too perfect to break.

Or not.

As they redo the rice, Kita asks her, "Why didn't you just use the rice cooker?"

In between the tall bookshelves, the sound of air being sliced echoes, before several thuds swiftly follow.

Booted feet confidently walk towards the interrupter of the sweet silence, stopping in front of a green-haired man whose ridiculously long coat is pinned to the ground by two of the many fatally-sharp tools he’d barely missed.

He looks up to find a bespectacled brunette in a frilly cream-colored dress and white apron staring him down, her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised in amusement. “Ah!” he exclaims, pointing to her. “I told you to hide once someone sets the trap off!”

She giggles. “Mm-hmm, you sure did.” The girl then treads through the maze of slicers, choppers, and dicers stuck on the cement floor. “But I know what your footsteps sound like.” She reaches the free space between two knives dangerously close to the boy’s feet. She looks up and pokes his chest. “So I didn’t have to.”

“Aww, Layla-chan, that makes me blush.” His gaze on her finger raises to lock eyes with her.

As if the weight of the moment washes over her right then, Layla’s smile turns watery. “Lubba!” she whines before tackling him in a hug – eliciting a pained groan from the boy – and buries her face on his shoulder.

A soft smile overtakes Lubbock’s expression. He smooths her hair down and wraps his arms around her. “Yeah, I came back safe.”

Suddenly, Layla grips the collar of his coat tight and looks up at him. “Is that right?”

The coat slides off his shoulders. Lubbock’s eyes trail the girl’s small, warm hands snaking up his arms and then in his sleeves to reach his biceps, shoulders, underarms. Her hands then lift from his progressively-warm skin for a short moment before diving under his shirt to move up and down, left and right his torso.

He could only gulp. This body check is nothing new, but damn it, he could never get used to it.

After what seemed like hours, Layla steps back and dusts off her hands. “Okay. You’re clean.”

You try hard to keep a straight face every time, but I know… Lubbock smirks. “How can you be sure? You didn’t check the lower ha-“

“Oh, would you look at the time!” Layla spins on her heel and quickly steps over the knives to make her escape. He makes that comeback every time, and she never fails to blush at it. “It’s time for you to actually do some work around here!”

He snickers, bending down to remove the knives pinning his beloved coat. “Did she forget I’m technically her boss?”

“I can’t take a boss who gets caught in his own traps seriously,” she replies, her voice traveling among the bookshelves.

Lubbock whines childishly. “Could you at least help me out, though?”

“You’re on your own. I can’t see your strings, so I might set off the one holding that hatchet up there.”

Lubbock looks up at the deadly weapon remaining suspended right above him and laughs nervously. “So that’s what’s missing in here.”

“To think that you’d get killed not because of a mission, but because of your own traps.” A now-calm Layla pops back out of a nearby bookshelf, dramatically leaning on it and placing a hand on her forehead. “Oh, the tragedy!”

“Okay, cutie.” Lubbock chuckles as he drops the last of the knives in the pile beside him. He stands up and holds out his coat to her. “May I?”

Layla exchanges it with the neatly-folded apron she’d brought.

“How about you just help me reinstall these instead?”

“And let you stand under the ladder and look up my skirt?” Layla scoffs. “No, thanks.”

“It’s fair trade.” Lubbock grins suggestively as he ties his apron.

“What are you talking about? The only one who’d benefit from that is you again.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t feel anything when you check me.”

“Of course I do. I could feel your scrawny body.”

“Wha-? I may slack off in training, but I’m fairly muscular!” With one smooth movement, he closes their distance and gently captures her chin. “Proof? You can’t get your hands off me.”

She raises her arms to push him away, but that would mean touching his chest or shoulders. She quirks up an eyebrow upon seeing him smirk. “Lubba,” Layla says, dropping her hands back down to her sides and merely tilting her head away to break out of his hold. “Customers would be coming in soon. Do we really want them to see all these incriminating evidence of our ties to people whom society sees as dangerous?”

Lubbock laughs and fondly pokes her cheek. “Okay. I get it, boss.”

Since then, the whirring of strings from Cross Tail is the only one that resounds through the book shop. When Lubbock finally looks up at the girl, he finds her already sitting beside him on the cold floor, which he assumes is a subconscious decision.

The various ways the teenage boy could use his Imperial Arm never ceases to amaze Layla, so she takes every chance she could get to watch him tinker with it.

But behind her awed expression, Lubbock could discern hints of longing. So instead of jokingly chiding her for not returning to her post, he instead says, “Let’s go home together tonight.”

Layla startles at his voice. But as his words register, she instantly brightens up. “Okay!”

Now, Night Raid’s base lies 10 kilometers from the capital. Being a non-fighter, and therefore having lower stamina than the others, Layla dreads having to walk that far, especially after a long day of work. Until, of course, the oh-so-kind Lubbock would offer to carry her on piggyback the rest of the way. That’s what she delights in.

At the entrance, a young man carrying a Danger Beast he’d hunted stops to take a second look at them, his eyes growing as wide as dinner plates by the minute.

Confused, Lubbock raises a hand in a cautious wave. “Yo, Tatsumi.”

Tatsumi warily points to the girl still hanging off the green-haired guy’s back.

“Ah, Layla-chan, we’re here,” Lubbock softly says, thinking the girl is already asleep. But his lips almost brush her cheek when he turns to look at her.

A wide-awake Layla had been staring at Tatsumi since she’d spotted him from a distance, and so focused was she on the boy that Lubbock had to crouch down so her feet would touch the ground. Her gaze still fixed on Tatsumi, she bounds over to him and bows in greeting. “Hello, Tatsumi! I’m Layla!” She smiles and turns to the green-haired man stopping to stand beside her. “Lubba’s wife.”

Tatsumi looks at them back and forth before falling on his knees. “Master Lubba!” he cries, holding a thumbs-up. “Good job!”

Lubbock gives him a smug grin and wraps an arm around Layla’s shoulders. “We’ve been going strong for two years now, might I add.”

Suddenly, Tatsumi shoots up and points an accusing finger at Lubbock. “But why do you still try to peek on Neesan and talk perversely about girls?”

Layla gasps. “What? Do you mean… he still does that?”

“W-w-w-what are you saying, Tatsumi?” Lubbock’s voice rises in panic.

“Lubba, I…” Layla’s voice breaks. Then she covers her face and starts sobbing.

Lubbock stands behind the girl to rub her shoulders, laughing nervously. “Layla-chan, you don’t seriously believe this guy, right?” He glares at Tatsumi as he continues, “You trust me, your lifetime companion, more than a boy you just met, don’t you?”

Tatsumi splutters. “I… I didn’t mean to… I-“

“Don’t worry, Tatsumi.” A girl with flowing jet-black hair suddenly appears, with a Danger Beast even larger than Tatsumi’s catch on her back. “That’s just their cover in the Capital.”

Layla raises her face, no signs of crying in her expression at all. “Aww, Akame-chan, you’re no fun.”

Lubbock laughs. “Right? You’re really so gullible, Tatsumi.”

With a roar, Tatsumi rushes forward, barely missing Layla’s face, to grab Lubbock by the collar. The (fortunately) dead Danger Beast he’d caught lies forgotten on the ground. “You really get on my nerves sometimes!”

“Not my fault you’re so naïve!”

The front door opens to reveal a well-endowed blonde. “Oi,” she shouts, “what’s with all the noi- oh! Layla!”

“Neesan!” Layla runs towards her, arms outstretched.

The older woman squeals and meets her halfway. “I missed you so much!”

“Leone,” Akame says, “you’ve been together the other day.”

“But that was for only a short while! Lubba keeps her to himself a lot, but doesn’t even take care of her!” Leone then ruffles Layla’s hair, ruining her half-ponytail.

Layla looks up. “That’s not entirely tr—“

“It must have been lonely, huh?” Leone cuts Layla off by pressing the younger girl’s face deeper into her chest.

Tatsumi and Lubbock stop arguing to watch.

“So jealous…” Lubbock mutters.

Tatsumi does not say anything, but a blush tinges his cheeks.

Lubbock then turns to him to take hold of his collar too. “Oh, of course you’re not jealous because Neesan actually enjoys suffocating you with those boobs!”

Layla finally manages to break away from Leone and looks at the boys. “Shouldn’t we break them up?”

Leone shrugs. “Nah, let them be.” She then tugs Layla into the base. “Hurry and come inside instead! Boss arrived yesterday, so you should greet her next!”

The Boss. Layla purses her lips as she begins to get dragged along the hallways. So that explains why Lubbock had to stay an extra day in the base.

Leone suddenly slows down and matches her pace. “Hey,” she speaks softly now, “we all didn’t expect her to return yesterday. I’m sure Lubba didn’t mean to leave you alone for a while longer. You know how things work.”

“Huh? Oh no!” Layla laughs. “Come on, that doesn’t bother me at all! The longer I stay in the Capital, the more information I could gather, right? It’s just perfect that Boss is here. I could be useful right away.”

Leone nudges her shoulder. “You know you don’t have to hide it from me.”

“I’m not hiding anything, Neesan.”

Information is essential in this line of work. And this is where Layla comes in handy. Despite choosing not to be an assassin herself – and because Lubbock is strongly opposed to the idea – she works as an informant for Night Raid. Being able to stay in the capital for longer periods of time allows her to collect updates and secrets the group could use. Though it feels nice to be useful, Layla’s information would also mean more dangerous missions for everyone. For Lubbock.

Sometimes, though, even if she doesn’t bring home information enough to formulate a mission, Najenda herself would get requests from the Revolutionary Army, and those are always considered urgent.

“Layla,” Lubbock softly calls, his reflection appearing behind the brunette standing in front of the window.

Layla stops biting her thumbnail and turns around in an instant. “Lubba.” She pouts.

“You know I can’t have you traveling alone to the Capital. Take a day off from work today.”

“And you know I am not worried about that.”

Lubbock smiles and opens his arms to invite her in, and she obliges. A promise to come back home is never uttered, because no one ever knows how a mission would turn out. Instead, he always says, “I’ll try my best.” And then he kisses the top of her head.

Layla looks up to smile back, and with her usual reply of, “Please,” she’d kiss his cheek.

As Lubbock follows Bulat, Sheele, and Mine out of the base, Layla watches them until she can’t see them anymore. When she turns around, she spies brown hair peeking out of a wall.

She giggles. “Come on out, Tatsumi.”

Tatsumi steps away from his hiding spot and laughs nervously.

Layla raises an eyebrow. “So?”

“Huh?”

“You want to ask something, don’t you?”

“Ah, well… you kind of confused me just now. Are you and Lubba actually…?”

“Oh, no, no, no!” Layla waves her hands in front of her. “We’re just… um, really close friends.”

Tatsumi blinks. “I guess relationships in the Capital are really complicated.”

Oh, right. He’s not from the city. “Well, to put things simply, he basically saved my life. It just formed some sort of special attachment between us, but not in that way, okay?”

Tatsumi only frowns in thought.

“Besides…” she mutters, trailing off.

“Besides…?” Tatsumi prompts.

Layla startles, not expecting him to still be listening. “Nothing! You should go back in now, or else Akame-chan would actually kill you this time!”

At this, Tatsumi throws her a panicked thanks and rushes away.

A/N: hi anon, I hope you don’t mind me using she/her pronouns! it wasn’t specified in the request, so I went ahead with the usual. if it really needs to be changed, i could edit it! also, this kind of became self-indulgent, sorry, but i hope you would like it too! 

“What are you still doing over there?” she hears him from further inside the room, interrupting her thoughts. Apparently, Ryousuke had settled back on the floor as soon as he let her in. “Come over here already.”

She merely nods before making her way to the light dinner set-up - a plate of sandwiches and two tumblers.

“I got us some hot tea from downstairs,” he says as he switches on the TV. “What movies did you bring?”

She sets down two bags of chips she had brought with her, before bringing out three DVDs from her sling bag. “I chose horror, mystery, and... a romance drama.”

“Let’s go with mystery. That’s our common ground.”

She laughs as she puts the disc in the DVD player. “Yeah, I don’t feel like watching horror with you around.”

Ryousuke flips the light switch off, leaving only the light from the TV to illuminate the room.“Really?” He sits back beside her again, but a little bit closer this time to whisper in her ear, “I could comfort you when you get scared~”

“But after laughing at me.”

“You don’t know that.” He pats the space next to him.

"I would never." She laughs as she sits closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. 

Ryousuke then wraps an arm around her shoulders, guiding them both to lean back on the side of his bed.

After the first scene, she speaks up, "Ryou... are you sure your roommates would be out long?"

"They know you'd be here, so they have enough common sense to give us a few hours. Besides," he leans forward to kiss the tip of her nose, "even if they barge back in here, it's not like we're doing anything naughty, aren't we? We're just watching movies."

She pushes his face away with a giggle. "Yeah, so focus on that."

The movie is just an excuse. They both know they only wanted to spend more time with each other. Now that Nationals are over, the third-year members have graduated from the team to focus more on college entrance exams or job applications. As if post-graduation isn't scary enough, preparing for it makes them see each other less and less.

Aside from that, she knows Ryousuke is still sad about the loss. They haven’t really sat down and talked about it, mostly because Ryousuke doesn’t want to. It’s in his nature to keep things to himself, to keep the mood light. But holding all of that in is unhealthy.

“Is there something on my face?” he suddenly asks.

She shakes her head ‘no,’ realizing she had been staring up at him for a while now. “Just thinking of stuff to talk about.”

“Aren’t we watching a movie?”

She whines, burying her face in his neck. She then feels his hand on her shoulder reach up and massage the back of her head. “I feel like there’s so much to say. But now that I’m with you again, I can’t find the right words.”

“Sometimes, we don’t really need words,” he says before kissing the top of her head. “This is fine.”

“Are you sure?” She looks up at him.

He chuckles. “There are better ways to let me know what you want to say, you know.” He tucks her hair behind her ear.

"In that case..." She curls up against him as she wraps her arms around his waist.

Ryousuke does not hear her sob, but feels his shirt getting wet. He already knows what she wants to talk about, but it is difficult for him to open up just like that. It's easier if he wants to help someone else out, but he can't bring himself to ask for help.

But just holding her here brings relieved tears to his own eyes as he feels his burdens being lifted just by the warmth they share. Maybe he isn't so alone, maybe he doesn't have to keep everything to himself. The gratefulness that overcomes him is too much for him to express with words, so he could only hug her tighter.

Saturday nights have become colder now that the third-years have moved out of their rooms with the juniors. They spend it studying, walking around aimlessly in the streets, or if they’re braver, taking their bats and practicing a few swings. And Ryousuke is not an exception.

If there is one thing you must know about Kominato Ryousuke, it's that he cherishes his family. Ever since his first year in Seidou - the first time he’s lived away from them - he’s been using the phone installed at the back of the dorms every once in a while to call his parents. But he'd only ask about life back home and about his brother (now, though, Ryousuke is the one who updates them about Haruichi). When he is asked about his day, he would answer, but would keep it brief. And unless he would talk about the schedule of their official games, he never initiates a topic about himself. 

Except for tonight, even if he’s not enthusiastic about the reaction he’d get.

"I must be keeping you from practicing,” his mother says from the other line. “Just always take care of each other, okay?  'Kaasan and 'Tousan miss you and Haruichi a lot!"

"Okay." Then, with a practiced, casual tone, Ryousuke adds, "By the way, I've got a girlfriend now."

His mother gasps. "What?” Ryousuke swears she could hear her smile as she repeats, “A girlfriend?"

He then moves the receiver away from his ear to save himself from his mother’s squeals. 

"Ryou-chan has a girlfriend now!" she practically sings. "I’m so proud!”

“‘Kaasan…”

“My eldest son is really so manly~”

“Please stop.”

“I can't wait to tell 'Tousan! Why is he taking so long in the shower?"

"I'm sure he and all our neighbors have already heard you." He smirks. "Okay, that's all. Good night, ‘Kaasan."

"What? So soon? But you can't just drop big news like that and leave!"

"But weren't you saying goodbye earlier?"

"Ryou-chan!"

Ryousuke chuckles. "I'll tell you more about her next time. I have to do a few more swings before bed." 

"Hmph. Fine. Good night."

"Yeah, good night." Ryousuke hangs up with a relieved sigh. At least that’s out of the way. 

It's only been a week and a half since he asked Aya out, but letting his parents know about her doesn’t sound so bad. Besides, it’s an important life update, isn’t it? 

A smile creeps up on his face once again. The fuzzy feeling in his chest whenever he thinks about Aya resurfaces. He takes a deep breath to keep it from overwhelming him, yet the smile remains. Okay. Now, we practice. He then turns around to go back to the indoor gym.

Haruichi stands there, dazed.

Ryousuke immediately sets his mouth back to a thin line. "Haruichi."

"Aniki…"

A silent moment passes. 

And then Ryousuke clears his throat. "You should've taken the phone from me. 'Kaasan was so heartbroken because you never call."

"Eh?" Haruichi startles at the change of subject. "I-I was about to, though…" he trails off, awkwardly crossing his arms in front of him.

Easily recognizing Haruichi's stance, Ryousuke relaxes his shoulders and puts his hands in his pockets with a defeated sigh. He would not let this go anyway.

"Is it true?" the younger Kominato finally asks, his cheeks turning pink. "Th-that Aniki has a girlfriend?"

Ryousuke stares at his brother silently for a few seconds, before smirking and stepping closer to him. Then he karate-chops the top of Haruichi's head. "Eavesdropper."

"I didn't mean to!" Haruichi, with his hands soothing the top of his head, turns in his spot as Ryousuke walks away. "I really was just about to use the phone!"

Ryousuke playfully waves his brother off, but before he rounds the corner, he stops and looks back. And with the slyest tone he could muster, he says, "Don't get a girlfriend just because I have one now, though."

"What?" Haruichi's blush turns a deeper shade. "Of course I won't!"

"Haruichi!" A girl struggling with three canned drinks and her school bag catches up to the pink-haired first-year the next day.

Haruichi bows in greeting. "Good morning… uh, Aya-san."

Aya finally reaches his side, a look of confusion on her face. "Hmm? What's with the hesitation?"

"N-nothing!"

"Okay…” Aya shifts her belongings to hold up a yellow can. “Hey, are you up for lemon soda? I got lucky in the vending machine today. But I already got drinks for Kazuya and me, so…"

With an uneasy smile, Haruichi takes the free drink (that's more on forced into his hand). "Thank you, um, Aya-san."

The girl raises an eyebrow in suspicion and slight worry as they start walking.

Haruichi's discomfort matches the color of the lemon beverage's can.

Does he want to talk about something? Or did I do something wrong?

Haruichi clears his throat just then. "Um, this is very sudden, but what would you like me to call you now? I've been thinking of 'Neesan,' or if I should match it with Aniki's and call you 'Aneki.'"

Her eyes widen. "This is a surprise." Then she turns away to continue in a rehearsed, calm tone, "But what does your brother have to do with this?"

"Huh? I just heard that he has a girlfriend now."

That makes Aya stop in her tracks, bewilderedly staring at the boy's profile. 

Haruichi pauses as well to look back at her. "Aya-san?"

She glances around. Okay, no one seems to have heard. She then pulls him to the side (as best as she could with all the items in her hands). "You've heard. Like from rumors, or from Ry- Kominato-san himself? Has he been telling people?"

"I, uh, just overheard his phone call to our parents last night."

"Your parents?" Aya exclaims. She looks down at her feet and mutters, "He's already gone that far?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Huh?” Aya looks back up at him and laughs nervously. “Nothing! I mean, who cares if he tells everyone about his girlfriend?"

Haruichi gasps, and then his shoulders noticeably sag. "So it's not you?"

The sight makes Aya's heart crack. "W-what makes me the first one you'd think of, anyway?"

He shrugs. "Well, a lot of things. Aside from the seniors, you're the person who's around him the most."

Oh. Of course. He has a Ryousuke radar. How could I forget?

"You also talk about and act as if you've known him for a long time." The signature pink finally dusts his cheeks. "D-do you remember the first time we met at the train station? When you mistook me for him… I mean, I think friends - or more than friends - greet each other like that when they meet up, right?" 

Haruichi, I tripped at that time.

"Ah, and you also said Aniki isn't really as harsh as he puts himself out to be. That must mean you've grown close enough to notice that."

I just followed Ryou around a little too much…

"And you draw him a lot, too."

Aya blinks. "Wow, so even Haruichi thinks my drawings are declarations of love."

Haruichi only gives her a sad smile. "Well, I'm very sorry for mistaking you for—"

Aya cuts him off with a giggle. No one can really get past this guy when it comes to his brother. She manages to hold an index finger up to her lips. "Ssssh. Just keep it down, Haruichi."

He then almost blinds her with a smile brighter than the sunshine piercing through the school windows. "Wow. So I’m right?”

Aya nods.

Haruichi chuckles. “That's a relief. I uh, kinda don't want anyone else to be my older sister."

"Older… sister…" Aya repeats, inwardly gasping as she remembers why they are having this conversation in the first place.

"So… about my question…"

"Uh, well, it's up to you!  'Neesan' is sweet, but 'Aneki' is cool. It all depends on how you see me as an… older sister."

Haruichi's smile grows wider as he nods, oblivious to her racing thoughts. "Okay, I'll think about it. See you later!"

Aya watches the boy run excitedly to his class, his pink hair matching the blush on her cheeks. Of course Haruichi would think like that. If your sibling gets a significant other, you'd have to treat them like your own sibling too, right? She chuckles helplessly to herself. These brothers act fast…

"Your Kominato is right here, not over there," a voice suddenly speaks in her ear.

Aya gasps, feeling her heart on her throat. She turns to see the only other pink-haired student smirking down at her.

"What? Being called 'oneesan' sounds so appealing to you?"

“…How did you know that’s what we’re talking about?”

“I just figured he’d ask that, now that he knows.”

They also know each other too well. She straightens up to compose herself. And then she eyes him suspiciously. She wouldn't be surprised if Ryousuke had been going around telling everyone about their relationship. After all, he is the embodiment of his seemingly-favorite color – the color of jealousy. Oh. What if he likes yellow exactly because of that? "Aside from your brother, have you already told anyone in school about… us?"

Ryousuke slightly frowns in confusion. "No."

Her jaw drops open. "But you told your parents already?"

"I don't see anything wrong with that," Ryousuke nonchalantly replies with a shrug.

"But… but it's too early! And it's usually the other way around! Your friends first before your parents."

"And where did you even get that idea? From shoujo manga?"

She pouts. "You should've at least let me know first."

Ryousuke smiles apologetically. "Alright, I'm sorry. But what's done is done. My mom was actually very happy about it. She would’ve suggested I introduce you to her already if I didn’t cut the call early."

“She would do that?”

“I wouldn’t put it past her. But we don’t have to go back to Kanagawa until after Nationals, right? So don’t think about that for now.” He then takes her school bag from her. "Here, I'll walk you to class."

"Oi, Ryousuke!" Isashiki Jun jogs up to the boy, with Masuko trailing behind him. But his grin vanishes when he spots Aya. He then turns to his friend with a reprimanding scowl. "Hey now, aren't you too old to go this far?"

"Huh?"

"I know you two are always at odds with each other, but if you're going to get physical now, it's time to stop."

"Uga!" Masuko says in agreement.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Ryousuke asks, growing irritated.

Aya looks back and forth between them, and then at the second- and third-years whispering and giving her and Ryousuke odd looks as they pass by. Are people still under the impression that we'd fight whenever we meet? Aya internally smirks. That's good, then. "I appreciate the concern, Isashiki-san, Masuko-san," she says as she pries her bag from Ryousuke's hand. "But Kominato-san isn't bullying me! He's just turning over a new leaf and attempting a rare act of kindness."

"What?" Ryousuke now turns to her in disbelief.

And that's when Aya realizes she’d just made a grave mistake. She gulps, and then manages to smile. "Anyway, thank you for the offer, Kominato-san!" She bows quickly before backing up towards the nearby stairs. "But I can manage this! I-I'll get going now!" She then dashes up the steps and into 2-B's room.

"About time the princess arrived~" Miyuki grabs his energy drink from her hands when she approaches.

As usual, Kuramochi has been sitting at her desk to talk to Miyuki, so he stands up to give Aya her rightful space. But not without sparing the panting girl a curious look. "Have you been running? There's still plenty of time before the first class."

She slumps in her seat. "Oh, he is going to kill me."

"Who? Ryou-san?"

Aya groans. “Yes.”

Kuramochi grins teasingly. "But haven't you two been lovey-dovey lately? Because you're apparently his girlfriend now?"

"I'm serious, Kuramochi."

The boy loses his smile. "Oh, you really are. What happened?"

Miyuki, on the other hand, laughs as he opens his canned drink. "Congratulations, Aya!" She pats her back quite harshly. "You're his girlfriend, though, so maybe he'd go easy on you."

"Hey, Miyuki!" Kuramochi warns as the brunette drinks. "This isn't the time!"

Miyuki then almost spits out his drink and makes a disgusted face. He taps the girl's shoulder with the can. "Oi, Aya. This has gotten warm now."

Aya grits her teeth and grabs the can. "I am never buying you a drink again, Bakazuya."

 Someone knocks on the Art Club's door later that day.

The third-year club president opens it. "Kominato-kun?" She looks behind her before subtly blocking Ryousuke's view of the room. "What brings you here?"

"I came for Aya. Is she still in there?"

"Did he just call her by first name?" another member runs up to the door with a huge grin on her face.

The club president ignores her and instead eyes Ryousuke suspiciously. "Makoto-chan? Why are you looking for her? What did she do this time?"

"I'm supposed to pick her up and walk her home."

Collective gasps are heard from inside the usually quiet room.

"I knew it!" someone shouts. "You really are a thing!"

"Oh?" Ryousuke tries to look behind the (taller) girl still blocking the door. "So she hasn't told even the club she hides in." Even if she’s the one who said I should’ve told my friends first.

"She's pretty secretive," the club president says, shrugging.

"I guess that's why she chose this club." Ryousuke gives an innocent smile. "If, for some reason, I’m not allowed to enter, then can you just get her for me?"

She laughs. "Nah, come on in. I guess she should be punished for keeping such juicy news from us." She then steps aside to open the door wider, revealing the back of the room.

The art club has apparently been using the back wall as a place to hang up their members’ framed artworks. And the first thing Ryousuke notices is Aya's famous drawing of his double play from a game one year ago, hung in the middle of it all. And in every row, more drawings of him almost outnumber the other club members’ work.

"She's over here!"

Ryousuke turns around to see a member waving at him from the center of the room.

The tables and chairs have been pushed aside to create a large space, where the club members are hunched over an unfinished banner. And there she is, the only passed out person on the floor.

"Senpai!" A first-year sitting beside Aya pokes her cheek. "It's time to pay for your sins."

Aya merely flicks the hand away and stays asleep. With the amount of commotion around her, it has to be considered amazing.

Ryousuke almost smiles fondly. He kneels beside her to gently shake her shoulder.

It’s only then that she opens her eyes. A small, confused frown mars her peaceful expression. "Ryou?"

Ignoring the sudden skip in his heartbeat, Ryousuke carefully pulls her up by the arm. "What are you doing down there? Are you that sleep-deprived?"

Aya successfully sits up with his help, but her eyes close again and she falls forward, holding onto his arm and laying her head on his shoulder.

It is important to note that Ryousuke is willing himself not to pull her closer, nor to even blush.  

She yawns as she replies, "I'm doing the good luck banner for Nationals. I'm supposed to be an assistant like the rest of the juniors, but the seniors assigned me to lead the project because of my apparent attachment to the team. Don't you think that's unfair? I just accepted a new batch of commissions the other day!"

Still trying to keep his calm, he smirks. "This side of you is adorable, Aya, but I don't think you should be saying all that in front of them."

"Them?" Aya repeats. She opens her eyes again and lifts her head to see the club members watching. Aya then immediately moves away. "W-what are you doing here, Kominato-san?"

She barely witnesses Ryousuke's smile turn upside down before two club members squeal and jump on her.

 "You don't need to be so stressed," Ryousuke says as they walk out of the school doors, her bag in his hand. 

"I just complained about my seniors in front of their faces. How can I not be stressed?"

"Ah, so that's what you're worried about."

Aya looks at him. "What else is there?"

"Are you being bullied, Aya? I already know that you like to draw me, but I'd think they're making fun of you by framing and hanging all those up."

"I-I just like to draw you…" Aya gasps. "Oh no, you saw all that too." She whines as she covers her face with her hands. Her voice muffled, she continues, "Now you know how much I like you."

Ryousuke's face immediately warms up. "Wha-"

"You're going to call me a stalker again," Aya adds in a softer and more worried tone, her hands moving to now only cover her red cheeks. Yet she stays oblivious to the boy's reaction.

Secretly sighing in relief, Ryousuke clears his throat to compose himself. "No, I won't. I promised I wouldn't call you that anymore, didn't I?" And then he starts walking again. "Because I do know we've agreed to go by first names."

Aya drops her hands and stares at him.

The afternoon sunlight hits his toned back, bathing him in the color of betrayal. Noticing she hasn't caught up, he pauses to look over his shoulder. "Hey, come on."

Aya hurries to his side, fidgeting with the hem of her blouse. A yellow card. It's only been more than a week and I already caused a yellow card.

They continue walking in silence. The quiet street with only a few people passing by amplifies her unease.

"Hey," Ryousuke finally says, "sorry, that's out of line. Maybe you just aren't used to it yet. So it's okay. I won't force you."

"Is it really okay? I think it was really rude of me to just… drop you."

"Well… yeah."

Aya wrings her hands together. "I'm sorry too."

"It’s kind of my fault, too. I guess I am going about this too fast."

"Hmm, it's not exactly that. It did surprise me, but I think it's sweet that you and even Haruichi are already thinking of me as family."

"Then what's up?"

"I think I just… want to stay low-key? You saw how my clubmates reacted. I don't want everyone else suddenly cooing at me and at the development in our relationship."

Ryousuke looks back down at her. "So that's why."

Aya nods, smiling nervously up at him.

That makes him smile reassuringly. "Okay. I can live with that." 

"Thank you."

He then smirks. "Besides, you'll be the first one to slip up anyway."

Aya groans. "Oh, I already kind of did with Kazuya and Mochi, and now they won't let me live it down."

"'Mochi?'"

"Huh?"

"Who is that?"

"Uh, your partner in the field? Seidou's shortstop, Kuramochi? Oh my god, does no one else call him that?"

"Hehh?" he says in his characteristic teasing tone even as he turns away from her. "A nickname." His hand starts to ball into a fist. "To think you insist on being formal with me but have nicknames for other guys."

Aya giggles before grabbing his hand, pulling them both to a stop. "Ryou."

“Now you call me that?”

Aya opens his fist to intertwine her smaller hand into his. And then she brings their joined hands to her lips to lightly kiss each of his knuckles.

Ryousuke freezes, his own lips parting open.

"Don't be jealous, please? Just think of it like this. Since we're laying low for a while, I'll call you 'Ryou' when it's just the two of us." She steps closer to him to look into his eyes. "Isn't that more intimate?"

He gulps and looks away. "Just drop his nickname."

"Permanently? But he's one of my best friends."

Ryousuke sighs, looking back down at her. "Then at least when you talk about him to me." Not like you should even be, though.

"Okay." She stands up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Are we good now?"

Ryousuke feels like his soul had flown out of his body. He takes a deep breath to calm down, and then touches his forehead with hers. “You know, you missed.”

Aya pushes back from him with a laugh. “And you know what? I’m finally here!” She takes her bag from him and walks backwards to her apartment building's entrance. “Thanks for walking me home again, Ryou. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He could only chuckle in reply. The afternoon sunlight now falls on the side of his face, but this time, it makes him glow with joy.

"Ryousuke!" Isashiki's voice rings through the team's own mess hall the next day at breakfast.

"So loud in the morning," the pink-haired teen mutters, taking his seat at the seniors' usual table.

"You disappeared again after practice. Don't tell me you were out with your girlfriend!"

He picks his chopsticks up. "I was."

The place falls silent. A tray even falls to the floor.

"Th-that joke's old!" Jun replies. "It won't work on me anymore!"

He swallows his first bite. "Oh? But I'm not kidding this time."

Heads turn to the next best source of information: Kominato Haruichi.

The poor boy startles and looks to his brother for help. "A-Aniki…"

Ryousuke chuckles. "She wants to stay low-key, though. Maybe you're scaring her off, Jun?"

"Shut up! I won't believe it until I see it!"

He shrugs. "Suit yourself."

From the other table, Kuramochi asks, "But Ryou-san, won't your favorite artist get jealous?"

'Mochi.' Ryousuke had expected he'd be annoyed when he sees his underclassman, but now he realizes the nickname's a bit funny. He gives a strained smile to stifle a laugh. "Why would she be jealous of herself?"

"Who?" Jun asks.

"Just shut up." Ryousuke resumes eating, but continues to watch Aya's classmates from his peripheral.

Kuramochi laughs heartily as he nudges the bespectacled catcher sitting beside him. 

Miyuki loses his smile.

 Jealousy, Aya discovers, comes unexpectedly in different kinds.

She had heard that dating someone from the baseball team is hard because he'd have almost no time for you. And that being in a relationship with someone from a different grade often leads to clashes in schedule.

Now, Aya has to deal with both.

They can’t meet after morning practices. The boys have to freshen up before proceeding to morning classes, so the best interaction she and Ryousuke would have are discreet smiles whenever he would spot her watching outside the field. 

They can’t meet during lunch breaks. Recently, Miyuki has been ordering from her more often, and because that’s the only time she could sit down and talk with her cousin now, she stays and eats with him.

And during weekends, it’s either they are both studying for finals or Ryousuke has extra practice.

Aya would always have to wait for afternoon practice to end. It’s either she could be found sketching on a bench outside the practice field, or in her club room every other day when the art club is scheduled to meet. Then, they would take a detour to non-crowded streets on the way to Aya's apartment building, just to avoid getting seen by anyone from school as they hold hands or simply walk closer than normal friends would.

This has gone on for two weeks.

We’re nearing a month into this relationship now. Aya presses closer to Field A’s fence. I did say I want him to focus on Nationals, but now… She heaves a deep sigh to temporarily get rid of her thoughts and refocus on the morning practice. 

At the moment, Haruichi is on a roll in a batting cage while his older brother watches.

The competition for the jersey numbers is still fierce, especially with the second baseman brothers. Haruichi's progressive skills make him a likely candidate for the roster. But as long as Ryousuke is in the team, Haruichi couldn’t play unless Ryousuke gets subbed out. And would Ryousuke even allow that?  

But looking at her boyfriend's back, Aya could sense a faint yellow aura. The color of caution, of warning signs. Even if he hides it well, she knows Ryousuke is threatened by his prodigy brother.

Alas, Ryousuke picks up his bat to head towards another batting cage. But not without stopping in his tracks to look straight at Aya.

Again. He knows I've been here all this time. This has been happening more often now.

Ryousuke then breaks into a grin.

It's like… a sunflower drawn to his sun. Feeling her cheeks warm up, Aya smiles back and gives a shy wave.

Ryousuke nods as a silent morning greeting before continuing on his way.

Time may be Aya's enemy right now, but she has to admit that these limited moments they share, no matter how small, leaves her glowing with happiness that's as bright as the summer days. 

The next day, the students receive the results of their final exams.

“As expected!” Aya almost shoves her graded papers in Miyuki’s face. “You can never score higher than me. So I still won’t make your lunch for free!”

Miyuki sighs defeatedly. “Aren’t creative people supposed to be creative only?”

Aya gasps. “Then sporty people should only be sporty too!” She smirks. “Then again, you suck at other sports besides baseball, so I can’t really call you a sports guy.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m surprised, Aya,” Kuramochi says with a teasing grin. He distributes among their trio the lunchboxes Aya had made for them. “Having a boyfriend aside from being busy with your commissions still doesn’t stop you?”

Aya suddenly turns back to her desk to put her papers back. She mutters, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, Kuramochi,” Miyuki says quietly, opening his lunchbox. “She doesn’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kuramochi scoffs. “Maybe if you let her go on lunch dates every once in a while…”

Aya freezes and looks up at her cousin.

Miyuki gives their friend a deadpan stare.

“Wow, Kazuya,” Aya says. She smiles mischievously. “So that’s what this is all about.”

He turns to his food and picks up his chopsticks. “No. I just wanted to have good meals this season.”

“Sure you do~”

He looks up at her. “What am I keeping you here for, Aya? You don’t have someone else to meet during lunch, do you? You said you don’t have a boyfriend, right?”

Kuramochi nudges his arm. “Hey.”

Aya blinks. “R-right. Yeah. I don’t have one.” She lightly hits Kuramochi’s arm. “Stop making issues.”

Kuramochi rolls his eyes. “You two really are a family.”

 “You got the no. 4 jersey!”

“Yeah.”

“And I got the highest test results in our class!”

“Really? Congrats.”

“And Haruichi got included in the roster! What’s his jersey number?”

“…19.”

Aya squeals. “This is really a good day!” And then she sighs. “Except for Kazuya being too weird again.”

Ryousuke stifles his own sigh. “Really? I haven’t heard about this yet.”

She purses her lips. “Did you tell him something?”

“No. We don’t really talk outside of practice.”

“It’s just… whenever Mo-" she clears her throat as Ryousuke lightly scoffs, "whenever Kuramochi would start teasing me about having a boyfriend, Kazuya would suddenly get annoyed. He’s not even subtle about it, which means he must be really pissed. And I don’t understand because he used to always tease me about you! But now that we’re actually a couple…"

Ryousuke hums in thought. “I didn’t take him to be the overprotective type.”

“Overprotective?” Aya frowns. “But he already knows you, so what is there to be fussy about? Would you be the same if Haruichi gets into a relationship?” 

"I wonder. But it's not like that's on his mind right now, though."

"Yeah, because you could totally tell." And then she stops walking. “Wait, is this a new detour? I think this is the opposite way from my apartment.”

“Yeah, it is. I’m not taking you home yet.” 

Aya gasps in fake horror. “Is this what Kazuya is protecting me from?”

Ryousuke chuckles before taking her hand as they round the corner. “If he doesn’t want you to be happy, then I guess it is.” 

They stop in front of a café Aya had once mentioned wanting to visit. 

Now, Aya gasps in actual shock. “Ryou…”

“It’s a weekday so I don’t want us to be out late, but we’ve been together for one month now. I at least want to celebrate that.”

She tears her gaze away from the establishment and up towards Ryousuke. “You remembered.”

“Of course I would.” He tucks a stray hair behind her ear. “Especially since you’ve been really pouty these past few days. Are you sure you still want to keep this a secret? Because this prevents you from spending all your free time with me, so now you’re missing me too much.”

Aya feels her cheeks warm up, though she’s not sure if it’s out of embarrassment for being too obvious, or because she suddenly finds that cockiness… attractive.

He gestures with his head towards the door. “Shall we?”

Aya nods. “O-okay.”

As Ryousuke leads them inside, only one thought crosses his mind. Now, please stop talking about other guys when we’re together.

 Today is the last day of school for students without club activities this summer. It is also the day after Seidou had triumphed over Maimon West in their first qualifying match.

The sun shines bright through the windows, seemingly giving spotlight to the third-year starters - Yuuki Tetsuya, Masuko Tooru, Isashiki Jun, and Kominato Ryousuke - as they walk through the hallways. Their fellow third-years crowd around them, congratulating them and promising to watch the next games.

Aya smiles proudly. Aside from the resounding cheers from upstairs, she had also spotted freshmen cheerleaders peeking into Class 1-B earlier, most likely spying on the two of the three first-year players yesterday. 

This game had not only showcased Seidou’s powerful batting lineup, but also officially debuted the first-year players - Furuya Satoru, Sawamura Eijun, and of course, Kominato Haruichi. 

If they get fangirls, that would mean more commission requests, right? 

But then she reaches a classroom that apparently has another kind of commotion.

Kuramochi is once again shouting at Miyuki's face as he holds the catcher by the collar, while Miyuki only laughs off everything the enraged boy says.

"They're fighting again?” a female classmate asks. “But they're always together."

"They don't have any friends," another replies.

"They have Makoto-san, though," a third classmate adds, following it with a giggle.

"I can hear you, you know," Aya says from the doorway.

"Oh!" the same classmate exclaims, and then smiles sheepishly. "Good morning, Makoto-san! Do you think you could break them up again?"

Aya sighs. This is certainly a sad reputation. She marches up to the two. "Hey, Mochi! I see you’re still overflowing with adrenaline from yesterday’s game."

The boys look at her in sync.

"But I need to take my seat now, so please…?"

"Tch." Kuramochi's frown stays, but he lets go and walks away without another word.

"What is it this time?" Aya asks, hanging her bag on the hook at her desk. 

"It's nothing," Miyuki answers with a chuckle, fixing his uniform.

Aya sits down sideways and props an arm on her backrest to keep slightly facing him. "Sure it is. Good thing you have me, the saving grace of this trio of loners."

"I don't know, Aya." Miyuki props his chin on his hand as he leans forward on his desk. "Are you sure you're still one?"

Aya raises a brow. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Miyuki heaves a big sigh and sits back on his chair. "You're really gonna keep that act up, huh?"

“Oh, Kazuya. You’re just like me. You're in denial.” 

“Of what?”

“Of being jealous of someone taking your cousin’s time away from you. Not like there’s much to begin with, though.”

“So you’re basically admitting.”

Aya shrugs. “No point in lying to you now, so you might as well come clean too.” She smirks.

Just then, the bell rings. The students start to move back to their desks.

Miyuki smirks back at her. “Whaaat? I can’t hear you over the bell!”

Aya rolls her eyes before sitting properly, just as the teacher enters the room.

 Seidou plays against Murata East the next day, and it ends as another called game after Captain Yuuki hits a homerun.

Outside, Aya waits among the crowd to catch a glimpse of the team exiting the stadium.

“Miyuki-kun~!” a group of girls calls out when the famous catcher comes into view.

Aya does her best not to cringe. She understands why he has so many fangirls, but it just feels weird to hear people gush over someone she knows not just by looks, but as a person - insecurities, quirks, habits that may not be easily understood by others.

Is this what Kazuya feels now when he thinks about me and Ryou?   

The coach walks over to the team to give them instructions before they watch the next game.

But since Aya did not buy tickets for that, she has to leave ahead of them. As soon as she starts to walk away, her phone vibrates, so she stops to pull it out of her uniform skirt's pocket.

It’s our second game already and I still don’t hear you calling out for me? Isn’t Aya supposed to be my biggest fan?

She looks back at the team to see Ryousuke staring at her from afar with an obvious smirk. She types back: Am I supposed to? It’s enough that I came to watch!

Ryousuke chuckles when he sees the message, and then looks back up to wave goodbye to her. 

Of course, some of his teammates see that. But before they could spot her and connect the dots, Aya turns around and speed-walks toward the bus that would take her back to the school.

 With classes finally out of the way, Aya now has more time to watch practices. But even if Seidou had two practice days before their match against Akikawa Academy, Aya could only watch on the second day, because the media had hounded Field A the day before to cover Seidou first.

However, instead of practicing, everyone is lining up in front of the coach. 

Aya walks closer to the fence.

“To prepare for the game tomorrow,” Coach Kataoka says, “we’re wrapping up practice.”

Aya almost drops her sketchbook. So much for waking up early.

The coach finishes his instructions and dismisses the boys.

Aya remains standing there, her eyes trailing her boyfriend who is picking up his equipment from the dugout. Should I ask Ryou to eat lunch with me? But what if he has plans?

Ryousuke goes back out in the field, but stops a few ways away from his friends. “Haruichi.” 

She gasps. Did he just…?

“Join me when I hit off the tee later,” Ryousuke continues.

The younger Kominato gasps. 

Even his friends - Masuko, Yuuki, Isashiki, and Kuramochi - stop talking among themselves to watch them.

“Are you sure I’m good enough?” Haruichi asks.

Ryousuke chuckles. “What are you saying? You can hit, too. So, later!”

Now, if Ryousuke's friends are fondly dumbfounded, Aya squeals and jumps in giddiness. Now this makes it worth waking up early.

 “You finally talked to him!” 

“To who?”

“To Haruichi!”

“Of course I talk to him. He’s my brother.”

Aya nudges his arm. “You know what I mean! You talked to him in front of the others! It’s so cute.”

“Shut up.” Ryousuke takes another bite of his lunch.

Aya giggles. “I really like this shy side of yours, Ryou. It's so adorable.”

Ryousuke almost coughs up a lung. 

“Whoa, are you okay?”

“Stop attacking me like that!” He coughs harder.

Aya hands him his water bottle, biting her lip to avoid laughing.

“You always do this," he says when he calms down. "Maybe you need to pay for it.”

“This better not be…”

Ryousuke smirks. “Cheer for me tomorrow.”

“Ryou!”

“Aren't you inspired by me? I apparently overcame my hypothetical shyness to talk to Haruichi in front of the team.”

"Nope." Aya purses her lips, and then instantly brightens up. “But I do know how to pay you back.”

“And how…” Ryousuke trails off as Aya suddenly moves closer to him.

She raises a hand to cup one side of his face. She leans in, making sure to lock eyes with him. Her thumb brushes his lower lip slowly... until she wipes off a stray rice grain. And then she merely pecks his cheek before moving away so fast. 

Ryousuke’s mouth now hangs open.

“You had something on your face. I didn’t want you to go back to the field with it.”

“Why do you keep missing?” Ryousuke whispers, turning away to hide a smile.

 Unlike in practice games, more and more people are now finding time in their summer schedule to attend the increasingly intense official games.

Bottom of the first inning, one out. With Kuramochi failing to get on base, Ryousuke steps up for his first at-bat against Akikawa’s clockwork pitcher, Shunshin You.

"Ryou-san!"

Unlike in practice games, Ryousuke's fangirls are now also here. Closer to Aya. Sitting around Aya.

She has always been aware of them, and it definitely isn’t her first time to hear them cheer him on. But why does it make her feel unpleasant now? Besides, it’s the team’s third game already, and Ryousuke has been playing very well. It’s understandable that he would gain more support.

"Ryousuke-san!"

Yet a little spark in her stomach starts up and threatens to grow.

"If you're so annoyed with it," her art club senior, who had come to watch the game too, leans on her shoulder to whisper, "why don't you just publicly lay your claim on him?"

Aya keeps her eyes on the field. "That's pretty vulgar, senpai." She clears her throat. "And I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're not his only fan, Makoto-chan. He's amazing, and girls in our batch have always known that." The third-year lightly pinches Aya's cheek to make the younger girl look at her. "You can't blame them for calling him appropriately." 

Aya swats her hand away and sighs. "I'm going to get bullied for it."

"No way. You're the only masochist to develop romantic feelings for him."

"What?"

Her senior laughs. "Just go greet him outside. Today would be the best time, because we're finally out of our school uniforms. And nothing says 'cute girlfriend' than your look today."

Aya consciously touches her hair before looking down at her sleeveless yellow dress. Because the weather has reached 30° today, she had styled her hair into a braided ponytail and picked out the lightest dress she could find in her closet, not taking into account its knee-length frilly skirt. She shakes her head. "I just think it's unnecessary and childish…" she mutters, turning back to the game.

Ryousuke uses his signature strategy: rack up fouls to tire out the pitcher. The eighth pitch is thrown high, so Ryousuke does not swing anymore. Because surely it would be called a ball, which would give him a free pass to first base.

Except it isn't.

"Strike!" the umpire shouts just as the pink-haired batter steps forward.

“What?” Aya exclaims. "But how?"

"I think the umpire's impressed with the pitcher," her senior answers. "He does keep throwing into the catcher's mitt."

"No…" Aya frowns. "Is that why they call him 'clockwork?'"

Ryousuke remains standing there, disbelief clear in his stance.

“Hey, Makoto-chan.” Her senior pokes Aya's arm. “Is he seriously thinking of fighting the umpire?”

She gulps. “I – he can’t be, right?”

Alas, Ryousuke straightens up and walks back to the dugout.

To beat Akikawa's clockwork pitcher, Kuramochi's speed and Ryousuke's strategic batting would be keys to put pressure on him. But now it had failed right on the first try. And that unlucky streak only continues.

Isashiki got on base, and Yuuki was able to hit the baseball far. Their left fielder desperately goes after it, only to fall flat on his face… but the ball lands straight into his glove.

A miracle. Aya slumps her shoulders. If Akikawa continues to make lucky plays like this...

At the bottom of the third inning, the batting lineup goes back up to Kuramochi. But because Shunshin is also great at fielding, he prevents Kuramochi from even stepping on first base.

And now, Ryousuke is back in the batter's box. He does not swing at the first pitch, but…

"Strike!"

"Again?" Aya almost shouts. "But that was so close to outside!"

Shunshin throws the next pitch.

And apparently, it's a breaking ball that pushes Ryousuke to swing and hit the baseball… straight back to the pitcher. A deciding out to end the third inning.

Once again, Ryousuke remains standing in place. He now glares at Shunshin, who stares him back down.

“Makoto-chan,” her senior says, “your boyfriend’s seriously pissed today.”

Aya crosses her arms. “Well, who wouldn’t be? That clockwork pitcher has gotten the umpire on his side! Ryou can’t even bully him now!”

The third-year raises her eyebrow in amusement. "Wow, I guess that makes you compatible."

The gloom finally lifts at the fourth inning when Coach Kataoka switches Furuya with the southpaw first-year, Sawamura (though it had still caused quite a scene when Furuya refused to give him the ball at first), because his presence ignites a fire in the team. After he gets the last out of the inning, Seidou starts the fifth with the cleanup batters, where Miyuki takes Isashiki and Yuuki home and finally ties the game. Defense has become sharper too because he is pitching with confidence.

But the batting lineup goes back to Kuramochi, and he strikes out. Ryousuke hits the baseball, but it goes straight to a fielder's glove once more, ending the fifth inning.

“Mochi… Ryou… what’s happening?” Aya bites her nails in worry.

The game then enters a standstill as both teams keep failing to score a run that would break the tie. That is, until the bottom of the seventh inning.

"Seidou High School has called for a substitution," the announcer says.

Aya gasps as she spots the new jersey number in the on-deck circle.

"Replacing Number 8, Sakai-kun: pinch hitter, Kominato Haruichi-kun!"

Aya immediately stands in her seat and shouts, “Let’s go, Haruichi!”

Her senior pulls her to sit back down. “How could you be so enthusiastic over your boyfriend’s brother than for your boyfriend himself?”

“Are you kidding me? Ryou is most likely as proud as I am right now!” She points to the younger Kominato taking his position. “Just watch.”

The thing with Haruichi is that pitchers tend to get haughty when they see a small boy using a wooden bat and stepping over the plate. What they don't know is that they are walking right into the bait.

Like today, for example. To attempt to intimidate him, Shunshin throws an inside pitch to Haruichi’s knees.

And like usual, Haruichi steps in just as the ball is released. And then he expertly hits it far towards left field. Taking advantage of the fielders’ bewilderment, Haruichi reaches first base and raises his arm for a fist pump as a blush overtakes his cheeks.

Cue Haruichi’s fangirls screaming over it. Including a certain brunette.

Sawamura, who has a history of not hitting any pitch at all, loudly steps into the field next. But he silently and professionally bunts to advance Haruichi to second base. And the crowd gets amusingly amazed.

“Wow! Perfect!”

“Why is he only good at bunts?”

“Nice one, Bunt Master!”

And now, Kuramochi is back in the batter's box.

The atmosphere grows tense as the Seidou bleachers and dugout cheer him on.

Aya fidgets with her hands as she mutters, "Fourth chance, Mochi. Please don't get shut down again."

Shunshin throws the first pitch, and Kuramochi smashes it to the right. Without wasting any time, he uses his cheetah legs to take him to first base.

The Akikawa fielder snatches the ball from the ground and gets ready to throw to first base. But Akikawa has run out of miracle plays.

"Oh, his hand slipped!"

"Akikawa made an error!"

And Kuramochi steps on the white bag.

“Finally, Mochi!” Aya shouts along with the wild crowd. She then clutches her senior's arm. "We're on a roll! We totally shook Akikawa up!"

Her senior chuckles. "Yeah, and now—"

"And now Ryou's up to bat!" Aya interrupts with a giggle before looking back at the field, her eyes zooming in to her boyfriend.

Just then, even without a lead, Kuramochi takes off again. Haruichi runs too, and Seidou takes second and third base.

Aya suddenly pauses, her eyes flitting from Ryousuke standing readily in the batter's box to Haruichi crouching on third. She gasps. "Oh my god!"

"Yeah," her senior says, "Kuramochi's taking revenge!" 

"The brothers!"

"What?" 

"The brothers are playing in the same field! In an official game!" Aya inches forward right then, drowning out her senior’s response as she focuses back on the field.

As soon as Shunshin moves to pitch, Kuramochi starts to run again, and Ryousuke changes his grip on his bat for a squeeze play.

In that split second, the Clockwork pitcher throws the baseball outside the strike zone.

But at this point, Ryousuke has been backed into a corner by Shunshin and the umpire enough. He would not give this up now. In his race against the catcher to get to the ball first, Ryousuke lands on his side, but successfully taps the ball away from home plate. And in an instant, he is up and running towards first base.

And Haruichi is right behind him to score a run for Seidou!

The ball rolls toward the mound, and Shunshin quickly picks it up. He throws it to first base to stop the older Kominato, not noticing Kuramochi already on third base and sneakily racing towards home plate.

But it's too late. The ball is in the air just as Akikawa desperately shouts over each other.

The first baseman catches the ball and throws it to home just as Kuramochi slides in.

"Safe!" the umpire shouts.

The crowd goes wild.

"Wow, two runs!"

"That's some super fast sliding!"

"His speed is like cheating!"

Aya, meanwhile, covers her mouth as if she could be heard among the crowd. Because her heart continues to beat so fast as her eyes continue to follow Ryousuke still advancing in the field.

The first baseman recovers from the shock to call out to their catcher still holding the ball.

But Ryousuke already reaches second base. 

"Nice run!"

“Nice run, Ryou!” Aya screams along in celebration, small tears of joy at the corners of her eyes. 

The Kominato brothers and Kuramochi combo starts an onslaught. Since then, Seidou continues to shut Akikawa down, scoring 3 more runs in the inning. Kawakami gets sent out to close the last two innings, and he does not allow Akikawa any more runs. 

With a score of 7-2, Seidou advances to the quarterfinal.

 The sun is shining brighter now, bathing the field with more light and warmth as the day approaches noon. It boosts Aya's happiness as she walks out of the bleachers along with the rest of the crowd.

"Oh, I still can't stop thinking about earlier!" a girl walking in front of Aya says, nudging her companion.

For some reason, this catches Aya's attention. She recognizes the two girls as Seidou students.

"Do you mean the seventh inning?" the other girl asks with a big grin.

Say no.

"Yes!"

The two friends squeal together. "Ryousuke-kun!"

And just like that, the spark in Aya's stomach reappears.

The girl in front continues, "The little brother and Kuramochi may have scored those runs, but they wouldn't have done it without him!"

The spark grows and spreads throughout her whole body, warming her up. She steps out of the stadium and meets the bright sunlight, but she knows it's not just the reason her eyes are stinging.

Yellow.

Ryousuke wears it like a brand.

Kazuya's aura spikes up in it quite often now.

And it's what she's currently coated in.

Jealousy because of people, as Aya had found out from those two, is the kind that is most irrational and all-consuming.

The kind of jealousy she never thought she would experience.

"Makoto-chan!"

The sudden shake on her shoulder makes Aya jump.

"Are you okay?" her senior asks. "I've been talking to you for a while now."

"S-sorry."

"Are we going back to the bus or do you want to wait for the team to come out?"

Refocusing on her surroundings, Aya sees Miyuki's fangirls right outside the stadium. They are getting ready to shout his name in an attempt to get his attention. To lay their claim…

"Woah, Makoto-chan!" her senior exclaims.

Aya drags her to the front of the crowd, right next to the noisy bunch.

"So I guess this answers my question. But why here?"

"I uh, want to see him right away…"

Just then, the names of the coach and the players ring out above the cheers and applause. 

The first set of players are exiting the stadium. Among them is Ryousuke, glowing with joy because of the victory. He is walking in between his friends, and as usual, is discreetly searching the crowd for her.

This is it. Aya's heart pounds. He would see me right away and I have to—

"MIYUKI-KUN!" One of the fangirls suddenly blocks her from view as their group starts to call out and wave frantically.

"Seriously?" Aya frowns as she watches Ryousuke pass by obliviously.

Her senior giggles. "Guess you don't have to try hard in hiding today… hey, where are you going?"

Aya weaves carefully, but with urgency, through the cheering crowd. Being short makes it hard for people to notice her – it’s  good for moving about, but it puts her at risk of getting elbowed in the face. Alas, she finds a free space in front again. 

Ryousuke finally spots her. He gives her a small smile before passing her by.

She suddenly hears giggles behind her, so she looks over her shoulder to find the two girls from earlier, as well as some schoolmates, looking at the players. This would be good. Aya takes a deep breath and calls out as loud as she could, "Ryou!"

The pink-haired third-year whirls around in shock.

Masuko, Isashiki, and even Yuuki who are walking with him also stop and turn, their eyes settling on the short brunette.

"Aya?" Ryousuke says cautiously.

She smiles brightly and waves.

His confused expression instantly turns into a happy grin. He then hurries back towards her. 

His friends stand still in shock, especially the usually loud Isashiki who now stares with his jaw hanging open. Meanwhile, their teammates coming up from behind them give Ryousuke a curious look. 

He finally stops in front of her. "Hey, Aya."

Seeing his excited smile, and the way he does not care at all about the people around them just to get to her, almost makes her swoon forward. She holds onto the long sleeve of his undershirt for balance. "I… I watched the game," she almost whispers.

Ryousuke chuckles. "Yes, I can see that."

She grins. "And I want to congratulate you! You were so amazing back there, especially when you caused the runs in the seventh inning!"

He chuckles again, now with a hint of embarrassment. "Don't say it like that. They got on base and I followed through."

"But still, you were very cool."

His grin grows wider. "Thank you, Aya." Then he drops his voice so that only the two of them can hear. "And it is a bit refreshing to be with you like this in public."

"Well…” She steps closer, enough to smell the mix of his natural scent and after-game sweat. She takes both of his hands in hers. "Maybe I don't want to keep it a secret anymore?"

"It's because she got jealous," someone suddenly comments beside her, breaking the moment.

They step away from each other, but do not drop their linked hands.

Recognizing Aya's club senior, Ryousuke asks, "What?"

"You've got fangirls, Kominato-kun."

"Ohhh."

Aya tugs at his hands to make him look back at her. "No, that's not it! Don't listen to her!"

"Of course, Aya!" Ryousuke lets go of one of her hands to pat her head. "I would only believe my girlfriend."

Her mouth hangs open.

Ryousuke now smirks, as if asking, Isn't that what you want to prove to them? "Anyway, I'll see you later. We have to watch the next game."

"Oh, right! Sorry."

"Don't mind that." He squeezes her hand. "This made my day better."

When Ryousuke finally reaches the bus, his fellow third-year teammates who are waiting for him outside greet him with teasing punches on the shoulder and pats on the back. Even Captain Yuuki gives him a thumbs-up sign. And Isashiki shouts in mock outrage when Ryousuke says something to him.

"Makoto-san, you're scary."

"I didn't know you had it in you!"

Aya turns around.

Ryousuke's fangirls are smiling at her.

"Congratulations! Though, everyone saw it coming."

"Yeah, it would have sucked if you two didn't end up together."

"And you two were not very good at hiding it, either!"

Aya is reeling from all the comments, but only manages to respond to the last one. "We aren't?"

Her senior pats her back. "What did I tell you?"

Aya sighs in relief. "Yeah, that felt good.” Her eyes then widen in realization, and she hides her face in her hands. "And embarrassing! I can't believe I just did that!" 

The fangirls coo at her, and her senior had to lead her to the bus that would take them back to Seidou.

On their way, Aya finally recovers enough to glance at the team's bus… just in time to see Miyuki watching her with a non-amused expression.