kao

humans were different.

humans doubted, they hesitated. they ran away from feelings until their hearts practically chased after them.

and rin itoshi was perhaps the most frustrating example of that you had ever encountered. the first time you were assigned to him, you nearly returned the file immediately.

according to fate, rin already had a soulmate. the thread connecting them was strong, stable, and impossible to miss. assignments like those were usually easy. all you had to do was guide the two people toward each other and make sure nothing disrupted the connection.

simple.

except rin somehow managed to avoid every opportunity destiny handed him.

every time fate arranged an encounter, he would leave before it happened. every time someone attempted a conversation, he would cut it short. every time life pushed him toward another person, he seemed determined to walk in the opposite direction.

after several months, you found yourself spending more time complaining about him than actually helping him.

which was why, on one particularly irritating afternoon, you ended up sitting on a rooftop overlooking the football field while muttering insults under your breath.

below, players moved across the grass in bursts of colour and motion. among them stood rin, completely unaware that a supernatural being was questioning his intelligence from several metres above.

or at least, that was what you thought.

because suddenly he stopped, and looked directly at you.

humans weren't supposed to see cupids. that wasn't a suggestion. it was a rule. a very old rule. one that had existed for longer than most civilizations.

yet rin's gaze locked onto yours without hesitation.

his expression remained as unimpressed as ever.

"why are you sitting on a roof?"

then, somehow, the first conversation between you ended with him questioning why you had wings and you demanding to know why he could see them.

neither question received a proper answer.

from that day onward, however, rin developed a habit of finding you.

you would be monitoring threads of fate from a tree branch, only for him to appear beneath you. you would be floating above a busy street while working, only to hear his voice somewhere nearby. you would be halfway through helping another couple and suddenly notice him watching from across the road.

at first, you found it annoying, then you found it strange. eventually, you found yourself looking for him before he found you.

days became weeks.

weeks became months.

he never begged to know his future. he never asked who he was destined to marry. he never requested miracles or favours or secrets about fate.

instead, he asked questions that seemed completely unrelated to your job. he wanted to know whether clouds felt soft when you flew through them. he wanted to know if stars looked closer from the sky.

he wanted to know whether your wings ever hurt after carrying you for so many years. sometimes his curiosity caught you off guard because it wasn't directed toward what you were.

it was directed toward who you were. and nobody had ever done that before.

one evening, while the two of you sat together on a rooftop overlooking the city, rin asked a question that left you unusually quiet.

the sunset had painted the horizon gold. light spilled across distant buildings like melted honey while the first stars slowly appeared overhead.

for several minutes neither of you spoke.

"are cupids lonely?"

the question struck harder than any arrow ever could.

you had spent centuries helping other people fall in love.

you had watched first meetings and first confessions. you had watched relationships begin beneath spring blossoms and continue through entire lifetimes. you had stood beside thousands of love stories without ever becoming part of one.

before rin asked, you had never really considered what that meant.

your fingers tightened around the bow resting across your lap.

for a moment you watched the city below instead of looking at him.

"sometimes," you admitted.

he shifted slightly closer.

it should have been the moment you realized something dangerous was happening. instead, you continued spending time with him. you continued laughing during conversations that lasted far longer than they should have. you continued memorizing details without meaning to.

the way he unconsciously reached for your hand whenever you stood near the edge of a building.

the way he always brought an extra drink despite knowing cupids technically didn't need one.

the realization arrived during spring.

flowers had begun blooming throughout the city. warm breezes carried petals through the air while sunlight lingered longer each evening.

the answer was impossible to avoid.

you were in love with him.

you were not supposed to fall in love with the person you guided. cupids existed to lead others toward happiness, not to place themselves at the center of the story.

yet every feeling inside you refused to listen.

every goodbye felt slightly disappointing because it meant waiting until the next time you saw him.

for the first time since becoming a cupid, you genuinely didn't know what to do.

when rin found you later that evening, he noticed immediately that something was wrong.

the sky above had darkened into deep shades of blue. stars glittered overhead while the city glowed beneath you like scattered constellations brought down to earth.

you sat silently at the edge of a rooftop.

eventually, he spoke.

"you're thinking too much."

you laughed despite yourself.

"that's rich coming from you."

a faint 'tch' appeared on his face.

the sight made your chest ache.

then rin suddenly exhaled.

"i think i figured something out."

his gaze remained fixed on the city, and for the first time since meeting him, he looked uncertain.

"every time fate tried pushing me toward someone," he said slowly, "it felt wrong."

rin's fingers curled slightly against the rooftop surface.

"i kept thinking maybe there was something wrong with me."

"then i met you."

...

all those months spent trying to guide him toward his soulmate suddenly felt absurd.

you had searched everywhere except the place fate had been pointing from the beginning.

the answer had been sitting beside you on rooftops.

rin reached toward you slowly.

the instant your fingers intertwined, light spread through the golden thread connecting you.

and after months of circling around each other, after countless conversations and lingering glances and feelings neither of you understood, both of you had finally arrived.

it was dumb, but it was entertaining enough that nagi didn’t mind sitting beside you on the couch while you played. he claimed he was only watching because he was too tired to play himself, but you knew better. he always looked like he didn’t care, but his eyes followed everything that happened on screen like it was a soccer match.

you had made miis of everyone you knew, including the blue lock boys, and now they all lived on your little island. nagi’s mii lived in an house right next to yours, mostly because you thought it was funny, and also because it felt wrong putting him anywhere else.

the two of you were sprawled on the couch together, you holding the console while nagi leaned back with his head against the cushion, hair messy, eyes half open. he looked like he could fall asleep at any moment, but the second your mii appeared on screen, he was suddenly awake.

your mii was walking around the plaza, wearing a cute outfit you picked earlier. it was nothing crazy, just a soft cardigan and skirt, but it looked adorable. nagi didn’t say anything, but he stared for a little longer than necessary.

then, as if the game was determined to ruin his peace, another mii entered the screen.

isagi yoichi.

your isagi mii walked up to your mii with that annoyingly cheerful bounce, waving like he had no shame. your mii waved back, smiling. nagi’s eyes narrowed slightly, like his body reacted before his brain did.

you didn’t notice at first, too busy checking the little icons on the bottom of the screen. "oh, isagi’s out again. he’s always wandering around."

nagi’s voice was flat. "he has too much energy."

you laughed. "you’re talking like it’s the real isagi."

"it might as well be," nagi muttered.

your mii and isagi’s mii started walking together. just casually strolling, like it was normal. like nagi wasn’t right there. nagi’s mii appeared a few seconds later, trailing behind them. the game probably did it randomly, but nagi didn’t like how it looked like he was following you.

his eyes stayed fixed on the screen. "why is he walking with you?"

you blinked. "because they’re friends?"

nagi didn’t respond. his expression didn’t change, but there was a subtle tension in his shoulders, like he was offended on a personal level.

then it happened.

isagi’s mii stopped walking.

his face turned pink.

a little blush appeared on his cheeks.

nagi sat up straighter so fast it was almost scary.

"…what...?" he murmured quietly.

you looked at him. "what?"

he pointed at the screen like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. "he’s blushing."

you stared for a second, then burst out laughing. "oh my god, no way."

isagi’s mii turned toward your mii, bouncing nervously. sparkles popped around his head, and the game zoomed in dramatically like it was the biggest plot twist of the century.

then a speech bubble appeared.

isagi’s mii: i have something to tell you…

you gasped, delighted. "wait, is he about to confess?"

nagi’s eyes narrowed. "no."

"nagi, it’s cute!"

"it’s not cute."

the next bubble appeared.

isagi’s mii: i think i like you.

your mii did the surprised animation, hands to her cheeks. she looked flustered, which made the whole thing ten times worse. nagi stared like the screen had personally insulted him. then the game gave you the choices.

accept.

reject.

you leaned forward, eyes sparkling with amusement. "okay, wait. what do i do."

nagi answered immediately. "reject."

you laughed. "why are you answering so fast?"

"because it’s obvious."

you turned your head to look at him, grinning. "are you jealous of him?"

"no."

you raised an eyebrow. "you are."

he looked back at the screen. "i’m not."

"nagi, he just confessed and you’re acting like he killed me."

nagi’s thumb moved over the controller. he didn’t even wait for you to decide. he pressed reject.

your mii smiled apologetically. isagi’s mii froze, eyes widening. then he made the dramatic heartbreak face, the kind that looked like his entire world collapsed in a single second. he started shaking, tears forming, and then he ran off the screen.

you gasped like you were personally offended. "nagi!"

nagi leaned back like he just solved a problem. "good."

"good? you just destroyed him!"

"ehh he’ll survive."

you stared at him, then started laughing so hard you had to cover your mouth. "you’re insane. you’re literally insane."

nagi looked at you, expression blank. "he shouldn’t like you."

you blinked. "why not?"

nagi’s eyes narrowed again. "because you’re mine."

your laughter died for half a second.

then your face heated up, and you shoved his shoulder lightly. "....you're so cringe, nagi."

he barely reacted, only blinking slowly. "what?"

you tried to act normal, but it was hard when your heart was doing 360 leaps. "you can’t just say stuff like that over a game."

nagi’s gaze stayed calm. "it’s not just the game."

you stared at him, then looked away quickly. "you’re embarrassing."

"you’re blushing," he said.

you immediately covered your face with the blanket. "shut up."

nagi didn’t laugh. he didn’t tease you further. he just leaned closer, resting his head lightly against yours like it was the most natural thing in the world. his arm slid around your shoulders, lazy but secure, like he was claiming his spot.

you peeked out from the blanket. "okay, but you can’t reject everyone who likes my mii."

nagi’s voice was quiet. "i can."

you scoffed. "what if bachira confesses next?"

"reject."

"what if chigiri confesses?"

"reject."

you laughed again. "what if reo confesses?"

nagi sighed. "especially reject."

you were still giggling when another notification popped up on screen.

nagi wants to talk.

you blinked. "wait."

nagi’s eyes shifted toward the screen. "..."

you pressed the button, curious, and the scene changed to the plaza. your mii was standing there, and nagi’s mii walked up slowly, looking sleepy like always. then the dramatic zoom happened again.

you froze. "no way."

nagi’s mii: i have something to tell you…

your mouth fell open. "your mii is confessing!"

nagi didn’t react much, but his ears turned slightly pink. "obviously."

you stared at him. "obviously?"

nagi shrugged. "he’s me."

the next bubble appeared.

nagi’s mii: i think i like you.

your mii gasped, hands flying to her cheeks. sparkles filled the screen. it was so cheesy you almost wanted to scream, but it was also kind of adorable. then the choices appeared again.

accept.

reject.

you didn’t even hesitate. you pressed accept.

your mii started jumping up and down happily, and nagi’s mii smiled, just barely. a heart floated above them, and the little jingle played. you found yourself smiling at the screen like an idiot.

"aw," you whispered. "that’s so cute."

nagi’s voice was quiet. "yeah."

you turned to him, grin returning. "so you were jealous."

"i wasn’t jealous."

you laughed. "sure you weren’t. you were about to kill isagi."

nagi’s eyes shifted away. "he deserved it."

"for liking me?"

"for thinking he had a chance."

your face warmed again. "you’re so annoying."

nagi leaned his head closer, eyes half lidded. "you like me."

you hesitated, then muttered, "unfortunately."

nagi hummed like he was satisfied with that answer. "see?"

the game continued, your mii and nagi’s mii walking around together, holding hands in that stiff tomodachi life way. it looked ridiculous, but it also made your chest feel weirdly soft.

then another notification popped up.

isagi wants to talk.

you burst out laughing. "he’s back!'

nagi groaned. "can this loser get the hint?"

you hit his arm lightly. "stop it."

you clicked the notification, and the screen changed to isagi’s house. isagi’s mii stood there looking nervous, hands clasped. he glanced down like he was trying not to cry again.

isagi’s mii: i heard you and nagi are together…

your mii nodded.

isagi’s mii: i guess i was too late.

he looked genuinely heartbroken. you frowned a little, feeling guilty even though it was pixels.

"aw," you said softly.

nagi’s voice was immediate. "don’t."

you glanced at him. "don’t what?"

"don’t feel bad."

you pouted. "but he looks sad."

nagi leaned closer, voice lower. "he’ll get over it. he always does."

"you sound like you’ve been rejected before."

nagi blinked slowly. "i haven’t."

"sure."

he ignored you, eyes back on the screen, watching isagi’s mii walk away sadly. nagi’s expression stayed calm, but his arm tightened slightly around your shoulders, pulling you closer.

then he spoke again, quietly.

"if anyone’s going to be with you, it’s me."

you froze.

the words were so simple, said so casually, but they still hit you like a confession anyway. you stared at him, your face burning.

"nagi," you whispered, "it’s just tomodachi life."

he finally looked at you, eyes soft in that lazy way that always made your heart trip over itself.

"it’s not just tomodachi life," he said.

on the screen, your miis walked around the island together, heart icon floating above their heads like a victory sign. and nagi, still holding you like it was instinct, muttered one last thing.

"we should delete isagi off the island."

you laughed so hard you nearly dropped the console.

"nagi!"

"what? i’m tired of him." he whined, crossing his arms childishly.

you shook your head, still giggling, and leaned into his shoulder again.

"you’re so petty."

nagi’s arm stayed around you, warm and secure.

"yeah," he said, voice quiet and sleepy.

"but you’re still mine."

and honestly, even if it was just a silly little game, you couldn’t deny the way your heart fluttered anyway.

because nagi seishiro was lazy.

but when it came to you, even his jealousy had effort.