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Adonis wiped his forehead as he took a break from sweeping, and he looked out the window to see how much time had passed since he and Narukami started cleaning.
Only about a dozen students could be seen from the second-floor window, wandering around the campus, or meeting up with friends before leaving through the campus gate. The sun had already begun to set, bathing Yumenosaki Academy in a warm glow, and the tree leaves that recently turned orange became even more vibrant in the light.
“Adonis-chan~” a voice called from behind said man. “I know you want to get out of here, but look! We’re almost finished!”
“I know that, Narukami. I was just admiring the view.”
Narukami huffed, “Mmm, I’m glad at least one of us is enjoying ourselves.”
Adonis turned to his cleaning companion. “Did you not volunteer to help and clean up the mess with me?”
“I guess I felt the same as you; I didn’t want Mitsuru-chan to be stuck with cleaning up the mess he made. I still didn’t want to get my hands dirty, but leaving it all up to you just feels… Can you imagine if you had to do this all by yourself!? It looked like a whirlwind trashed the classroom! You would be here even later.”
A dainty finger booped Adonis on the nose.
“I assure you, Narukami, I would have been fine. I’ve adjusted my sleep schedule to not become a hindrance to UNDEAD’s Live schedule.”
“Ah, well, I suppose that’s true. Still, I think it’s better to not be alone for these types of things! It’s not exactly the most exciting work, but this way, we work more efficiently, and we get to bond more ♪”
“I had not realized cleaning counted as a bonding activity.”
Narukami twirled her broom in a circle, creating a small dust cloud. “Sure it does! Just because it’s a chore doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves~”
Adonis was unsure as to where she was headed. “What are you suggesting?”
“Hmm… I guess we could get to know each other a little better! We don’t talk as much outside of club and class stuff, you know?”
“Do we not also talk about the best way to ensure Tenma does not get himself into trouble?”
Narukami giggled. “Of course! But at this point, I think it would be best if we just let him do his own thing a little more instead of trying to manage all his actions.” She gestured to the rest of the classroom. “All we can do is advise him and try to catch him when he falls. Quite literally.”
Adonis sighed and nodded.
“How about we talk about… family? Hobbies? Oh!” Narukami’s smile became slightly mischievous. “How about… are you up for some girl talk~?”
Adonis tilted his head. “How can I do that when I am a man?”
She let out another giggle. “Oh, sweetie, no. I mean, talking about things that a lot of girls typically talk about. Like cute guys~”
“Do you wish to talk about boys like Shiino?”
Narukami’s eyes sparkled. “You think Hajime-chan is cute?”
“He is small and has delicate features. Is that not typically what ‘cute’ refers to?”
She sighed in disappointment. “No, no, I mean, do any guys catch your interest?”
Adonis thought for a moment. “I suppose I do find that Ran-san is an enigmatic individu—”
Narukami hit herself square on the forehead with the broom.
“N-Narukami…!”
“I meant… have you ever had a crush?”
Adonis’ eyes widened. “A… what?”
“Someone you’ve ever been romantically interested in.”
“I-I do not know if…” Adonis was unsure of how to verbalize it.
Narukami looked at her friend apologetically. “Have you never had those kinds of feelings for someone? It’s okay, you know. Not everyone has feelings like that for other people.”
“N-No, I just… do not know…”
“You don’t know?”
“How do I know… if I have feelings for someone?”
“Hmm, I suppose that can be kind of tricky to figure out.” Narukami put the end of the broom to her chin in thought. “Sometimes it can feel like a strong friendship, but so much more at the same time. They make your heart race, and just thinking of them can get butterflies in your stomach.”
“How do the butterflies get inside your stomach!?” Just the thought made Adonis feel queasy.
“I mean, it feels like there are butterflies in your stomach. It’s this fluttery feeling that can make you really happy but really nervous at the same time.”
“I…”
“It’s okay, Adonis-chan. If no one really comes to mind, you probably haven’t found anyone like that, and that’s okay!”
Adonis bowed his head slightly. “I apologize, Narukami. For not being able to answer satisfactorily.”
“No worries! There are other things that can we talk about too!”
Adonis smiled as Narukami started to go off on a tangent about the latest beauty products, all of which he was most likely going to forget about the minute he got back to the dorms, but the small nagging feeling that something was off lingered in the back of his mind.
Adonis could not fall asleep. Which was strange. Very strange.
It was not the sound of Yuuki’s whispering as he played video games with Harukawa, or the diluted shouts and explosions from Morisawa’s tokusatsu films that was keeping him awake, that was for sure. He could typically sleep through those easily.
He recounted the entire day, trying to find something that might’ve caused him distress, before landing on the conversation that had occurred only a few hours ago. Being in love… seemed like such a foreign concept. He loved his friends, his parents, even his sisters, but…
Narukami said that sometimes love was almost like a strong friendship, but more than that. Adonis could not think of anyone he was not close to that seemed “interesting,” as Narukami put it, so if he was in love with someone, it would most likely be someone he considered a friend.
Adonis thought about the people that were closest to him. Narukami was a good friend, but he had never felt any of the feelings that she had described for her. Tenma was much more like a little brother to him. But had he considered…?
A sniffle tore Adonis out of his reverie. He parted the ocarina from his mouth and turned to see Oogami facing away from him. “Oogami, are you… okay?”
Oogami stayed with his back facing Adonis, foot tapping anxiously against the school bleacher. “Y-Yeah, what kinda stupid question is that!? ’m always fine!”
The ocarina player looked down at his precious instrument. “Did… Were you touched by my music?”
Oogami stayed silent.
Adonis slowly reached his hand out and softly gripped his unitmate’s shoulder, scared that he would hurt him by accident. He knew Oogami insisted he wasn’t delicate, but it was hard to shake the thought from his mind that the rugged guitarist needed to be protected, especially looking as vulnerable as he did. Surprisingly, Oogami did not completely resist Adonis’ touch, only giving a half-hearted effort to pull away.
Adonis gently lifted Oogami’s chin with his other hand to get the shorter boy to look at him. Once Oogami’s face was fully in view, Adonis found himself unable to do anything more than stare.
A few tear tracks ran down Oogami’s face, and the unshed tears made his eyes glisten in the pale moonlight. His nose was slightly red, and it twitched almost unnoticeably, reminiscent of a dog’s snout. And despite the tears clouding his eyes, the emotion in Oogami’s eyes was as bright as when he and Adonis performed on stage.
Adonis' heart rate picked up seeing the light blush beginning to form on Oogami’s cheeks. “You’re beautiful.”
Suddenly, the rest of Oogami’s face flushed a deep red, and he shoved Adonis’ arms away from him. “W-Why the hell would ya say somethin' like that!?”
“Because it’s true?”
“Shit, Adonis. Don’t jus’ say stuff like that, you’re gonna make me think that…” Oogami began to look slightly dejected as he trailed off.
“I apologize. I thought you would want to know.”
“Why?”
“…” Adonis found himself more lost for words than usual.
“Tch, whatever. ‘s gettin’ late anyway, we should be headin’ home soon.” As Oogami turned away from him, Adonis felt as though he was being shut out again. It was almost as if he was missing something. The thought made him sad.
Adonis would always closely watch Oogami’s feral performance from the corner of his eye while he sang, but he told himself it was just to make sure his unitmate’s performance didn’t get out of control. When Oogami delivered his signature wolfish grin after a Live, Adonis believed his heart pounded only from the adrenaline and exertion. While watching Oogami play with Leon, Adonis attributed his weak knees to overworking himself at track. But as he lay in bed thinking about Narukami’s words… could those have been the feelings she talked about?
The only other time Adonis felt like that was…
Adonis adjusted his outfit, brushing off a couple of the petals from the large cherry blossom tree overhead. “Kanzaki, I am not very familiar with traditional Japanese clothing. Can you tell me if I’m putting this on correctly?” He frowned as he realized he didn’t get a response. “…Kanzaki?”
The samurai was looking at Adonis with an indiscernible expression, eyes blown wide and mouth slightly ajar, a light blush dusting his cheeks. He then shook his head slightly before answering, “Yes, Adonis-dono, you look… amazing. As if anyone who looked at you would fall in love with you.”
Adonis felt strange in his stomach, yet it wasn't a completely unpleasant feeling, so he assumed it probably wasn’t sickness. Something about hearing Kanzaki's compliment and the way he said it made Adonis want to hear it more. He hoped there would be more opportunities to impress him.
Adonis’ room steadily began to feel warmer than it did twenty minutes ago.
He… didn’t understand. For a moment, he thought he did, but the feelings Narukami specified seemed to apply to two people. Perhaps I should wait until I can speak with her again. He was sure that his sisters would also have an idea of how to handle the situation, but he knew better than to get them involved.
Adonis closed his eyes, more determined than ever to get a good night’s rest.
Adonis couldn’t find it in himself to wait. There were no classes at Yumenosaki for the day, so there probably wouldn’t be an opportunity to talk to Narukami until the next day if he waited to see her in class. He hoped that someone had seen her somewhere in the ES building. The right thing to do would be to text her, but… he had no hopes of doing that correctly, and he didn’t want to bother anyone over his inability to properly use a phone.
“Ado-chan-senpaiiiiiiii!” an energetic voice called out.
Before Adonis could figure out where the voice came from, he felt a small form crash into his back, arms wrapping around him in a hug. “…Tenma, is that you?”
“Yeah, yeah! Ra*bits is having practice on the rooftop today! We’re gonna have a lotta fresh air, and I’m also gonna have a lot more room to run, yanno~?”
“I’m glad you have somewhere to run. Just be careful up there, it can get very windy on the roof. Face away from the wind while doing stretches so you don’t get anything in your eye.”
“Okie dokie! Arashi-chan-senpai said the same thing!”
“You saw Narukami?”
“Yup! She was at a store that Oshi-san-senpai re… remedied? Recognized? Uh, recommended! A store he recommended to me!”
“Do you know where she is?” Adonis craned his neck to try to look at Tenma, who was still snuggling his back.
“Mmm… I dunno!” Tenma giggled breathily. “She gave me a hug and then left while I was still waiting for my bread! I think I saw her gooo… that-a-way!” He pointed in the direction of the main building.
“Thank you, Tenma. You should get going; you don’t want to be late for practice, do you?”
“Ah! You’re right! I gotta make it on time! Goodbye, Ado-chan-senpai! I love you!” Giving one last final squeeze to Adonis, he sprinted ahead, shouting, “Dashu, dashu~☆”
Love… right. That was the entire reason Adonis was there.
Making his way inside the main building with newfound determination, Adonis thought about where in ES Narukami would be… From what he recalled of the previous evening, one of the things she mentioned was Knights’ in-production photoshoot. He headed in the direction of the study room Knights would sometimes meet up at.
After finding and entering Knights' study room, Adonis spotted Narukami comfortably reading a magazine on a chair.
The jasmine yellow knight’s eyes flitted up, brightening with recognition as Adonis approached her. “Adonis-chan, what a pleasant surprise~”
“Narukami, I apologize if I’m bothering you, but…”
“No, no! I’m glad to talk with you anytime! Take a seat! Please, tell big sis about whatever is on your mind ♪”
Adonis plopped himself onto the empty seat to Narukami's left. “Ah… it’s about…” His nerves flared up as he tried to find the right words. “…It’s about what we talked about yesterday.”
“Hm?” Narukami suddenly gasped, eyes sparkling with excitement. “You mean, you want to try out that brand of—”
“N-No, I mean… the topic you talked about before that…” Adonis looked down at the ground, awaiting her judgement. He flinched as a sudden squeal pierced his ears.
Narukami placed her hands on Adonis’ shoulders. “Adonis-chan, did you… find somebody!?” Her eyes lit up with a fire akin to his sisters', making the taller suddenly feel smaller than her.
“I-I think I found somebody… maybe. But I’m not sure if…” Adonis was quickly finding himself overwhelmed.
“Ooh! Hold on, let me guess! Hmm… Koga-chan?”
Adonis’ face heated up uncomfortably, and he pointedly looked away from the blonde.
Narukami gasped softly, leaning back in her seat. “Oh, first try! A part of me thought it would be Souma-chan instead.”
Adonis’ face flushed even deeper. As he turned back to Narukami, he could see the moment her eyes flashed with realization, but before his hands could reach his ears, he was met with another screech unholier than UNDEAD. After making sure Narukami’s shaking form wouldn't let out any more horrific noises, Adonis clarified, “I experience the feelings you told me about for the both of them, but I do not know for which of them my feelings are romantic.”
Narukami tilted her head. “Hmm… How do you know that you don’t just have feelings for both of them?”
Adonis blinked. “That… can happen?” Seeing Narukami nod did little to calm his nerves. “But how am I meant to choose between the two of them!?” He winced at the way his voice cracked at the end.
“Oh, hun, why do you think you have to choose between the two of them?”
Adonis was only getting more and more confused by their “girl’s talk.” “W-What do you mean?”
“I’m saying that polyamory exists. It’s a relationship that involves more than two people. If they both like you, then there’s a chance that you can be with both of them. Well, not everyone is fine with that kind of stuff, and I don’t want to give you false hope… You just have to talk about it with them. It’s their right to establish whatever boundaries they want in a relationship after all. But if you want to be direct,” Narukami added with a wink, “you can just ask both of them out on a date at the same time~♪”
“I’ve never done something like that before…” Asking someone out on a date seemed frighteningly advanced to Adonis. It was only recently that he had even begun to understand the idea of liking somebody.
“Well, you can take your time if you want. There’s no rush.” Narukami smiled softly as she patted her friend's shoulder. “I can tell this is a lot for you to take on at once.”
Adonis knew that the logical course of action would be to take time to sort out his feelings. Romantic feelings were entirely new territory, and there were probably risks to jumping into things headfirst without thinking… But his mind flashed back to how he could barely sleep on that first night with his newfound feelings at the forefront of his mind. “…I do not want to wait. I do not think I can wait.” The stoic man bowed his head. “Please help me, Narukami. As a friend, I know I can trust you.” He lifted his gaze back up as he heard an amused giggle.
“Adonis-chan, it’s like you said. We’re friends. There’s no need to be so formal; I’d love to help you.” She flashed a charming smile. “So, where do you want to start?”
“First of all… how do I know if they might feel the same way that I do?”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Narukami dismissed confidently. “Let’s just worry about how we want to do this.”
… Did she know something that he didn’t? Pushing the thought aside, Adonis steeled his determination before he could avoid committing to it. “I want to confront them about my feelings. I want to ask them out on a date… I want to get my feelings to reach them as clearly as possible.”
Narukami fanned herself with her hand. “Oh my, how direct~ Well, if you don’t know how to ask someone out, I could show you? That would be the best way to learn. Through demonstration!”
“But… how are you going to show me?”
“By asking someone out, obviously!” Narukami stood up, hand outstretched to Adonis. “Let’s go! We’re going to go out and find somebody!”
…If Adonis was being honest, he was getting a bit concerned about Narukami’s plan. Or rather, it didn’t seem like she even had a plan. Was she just going to ask out the first person they came across on a date? The confidence Adonis had earlier was slowly turning into anxiety the longer the two of them roamed ES' halls.
As they neared the corner of the hallway, they heard footsteps steadily approaching from around it.
“Watch and learn,” Narukami said to Adonis with a wink.
As Narukami strolled down the hallway, a head of black hair with vibrant red streaks sharply turned the corner and almost crashed into her. “Narukami-senpai!? Ah, Otogari-senpai too!”
Narukami clasped her hands together. “Tetora-kun, it’s so nice to see you!”
Nagumo scratched his cheek with his index finger, smiling shyly. “I mean, we saw each other this morning too.”
“Well, you know I’ll never get tired of seeing your face~”
Nagumo’s face reddened. “U~miu~ don’t say such embarrassing things…”
“Why not? It’s worth it if I can see that blush on your cute face ♪”
As Nagumo hid his flustered face in the collar of his autumn-winter coat, Adonis stared in wonder. Narukami made the “asking someone out” process look incredibly easy… and embarrassing…
“Anyway, Tetora-kun. I do have a favor to ask of you.”
Nagumo slowly lowered his coat collar until only the top half of his face was visible. “W-What do you need help with?”
“Will you go out on a date with me, Tetora-kun?”
“W-WHAT!?” Nagumo shrieked.
Adonis knew he was supposed to be learning from Narukami, but Nagumo’s reactions were making him even more nervous than he already was for his own confession.
“So, Tetora-kun, what do you think?” Narukami giggled in her hand.
“I-I wasn’t ready for… no, I… ah, but a real man doesn’t run from his feelings! I a-accept!” Nagumo puffed out his chest as he propped his hands on his hips. His false bravado was not doing much for him, but neither Adonis nor Narukami pointed it out.
“Aww, thanks a lot, Tetora-kun~ I’m afraid I have somewhere to go, but I just wanted to ask before the end of the day, when we’d probably be all worn down from work. We can discuss the details then ♪” Narukami leant down and kissed Nagumo’s cheek. “I’ll see you soon!”
She continued around the corner and motioned for her mentee to follow.
Adonis waved goodbye to the frozen Nagumo, and quickly realizing that the normally fierce boy was probably not going to respond for a while, he followed Narukami.
Once both third-years walked a fair distance further down the hallway, they heard a loud, “OSSU~!”
Narukami giggled to herself. “He’s cute, isn’t he?” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, that’s how you ask someone out on a date! You got it now?”
“Were you going to ask out anyone that turned around that corner?”
“Well, I suppose not. But I figured Tetora-kun would be good since he…” Narukami trailed off unnervingly. “Wait, did I just… I just asked out…”
“Narukami?” Adonis made the split-second decision to cover his ears. As he anticipated, another screech resounded the hall. He briefly wondered how her vocal cords weren’t damaged after so much exertion.
“Oh my God, Adonis-chan,” Narukami squealed as she grabbed Adonis’ hands. “I’m going on a date with Tetora-kun!” She started jumping up and down, pulling Adonis with her.
Adonis chuckled as the blonde knight dragged him down the hallway and ranted excitedly about her upcoming date.
“I do not understand what we're doing here…”
“Adonis-chan, don’t you care about looking good for your dates?” Narukami diligently scanned the store names as they walked through Season Avenue, using her hand as a visor against the afternoon sun.
Adonis thought back to how warm the compliments from Kanzaki and Oogami would make him feel. “I… suppose so.”
“Exactly!” Narukami looked around a bit more before pointing to a nearby store. “That’s the one! I took Natsume-chan to that store once, and he seemed to have a good time despite not being too into makeup, so I’m sure you will too ♪”
Despite her reassurance, Adonis couldn’t help but be nervous. Narukami had only brought him along into a cutesy store once before, and all he could think about was trying not to break anything. Still, he dutifully followed her inside.
Immediately after they entered, Narukami started to look through the catalogues while Adonis tried to make himself as small as possible. Her eyes were precise as her fingers as they danced across the labels and the multitudes of shades lining the shelves.
“This one’s nice! That can work… Hmm, oh! This one is good too!” Narukami faced Adonis. “What do you think, Adonis-chan?”
“I… uhm…” He didn’t even know what Narukami was talking about with how fast she was moving through everything.
Thankfully, he didn’t need to answer, because Narukami squinted at him for a few seconds before flipping through the products in her hand and handing him one. “Actually, you already look good. But I think you might need this.”
“…What is this?”
“It’s concealer. Don’t think I didn’t notice the eye bags you had yesterday when you asked me for advice. And it doesn’t seem to have gotten better, even after you asked them out. I can tell this whole situation has been weighing on you, poor thing~ But that’s what your big sis is here for ♪”
“T-Thank you, Narukami. But why do you need so much make-up? You look very pretty already.”
“Aww, thanks hun, but this isn’t just for my date with Tetora-kun. It’s also for that Knights photoshoot I told you about. I thought it would be good to play around with some looks before then. Just trust your big sis on this, okay?”
Adonis nodded. “Of course. I trust you, Narukami.”
Adonis squinted in concentration as he moved the brush across Narukami’s nails. After helping her carry the products she bought back to her dorm, Narukami insisted that he stick around to help her try some out.
“Ooh, you’re doing a really good job Adonis-chan ♪”
“I don’t understand why I am the one doing this… Especially when you are preparing for a professional photo shoot. Would you not want to do this yourself? Or have it done by a professional cosmetologist?”
Narukami smiled kindly. “We’re just testing it out, so there’s no need to worry about it being perfect. I just didn’t want to do it alone, and you were willing to help.”
“…”
“I know you have something on your mind, Adonis-chan. Come on, you can tell big sis~”
Adonis kept his gaze on Narukami’s nails. “How were you so sure that Oogami and Kanzaki would reciprocate?”
“Oh, that’s easy,” Narukami giggled. “One time, Koga-chan came up to me, saying…” She cleared her throat before continuing in a gruffer voice. “Hey, Ari! I heard ya made chocolates with Adonis a while back. You wouldn’t happen t’ know what his favorite flavor is, do ya? Oh, and you’re helpin’ me make ‘em!”
That explained the sudden mysterious chocolates left on Adonis’ desk a week after Valentine’s Day. “And Kanzaki?”
“Even easier. Souma-chan talks so sweetly about you all the time. He really likes it when other people say nice things about you too, almost to a concerning degree, but I think it’s really cute.”
“Ah, I see.” Adonis focused harder on her nails to prevent himself from blushing. After he finished with both of her hands, he held them out to her. “What do you think?” he asked nervously.
“Hmm…” Narukami lifted her right index finger and left thumb finger. “These will be for the photoshoot…” She then lifted her left pinky finger and right ring finger. “… And these will be for my date with Tetora-kun,” she giggled. “The rest of these will be for casual use! Thanks a lot Adonis-chan ♪”
Adonis nodded, giving her a small smile.
“Adonis-chan, you should have seen the way his face looked when I started to lean in! He was so—” Narukami's eyes widened.
As Adonis was about to ask her what was wrong, “Ado-chan-senpai!” was all the warning he got before two familiar arms wrapped around his torso from behind.
“Hello, Tenma.” Adonis lifted one of his arms and patted the head resting on his shoulder.
“Oh, Mitsuru-chan! What brings you to the Café Cinnamon at this time of day?” Narukami flipped her right leg over her left as she leaned back in her seat.
“Ra*bits practice ended early today! Sooo, I thought it would be a good idea to get some quick bread to last me until I can get the bread at the store close to here!”
Adonis frowned slightly. “It is good to have grains in your diet, but you should not forget to also eat meat. You need to eat meat to stay strong.”
“Don’t forget about your veggies too,” Narukami chimed in. “And throw in a bit of fruit while you’re at it. It’s good for your health.”
“Okayyyy,” Tenma sighed, burying his face into Adonis’ shoulder. “You sound just like my parents.”
Adonis smiled fondly at Tenma, gently messing with his hair. “They only want what is best for you. It would be good to listen to them.”
Tenma lifted his head enough so that a pout was visible. “Okie dokie, if you and Arashi-chan-senpai say so. I’ll do it for you two!”
Narukami gave a light cheer as Adonis thanked Tenma.
“But enough about me! Ado. Chan. Senpaiii!”
“Yes, Tenma?”
“Arashi-chan-senpai said you have boyfriends now!”
Adonis looked across the table to see Narukami grinning sheepishly at him.
“I… uh… I’m sorry!” Narukami clasped her hands together. “I just got really excited and I kind of let it slip to Tenma about our dates.”
“It’s Ko-chan-senpai and Sou-chan-senpai, right!?” Tenma grinned widely. “Of course, Ado-chan-senpai is so great that he got two boyfriends!”
Adonis’ face flushed, and he looked down at his lap, trying to ignore Tenma and Narukami’s giggles.
“Seriously though,” Narukami started, “I can tell you’re happier nowadays. They’re really happy too.” Her humored grin softened into a sincere smile. “The three of you are good for each other.”
“You’re gonna take care of them, right, Ado-chan-senpai?”
“Of course, Tenma, I care very much about them.”
“Uwah!? You got this funny look on your face!” Tenma’s nose scrunched up.
“That’s a love-struck look for sure, Adonis-chan ♪”
“A-Ah, I had not realized I was…” Adonis touched his face self-consciously. What kind of expression was he making?
“Aww, don’t worry, sweetie. It’s cute to see you like that~” Narukami then patted Tenma’s head. “Adonis-chan and I are going to have a double date soon. I don’t suppose you’d want to stick around?”
Tenma unwrapped his arms from around Adonis and put a hand to his chin. “Mm… nope! I don’t wanna be a…” He looked at his hands and counted his fingers. “… a sixth wheel, yanno~? I’m gonna grab my bread and dash outta here!” After Tenma gave one last hug to Adonis and Narukami, he ran off to pester a very tired Shiina, leaving the other two to watch him fondly.
Adonis considered going after the excitable boy for a moment. “Do you think he will get in trouble?”
Narukami nodded curtly. “There’s a good chance, but I’m sure he’d be able to get out of it himself. He’s more grown up than he was last year, and he doesn’t need to rely on us as much.”
“Do you think… there will be a time when he doesn’t need us anymore?”
“I’d say he’s already reaching that stage. But there’s no reason to stay away from the people you love, isn’t that right~?”
Adonis sighed quietly. “I suppose so.”
“Narukami-senpai! Otogari-senpai!” a familiarly loud voice called.
Adonis turned around to see Nagumo waving and walking over to him and Narukami. “Good afternoon, Nagumo.”
“Tetora-kun!” Narukami got out of her seat to meet Nagumo halfway, and she softly kissed his forehead, making the second-year glow a red that could be seen even from where Adonis sat.
Nagumo covered half his face with one hand, shying away from his girlfriend. “Narukami-senpai… I, uh, Otogari-senpai, I think that—”
“Zakki, ya know, if ya didn’t have that stick up yer ass, we woulda gotten here faster.”
“I do not have a stick up my… posterior! And there is no need for such vile language in a public setting.”
“Ah, so ya’d rather me say dirty stuff t’ ya somewhere more private, do ya~?”
“I— Do not speak about such vulgar activities either! But… to answer your question, yes…”
Boisterous laughter filled the café followed by defensive shouting.
As Narukami dragged Nagumo to sit next to her, Adonis made room for the other two newcomers that were affectionally bickering with each other.
Adonis admired the sunset as he listened to Oogami, Kanzaki, and Nagumo yelling about one of the arcade games in the distance. He also heard Tenma dashing around, the short track star having jumped on him the moment he overheard the words “amusement park”.
“Thanks a lot for today, Adonis-chan. I had a lot of fun ♪”
“I would like to thank you too, Narukami.”
Narukami sighed. “It’s getting a bit late, so we should probably head home soon.”
Adonis silently nodded.
“You seem a bit down. Don’t want this day to end, huh~?” Narukami teased. “I understand; I don’t want to go home either.”
“This feels like home. More than being here usually does.”
“Yeah, being surrounded by people you love and people who love you is really nice, isn’t it?” Narukami’s voice suddenly had a melancholic tone. “I wish everyone could feel that way, but not everyone is that lucky… Some people are alone, whether it’s because of themselves or because of other people… I wish I could make it so that no one ever had to feel that way again…” After a few moments of silence, she wiped her eyes before giving Adonis a small smile. “But now’s not the time to think about that. Come on, the others seem like they’re struggling with the arcade!”
Adonis grabbed Narukami’s arm as she began to walk away. “Narukami… ah, I apologize.” He dropped her arm, worried that he had hurt her.
The blonde giggled, giving a smile that only partially made it to her eyes. “You don’t need to apologize. I may be a girl, but I’m not delicate.” She flexed her arm, showing off her muscle.
“I forget that. I apologize.”
“And stop apologizing!”
“I’m sorr—” Before he could finish, a hand was slapped over his mouth.
“Please, it’s okay,” Narukami assured, surprisingly soft. She took her hand off Adonis’ mouth. “Now, what were you going to say?”
“I just wanted to thank you for being by my side. I would not be where I am without you.”
Narukami smiled sadly. “Of course.” She grabbed Adonis’ hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. Her eyes brightening a bit, she shouted, “Let’s go!”
As they walked toward the chaos of the yelling and dashing, Adonis hummed the song that NEGI taught him, and Narukami held on even tighter.