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After the whole fiasco with Noroshi, the higher-ups at Furin decided to make sparring with the other grades a continuing occurrence, which was honestly a very good decision. It would make the students stronger outside of fighting thugs, plus they’ll become more familiar with their allies’ fighting style.
They would take turns patrolling. One day they’re strolling around the streets and on the next, they’re taking their schoolmates on. The lineups would depend on Umemiya-san’s mood for the day, or if which classes ended up on the big spinning prize wheel they built. Like a lottery.
Everyone was pumped when the declaration was made. First-years would get to fight the other class or their senpais. And the older students could get to assess the fresh batch and teach them a lesson or two. It can be overwhelming at times, especially when sparring with the third-years, but everyone’s having fun and that’s what matters.
But if anyone was the most affected by this new development, it would be dear Nirei-kun, who wasn’t used to fighting, and therefore the one with the lowest stamina out of the bunch. That, and because some of his other sparring partners weren’t as considerate as Suo, it really drained him to the core during these sparring sessions.
And although he improves as time passes, today was no different.
“Haaaahh… hah!” The small blond pants, making his way next to Suo then throwing himself down the floor next to him.
“You did great out there, Nirei-kun.” Suo pats his slumped friend, who is looking like he’s on the verge of passing out. Suo could practically see his soul seeping out of his mouth.
Suo enjoys watching on the sidelines, letting the other boys have their fun and observing them. He rarely participates. His fighting style is more making his opponents trip their feet and knocking them out quickly instead of punching the living lights out of them. His peers might get frustrated with him because of that. So, he sometimes makes the excuse of preparing food and drinks for everyone, or just straight up steals Nirei to teach him some moves.
However, someone has caught his eye today. An upperclassman in 2-2. He doesn’t have a big name, but the more Suo observes him, the more he’s convinced that the guy is so much more than he lets on.
“Nirei-kun. Do you know who that person is?” Suo points at the guy, who was helping Anzai up after knocking him off-balance, smiling nicely.
“Eh? Oh, that’s Iwamoto Arima-san. He’s kind and gentle. Mainly plays a support role in fights. I have a few stories about him in my notebook. Do you wanna read them?”
Honestly, Nirei-kun’s head is like a library. Suo’s actually impressed and proud of his friend. It takes a special mind to have a skill like that. Suo couldn’t even imagine remembering that much information about a complete stranger. Not to mention a town’s worth of strangers.
“It’s a good thing I brought it today, but I left it in our classroom. We can check it out later!”
“I can go there now.” Suo offers, smiling at Nirei. He has nothing to do and he doesn’t think he can make another excuse if someone challenges him to a fight. If there’s a chance to escape, now is the time. Plus, he can learn more about that senpai. Two birds, one stone.
The other boy looks nervous and guilty in return.
“R-Right now? What about training?”
“I’m more intrigued about Iwamoto-san than joining. You rest here, Nirei-kun. I’ll be right back shortly.” Suo smiles at him, making his way towards the exit.
“Okay! It’s on the fourth notebook from the front!”
Suo isn’t surprised to see the classroom empty. But it feels strange for it to be this quiet. Everyone’s belongings are scattered about, but their owners aren’t present. It made Suo feel a bit lonely to be there.
He goes to where the three of them normally sit and immediately finds Nirei’s bag. The inside is very organized. He had at least 8 notebooks with him, but considering its size, he guesses they don’t weigh much.
Suo chuckles lightly at the sight. They all look the same. Perhaps Nirei likes this particular brand and style. Curious, he checks all of them to see if all the notebooks are indeed similar. The writings on the front are painted by Nirei himself, but as Suo goes by them one by one, they all look so identical that it looks printed out.
He reaches the last notebook and pauses.
This one… is different.
The notebook is about as small as all the other notebooks Nirei owns. The style is the same, everything is the same.
But the ink… The ‘Top Secret’ on the front is written in bright red instead of black, making it stick out like a sore thumb. Curiosity gets the better of Suo. He opens the notebook before the thought of how wrong it is catches his brain and stops him.
The format is different. Nirei usually keeps his notes brief but understandable. The profile is usually first before the other information. But this one starts with a long paragraph. It doesn’t even have a table of contents like the others.
Suo’s eye starts reading.
‘I have never done this before. Usually, I make formal notes free from subjective opinions, but I really need to get this out of my chest. There's no one I could talk to about this and it’s driving me insane. I can’t tell Sakura-san and Suo-san for obvious reasons. Kiryu-san would straight up tell or tease them. Tsugeura, well. The other guys in 1-1 wouldn’t believe me or would immediately spill the beans to the rest of the class. Hiragi-san, Kaji-san, and most of all, Sugishita-san wouldn’t care at all. I mean, they would care, but they’ll act all nonchalant. Don’t get me started on Umemiya-san and the rest of the Heavenly Kings.
I guess I could tell Kotoha-chan, but this is all just speculation. I don’t want to bother her with something I’m not even 100% sure about.
That’s right, I couldn’t tell anyone . So, I decided to do what I do best: Write down my observations. This is a little awkward for me. It’s my first time experiencing this so I don’t really know what I can do for them, or if I should do anything at all. And from the looks of it, it’ll take a while before things develop. Those two are very oblivious about each other. I’m shocked that even Suo-san hasn’t noticed yet.
Oho, Suo is intrigued. What did dear Nirei discover that he can’t tell Suo nor Sakura about. Moreover, what did he find out that Suo hadn't even caught wind of?
But, well, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
But this is also a free note to express how I feel. I shouldn’t hold back. I can write anything I want here! I did this for myself. To ease my burdens and free myself.
Deep breaths, Akihiko. All right, here it goes.
Warning: These are all just theories from my (UNRELIABLE!) observations. This could all be wrong. I could just be imagining all these. I might just be hallucinating or misunderstanding everything HAHA!!!
In the case someone reads this: Please don’t tell anyone for my sake and sanity and safety. I don’t know what would happen if this gets out. Pleasepleaseplease–
MOVING ON!
Sight:
Sakura Haruka-san, with Suo-san within the line of sight: Prolonged staring, eyes drifting downward after two seconds of eye contact. It would take about three seconds before realizing he’s staring and looks somewhere else. Blush is deep when this happens.
(Hypothesis: He’s looking at Suo-san’s tassel earrings. I admit, they’re quite elegant. I could understand the staring a little)
If Suo-san is within two to four meters of range: Tinged cheeks. Could be mistaken that it’s from the humidity.
If Suo-san is within one-meter range: Blush is more prominent. Tends to stutter these days, though easy to brush off. Could be mistaken as your typical not-used-to-affection-Sakura-san.
Additional notes: Sometimes, when we’re just relaxing, I could see Sakura-san’s eyes looking for Suo-san. They’d wander around at first, but when he finds him, his eyes either settle or flicker between Suo-san and everywhere else.
Sound:
Whenever Suo-san speaks: Sakura-san would always turn to look at him. If it’s a teasing remark: almost no reaction. But if Suo-san is explaining something, he listens attentively. A bit more relaxed. Shoulders droop and his face softens. Looks ready to sleep anytime.
Additional notes: If Suo-san sneaks up on Sakura-san, Sakura-san would look more panic-y and jittery and nervous. Blush prominent. Focus: completely out the window. Drops everything he was doing. Suo-san usually grants him mercy by not mentioning/teasing him about it, or gets saved if there’s an outside interruption.
Touch:
Oh boy.
I think this segment deserves an entire notebook. I could go all day writing about Sakura-san’s different reactions to all kinds of situations. But this is a brief summary, I’ll write a rant about this at a different time (or if I can’t take it anymore).
Compressed version: It’s obvious to everyone that Sakura-san isn’t used to touching, by extension to not being used to everyone treating him nicely (I’ll make a comprehensive analysis about this some other time). He’s like a street cat that hisses and runs away when you get too close. But day by day, he’s slowly but surely warming up to us. I’m very happy that he doesn’t get his defenses up by default anymore whenever we’re around him!
When it comes to Suo-san, however…
Let’s just say it’s like we went back to our first month in Furin. But only with Suo-san. I get that his aura is a little on the distant side and his walls are up higher than everyone else’s, but hmmm… I don’t know, it’s very notable how Sakura-san gets hyper-alert whenever Suo-san is close to touching him. I could see the blaring alarms on his head whenever this happens (let’s not ignore his bright red blush too).
Smell:
No notes to be added. Suo-san smells like tea and antiques.
Taste:
Something I noticed while eating is that Sakura-san often checks Suo-san’s food first. Suo-san doesn’t seem to be aware of this. But as someone who’s not them, I could see it all.
If Suo-san’s food seems to be lacking, Sakura-san would put more snacks he got from town next to him. If Suo-san thanks him, he’d blush and deny it (tsundere mode). If Suo-san refuses, he’d try to act nonchalant, but you can see a pout and sense a kicked puppy vibe if you look close enough. (Suo-san mentioned dieting, which makes me think that if he hadn’t said that, Sakura-san would offer more food to him.)
Suo-san would often leave food he likes the least for last or would not eat it at all. It looks like Sakura-san has noticed as well, because he’d eat it for Suo-san under the guise of wanting to try it. Sakura-san would also take note of which kinds of food Suo-san seems to like. He’d be attentive to his expressions when trying out different food. If Suo-san seemed to be enjoying his food, Sakura-san would literally give his portion up for him (well, except for his favorite food. But I’m starting to think he’s getting to the point of sacrificing even the things he really likes to see Suo-san happy).
Conclusion: Sakura Haruka may have romantic feelings for Suo Hayato.
I’m not completely sure about this, but my heart and gut say that this is the case. I might ask him one day, but it looks like he’s still dealing with a lot of stuff himself. It also looks like he already has someone to talk about his problems with (maybe Kotoha-chan or Tsubaki-san), but it would also be nice if he opened up to me too ^-^
Now for the next question: Does Suo-san feel the same?
Suo-san is a mystery. Inside and outside of this context. I barely had notes before I met him. And I didn’t know a lot of things even when we became friends.
But as for my observations, I’ll try to write as many notes as possible, but there are only so few. Suo-san is so composed all the time.
Ehem.
Suo-san likes teasing Sakura-san a lot. More so than others. If what we get from Suo-san are just the usual jokes and light teasing, Suo-san sometimes straight-up messes with him.
(But I don’t know. Suo-san could just be amused by Sakura-san’s reactions. And I’m getting the feeling it’s not just pigtail-pulling, too. Suo-san just has that side of him we didn’t notice until later. But well, that’s observation number one. It’s so hard to read him.)
Speaking of Suo-san’s personality. Other than his playful side, Suo-san is extremely kind and patient. He’d teach Sakura-san if there’s something he can’t wrap his head around. He’d guide Sakura-san if he’s confused as to what to do next. He’d help Sakura-san whenever he’s in trouble.
(But… Suo-san is kind to everyone who’s not an enemy. Isn’t he just treating Sakura-san the same way as us?)
And I don’t know if it’s worth mentioning but during fights, Suo-san would quietly observe Sakura-san whenever he’s not fighting. He’d get a protective look on him whenever Sakura-san gets hurt.
(But isn’t he just looking out for our Grade Captain? I worry about Sakura-san, too)
Hmm… what else? Suo-san is loyal towards Sakura-san. They haven’t known each other for long but I’m getting the feeling that Suo-san would do just about anything Sakura-san would ask of him. And as Vice Grade Captain, he really shows his support towards Sakura-san when managing the class and handling other affairs.
(But uhh… I admire him as a leader, too. I’m willing to do the same, and so does everyone else. So, isn’t he just the same as us?)
Conclusion: I can’t draw a conclusion. Suo-san acts too normal compared to the obvious signs Sakura-san shows. Does he just not feel the same way? Is Sakura-san’s (possible) feelings not requited?
But I’m not giving up! If I were to present hard evidence that Suo-san might feel the same, the hardest one I could give would definitely be the way he looks at Sakura-san when he’s not looking. It’s too soft and too enamored. I have never seen him look at anyone else like that. Only at Sakura-san. Exclusively for Sakura-san.
But to confirm this theory, I’ll need Sakura-san to notice this and see if his Romance-Sensor reacts to it. (Which I doubt would happen anytime now. Suo-san is just too good at hiding it.)
But my Romance-Sensor is going off. Anyone with eyes and especially as someone around them everyday would notice their changing dynamic. Their lingering and longing gazes. Their soft laughter. The meaningful smiles.
Maybe I should consult Kiryu-san, after all. He’s another perceptive one. I’m sure he noticed the same things I have. Or maybe Kotoha-chan. She seems to understand Sakura-san the most if I have to be completely honest. And maybe she’d give me advice on what to do, too. Or maybe Tsubaki-san. They seem to know a lot about love, and has that mature mindset I think I’d need…
Continuing on.
I think this would be a first for both of them. Sakura-san still has a long way to go from loving himself completely. He still has a lot to discover and learn about himself, and he still has a lot of obstacles to overcome.
And Suo-san… well, he’s Suo-san. But it’s clear that he deeply cares about those around him. There must be a reason why he hides so much from everyone, but I hope he’d come around and open up to us more.
All I can do now, I think, is to wait.
It’s completely fine if I’m wrong about everything. We’re still friends and every day is still fun with them. Nothing would change.
But it would be very nice if it was true. I want to see them happy together. They’re my closest friends and I love them very much! I want the best for them, and I think that ‘best something’ for them is each other.
Gosh, that was corny. But those are my real feelings. I truly and hopefully think that they can make one another happy in that way.
I’m rooting for them!
– Akihiko ’
By the time he closes the notebook, Suo could tell that he’s blushing from the heat on his face.
Oh, wow.
Dear Nirei has… written a lot of interesting things.
Multiple questions arise inside Suo’s brain, rethinking all his interactions with his two friends. But one question sticks out in front of the others in big, bold letters:
Was that all true?
Because if it was… then that changes a lot of things.
It would mean that Sakura held those feelings for him all this time. It would mean that their interactions meant more than he thought. It would mean that their relationship could turn into something else. It would mean that he has a chance–
“SUO!” Sakura all but slams the classroom door open. “Where’ve you gone, asshole? Nirei was worried sick when you didn’t return.” He stomps towards the eyepatched boy. Suo quickly composes himself, giving the other boy a closed-eyed smile.
Speaking of the devil. An adorable, blushing devil.
But contrary to Nirei’s notes, Sakura’s eyes do not wander down to the lower part of Suo’s face. He maintains eye contact this time. Suo concludes that this only happens when Sakura is out of focus or has nothing in his mind at the moment.
A blonde head peeks from the doorway.
“Suo-san! Sorry, I thought you’d just get the notebook and– ooAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!” Nirei’s face pales sheet white and bolts towards Suo.
“T-THAT’S THE WRONG ONE, SUO-SAN! PLEASE DON’T READ IT! PLEASE PUT IT BACK!” Suo’s eye glints mischievously.
“These are some interesting information, Nirei-kun! So detailed .” Suo teases, raising his arm so the shorter male couldn’t reach it.
“NOOOOOOOOO!”
“Oi.” Sakura glares at Suo, telling him to stop with the teasing. Suo laughs in response, darting his tongue out playfully. And oh how that distracted Sakura effectively.
Poor Nirei wails and gives up, slumping against Suo.
“Please kill me.” He grumbles against Suo’s uniform. The taller boy laughs.
“Haha! We won’t do that, Nirei-kun.”
“What’s up with that, anyway? It looks different.” Sakura cuts in, pointing at the notebook Suo is holding.
“Hmm, this? Let’s just say, it’s a very special notebook with very special information written in it.”
“Special? How?”
Nirei makes a sound akin to a dog dying, and Suo decides it’s time to give him a break. He pats Nirei’s back reassuringly then whispers.
“Shh, It’s okay, Nirei-kun. I’m not mad. No one’s mad. We can talk about this later, okay?” Nirei sniffs, then nods. He dejectedly walks out of the classroom and presumably back to the training grounds.
“You teased him too much. Look what you did.” Sakura grunts, looking over to the doorway.
“Haha! He’ll be fine. Nothing a few reassurances couldn’t fix.” Suo saunters back to Nirei’s bag, puts the ‘special notebook’ back in its place, then grabs the notebook he went there for in the first place.
Sakura waits for him, crossing his arms and trying to look at everything but Suo.
“I was only gone for a few minutes, Sakura-kun. Did you miss me already?” He teases, earning him a defensive look and a red face.
“W-What?! No, you asshole! E-Everyone noticed that you weren’t there for a while!”
“Sure,” Suo walks up to Sakura, leaning in closer than usual. He sees how Sakura’s breath hitched and how his blush grew hotter, if that was even possible. “Shall we?”
Ah, he couldn’t help it. Teasing Sakura is in his nature, after all. Nirei’s right in his notes. He does enjoy enticing all these reactions from the bi-colored boy. They’re quite amusing.
And with this newly acquired knowledge, who wouldn’t want to try it out? Definitely not Suo. He’ll make sure to make full use of those info. He’ll push and pry to prove them. He’ll wring them dry to get results.
And if Nirei is indeed correct and Sakura does feel that way for Suo? Well, that would be a happy ending for everyone.