Archive of Our Own

“...I need your help.”

“Oh boy!” 

Taira absolutely despised the way in which Yamada was practically vibrating with pure excitement after his words.

Both figuratively and very much literally.

The guy was visibly shaking.

“We´ll try our best.” 

He also heavily resented the way in which Tani was just staring at him without blinking or showing any hint of emotion whatsoever. 

How was he supposed to know if he really wanted to help if he didnt express it at least a little bit?!

Close to muttering his first sarcastic comment only a couple of minutes into their meeting, Taira instead sighed and questioned how he found himself in this situation.

…The short answer was that he had asked the other two to pick him up after his shift at the supermarket had ended so that he could discuss something urgent with them, and they had agreed surprisingly quickly. 

The long version of the story included an overly stupid advertisement poster, his lack of social skills and restraint, not to mention rational thinking in certain situations, and a very cute but also very irritating laugh that just kept getting him into trouble these days!

…No, that last one was a lie.

Blaming Azuma for his misery was not the way to go. As usual, he had been able to dig this hole just fine on his own. She had just… stood at the edge of it encouraging him to dig ever deeper if you so will.

“Dude.” When he was snapped out of his thoughts by Yamada, Taira was kinda happy to see that the fake-blonde wasnt shaking anymore. Instead, he was frowning at him, however, which was also mildly annoying. “How tough was your shift? You look exhausted.”

“I´m not exhausted because of work!”

“...Didnt sleep well?” Surprisingly, Tani hit the nail on the head on the first try. 

“No.” Taira wasnt about to let him know that, of course. Even someone like him possessed a minimum of self-respect. “You guys are just tiring me out.”

Tani seemed confused. “You asked us to come though?”

Fair point, but also shut up.

“Right!” Before Taira could reply, Yamada beat him to it, some of his former energy seemingly having returned to his body. “Now spill it! What's got you worried, son?”

“I´m not your son.” He had to clarify before sighing again and getting back on topic. “And I asked you to come here because, crazy as it sounds, I think you two might be able to help me not make a fool out of myself for once.”

Thank god the playground Yamada had taken them to after they came to pick him up was empty at this hour, because Taira was uncertain if he would be able to speak about his foolishness out loud if even a single other soul was present.

Judgmental eyes of middle-aged mothers and their offspring… seriously, what could be worse?

“What did you do?”

“Failed another math test? I´m sorry, I´m out of my depth there too, buddy.”

“I´m well aware.” He glared at Yamada for a second before his eyes softened. “No, it's got nothing to do with school. It´s something private. I have been- I mean, I did-” Biting his tongue, Taira pretty much invited one of the two to interrupt him a third time just so that he might drag out the inevitable a bit longer, but neither of them did. 

Useless.

Screw it, he just had to come right out and say it then. Rip off the band-aid.

“I might have accidentally invited someone on a date yesterday, and now I dont know what to do.”

“Oh.” 

“A date?!” 

Both of their reactions were so typical it made him groan.

“Yes, a date.” He shifted back a little so that more of his weight rested on his hands and looked towards the sky. “…I think.”

“You think?”

“With whom?! No, dont tell me!” Seriously? Now this guy wasnt even going to let him answer? Worst counselor ever. “It´s Watanabe, right?”

Both Tani and Taira just stared at him after that utter load of nonsense. “What?”

“It´s not Watanabe.” Taira clarified. He wanted there to be no mistake about that. None whatsoever. “She would fold me like origami paper and then gift me to her little sister to show off in preschool, where I would get torn apart by all the snot-nosed brats and their sticky, dirty fingers if I ever were to ask that crazy woman on a date. Even accidentally.”

“That´s weirdly specific, man.”

“It´s  what would happen.” Taira could picture it right in front of his eyes as if he was watching a horror movie.

“So, it's Azuma-san then, right?” Quickly, everybody's eyes shifted toward Tani. "Its not?"

“How do you even-”

“Miy- I mean Suzuki-san has more than a dozent so called shipping names for the two of you.” He said with nothing but a shrug. “It was a likely guess in my opinion.”

That´s it; Suzuki was definitely going on his “I´m gonna get you back someday” list. An imaginary item that had gotten increasingly full as time went on, it appeared.

“Azuma would have been my second guess!” A slightly embarrassed Yamada joined in before Taira could voice his misgivings. 

“I haven't said yes yet.” The embarrassed expression on Yamada´s face made room for a doubtful one, and even Tani had the audacity to raise a questioning eyebrow at him. To his great shame, Taira folded like a leaf. “Fine, it's Azuma… Don´t celebrate!”

Thankfully, Taira managed to take hold of Yamada´s sleeve before he could start jumping around.

“Why not?! That´s incredible news! I love love!”

“Stop it!”

“Congratulations, Taira.”

“Dont congratulate me!”

Why did he think these two morons would be able to help him again? And why were his lips trying to turn upwards against his will?! He must be more delusional than he thought…

“Wait!” Suddenly, Yamada froze and turned serious. Well, as serious as he could at least. “You said accidentally before, right?”

“Right,” Tani confirmed with a nod. “I heard it as well.”

“Of course it was accidental!” Someone like Azuma would never just say yes to an invitation from someone like him, much less invite him herself. “That´s the issue.”

“Ah, I understand now.” There was a bright twinkle in Yamada´s eye. He looked almost as smug as Suzuki often did. Taira feared for the future. “You need us to give you advice because we´re such formidable and experienced boyfriends. I gotcha.”

“Yes.” He blurted out to his unbridled shock. “I mean no! …Maybe? I dont know.” This was all far too messy. He just wanted to go home and continue digging his hole… even without Azuma cheering him on if he had to.

“Could you elaborate?” Tani put a hand on his shoulder in a misplaced attempt to calm him down. “I do not understand how one accidentally invites someone on a date.”

“Yeah!”

“I didnt think it was a date at the time, obviously!” He defended himself. “We were just goofing around, and I suggested something, and then she said it sounded cool, and before I could comprehend what was happening, she had already bought two tickets for us! For tomorrow!”

Taira still couldnt believe that had happened. 

He was a total millennial in that regard. No laptop, no financial transaction. Which is why it had caught him so off guard when Azuma bought the tickets in a matter of seconds on her phone.

“That is pretty spontaneous.” Tani agreed.

“I think it sounds like she´s really excited about it though!” Mister positive over there truly had no idea what he was talking about. “Where are you guys going anyway?”

Groaning as if he had a stomachache, Taira folded in on himself a little more. 

“Promise me you won't laugh.” They did, even though he knew they would break that promise as soon as he opened his mouth. 

Hell, he would have broken that promise too if he were in their shoes!

“We´re going to watch…”

.

.

.

“New Japan All around the Ring Pro Wrestling Bananza?!”

Azuma had to lower the volume of her phone; Suzuki was screaming so loud.

“That sounds like my kind of spot for a first date.” She could see Watanabe nodding along in the bottom left corner of her screen, while Sato was rubbing her face on the other side.

The screen showing Suzuki was just showing the ceiling of her room. She had dropped her phone, apparently.

“You know me.” Azuma chuckled to overplay her slight blush. “Always up for the unconventional.”

“A little too unconventional, dont you think?” 

Sato was right, of course. 

Things had just gotten completely out of hand. 

One moment, Azuma was so touched by the fact that Taira had waited for her at the school gate to finish her trip to the teacher's office so that they could still walk home together that she could barely look at his face, and in the next she had paid almost 10000 yen for two tickets to a random wrestling show that would be happening tomorrow… all just because Taira had looked kinda excited about it.

“I dont know what came over me.” She confessed with another giggle. “We saw that poster on the train, and he was just so funny talking about these masked wrestlers and how they could do all these crazy moves.” Azuma had even tried to bait him into doing a handstand on the train, which had gotten her an even more precious reaction. “I just couldnt help myself. He said he would go with me, and I didnt want to give him time to change his mind, so I just bought the tickets right then and there!” 

Putting the phone face down on her bed allowed her to scream into her pillow for a second. A perfectly timed decision because Suzuki just screamed into her microphone again.

Being so spontaneous was normally not her style, but Taira just had a magical way to pull this stuff out of her! It was his fault entirely, honestly. He was driving her crazy, and there was nothing she could do about it!

Even worse, he did it without even knowing!

“Thats crazy! Tairazuma!” She could practically hear the heart Suzuki was currently forming with her hands.

“Maybe I should buy a ticket too. I kinda wanna see that.” Nabe mumbled to herself.

“So, just to make it clear, you asked him out then, right?”

“No.” Completely sobered up, Azuma picked up her phone again. “He asked me out.” 

There was no mistaking it. After all, she could still hear his voice in her ear. The entire sentence. Word for word, including his slightly weird but mostly adorable augh at the end. 

He had asked her if she wanted to go… Azuma had just… taken the opportunity by the horns, so to speak.

“Then you´re sure this is a date? I mean, we´re talking about Taira here.”

Sato made a valid point. More than valid even. Her doubts about the formalities of their date were half the reason why Azuma had requested this emergency video call, but she was tending to be optimistic for once.

Maybe Suzuki had infected her with her overly optimistic personality or something.

Speaking of which.

“Of course this is a date!” The bubbly pinkett chimed in almost angrily. “My one true ship is finally taking to the sea, and I won't have you keep it at the docks because of some kind of taxation technicality!”

She appreciated the support, truly, even though the picture her far-too-involved friend was painting made her feel even more nervous. 

Azuma had come clean to the girls sometime late during their second year of high school, almost six months ago. 

Initially, she had wanted to keep all her feelings to herself, fearing she might ruin things even more than she already was with other people knowing, but at some point, it had just become too much for her to handle on her own. 

If she wanted to keep a clear head and rational mind, she needed someone to talk to about this topic. About her stupid crush and about how she feared it might ruin her relationship with her best friend. 

And the girls had been great about it. Supportive through and through without being too pushy, even though Suzuki clearly had an agenda from the very start. 

The three of them had lifted a weight off of her shoulders, making it easier for Azuma to handle the entire thing with grace, and lowering the risk of her doing something she might regret.

…That didnt mean she never did anything stupid anymore, though. Case in point: wrestling date.

“I dont know,” Watanabe said while her fingers were flying over the keyboard of her phone. She was clearly trying to look up tickets for tomorrow. “As Aoi said, we´re talking about Taira here. Without intervention, he has probably talked himself into believing he had pressured Azu to buy these tickets already.” 

“Please, that´s stupid.” She chuckled. “I was so excited about it. There is no way he would ever doubt-”

.

.

.

“Maybe she doesn't really want to go with me…” 

Taira muttered while dragging his finger through the sand, mindlessly drawing circles.

“It's such a stupid event, am I right? Perhaps she just got swept away by the moment or something. Girls tend to do these sorts of things, do they not?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Pinky and Bain were as helpful as ever.

“Suzuki-san enjoys being swept away by the moment,” Tani explained. “Going with the flow, I think she calls it.”

“Natsumi-chan´s the total opposite!” Yamada snickered with a fond expression on his face. “She always needs to have a plan! And a backup plan. And a backup to the backup plan! If anything goes wrong, she gets totally fidgety! It's seriously the cutest!”

“Focus, okay?” Taira didnt want to hear about his perfect little relationship with the girl next door while he was wallowing in his own misery. “Maybe I should just call her and cancel. It might be my safest option, and I could pay her back the money some other ti-”

“No.”

“No.” 

Okay, Taira must have said something seriously wrong somewhere for both his friends to disagree with him so easily. 

“That´s the worst you could do right now! As I said, Azuma is probably totally looking forward to tomorrow! You´d break her heart!”

“He´s right.” Tani agreed. During their talk, he had somehow managed to build an entire sandcastle, by the way. “Evidence would suggest that Azuma-san was very happy that you asked her out. She always has a smile on her face when you wait for her after school as well, so maybe she simply enjoys spending time with you regardless of what you´re doing.”

“Pff. Please.” Snorting, Taira just waved his words away, ignoring the fact that it made him feel slightly jealous when Tani talked as if he was watching Azuma closely. “She just doesn't want to walk home alone. Nobody wants that.” Well, he hadn't minded in the beginning, but had readily enough accepted Azuma´s company once she clearly offered it. Nowadays, he always felt a bit lonely when having to go home without her. “That doesn't mean she wants to spend time with me.”

“You´re always so negative, dude!” Yamada pouted. “You´re never going to get the girl with that attitude!”

“I agree.”

“You guys are just spoiled.” He spat back. “Just because both of you have, by some miracle, won the girlfriend-lottery doesn't mean everybody else does. Especially me.” Nobody was as great at talking himself up as Taira. “I mean, seriously, do you guys honestly believe that a popular girl like Azuma would be like, giddy about spending time with a guy like me? Please.”

.

.

.

“I just can't wait for tomorrow!” Azuma squealed into her phone for the third time while going through her closet. 

“Say, Nabe, what does one wear to a wrestling event?” She wanted to show Taira that she was all in on their date after all. 

“Well, according to some messenger in a forum, it doesn't really matter.” The blond had bought a ticket for herself by this point, but had promised to stay out of their way. “There seem to be a lot of merchandise stands at the arena, so you are expected to buy something there… oh wow, you can actually buy authentic title belts! Boy! Count me in!”

That was good to know, she guessed, but didnt help her when thinking of an outfit. 

“Pick something casual, nothing too fancy,” Sato advised. “Probably not the type of event for a dress.”

“Not to mention that Taira would faint if you chose something too pretty, Azu!” It was meant as a joke, but Suzuki´s words made her pout nonetheless.

“But I wanna show off a little. Who knows when or if I get such an opportunity again?”

It had been a minor miracle for him to ask her out in such a direct way, and luck never struck twice! At least not for her. 

“Ah, I understand.” The smug pinkett nodded. “You´re planning on securing yourself a boyfriend by the end of that date, am I right, girly? In that case, I suggest you go full throttle!” Everybody turned to look at her expectedly, and Suzuki deflated a little. “Ehm, and by that I mean, like, maybe a shirt that exposes your shoulder?”

“...Daring.”

“I mean it's still a public event! Modesty needs to prevail!”

“Getting back to topic.” Ever the rational one, Sato intervened once again. “If you really want him to understand how you feel, you will need to talk straight with him. Taira is the type of guy who won't get any hints no matter how obvious they are.”

“Believe me, I´m the last person you have to tell that to.” Azuma had practically acted like a blushing maiden around him ever since she realized her feelings for the doof at the end of their first year, and he had still not taken the hint. “I dont want to pressure him though…”

Ideally, it would be him that made the next move… just like it had been him who had invited her on this date! 

Yes, she was sticking to that story.

“A little pressure surely can't hurt, can it?”

“I´m his best friend.” Azuma could say that with certainty by now after everything they had been through together. “I dont want him to think he has to love me to stay by his side.”

“Ooooh.” Suzuki squealed and dropped her phone again, and even Sato looked a bit touched. 

“Maybe I should just like… act normal? Like we usually do? Make him feel comfortable and safe and then see where things go.” She contemplated out loud. “I mean, I wouldn't want him to freak out over something that´s supposed to be fun for us.”

.

.

.

“Aaaarghh!” Taira ruffled his hair like a madman. “What do I do?!”

“Chill out, man.” Yamada, who had joined in with Tani´s castle project at some point, just like Taira, was looking at him as if he was the one being unreasonable. “It's just a regular date.”

“No, you dont get it!” He exclaimed. “I cannot mess this up! I dont want to lose her! If it looks like I´m coming on to her, our friendship might take a serious hit.”

His two friends only looked at him for a second before Tani broke the silence. 

“She really means a lot to you, doesn't she?”

“Duh.” If it hadn't been made obvious by this point, Taira was pretty sure it never would. 

Azuma was his best friend. The best thing that had happened to him ever since middle school, even though he only realized it during high school, and his most important relationship outside of his family. 

He couldnt risk losing her by suddenly acting like a lovesick teenager! Who knew if it was even truly love he was feeling? He had never even had a crush before, so maybe all these things he was feeling were just half-baked like everything else he did in life.

“I think it would be best if you went into tomorrow with a blank mind.” Tani suddenly suggested.

“The heck is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh! I think I get it.” Yamada made finger guns at his head. “You overthink everything! Shoot yourself in the foot. Just dont think tomorrow! Do what feels right and just enjoy the date! Then everything will turn out fine!”

A sarcastic reply was once again at the tip of his tongue, but, just this once, he held himself back. 

The three of them had been talking about his problem for two solid hours at this point. Neither of the two had complained even after the sun had set. 

They were seriously trying to help him, and if that was the case… then maybe he should listen to their advice for a change… and be a little bit more grateful.

…It didnt change how he felt though.

“You guys have a point, but I´m seriously afraid I´ll mess it up.” He confessed. “I dont- I just- I can't lose her.” 

His eyes were beginning to water, and he hated it. He hated being so frightened of everything. 

Why could he not be decisive like his friends? 

Why could he not just grasp a precious opportunity when it presented itself? 

What did they have that he lacked? 

…Or was his constant belief that he lacked something his true problem in the first place? 

“I dont think you´ll lose her whatever happens tomorrow, Taira.” With a voice just as even as if he was talking about the weather, one wouldn't believe that Tani´s eyes seemed to be full of determination. “Azuma-san clearly cherishes your friendship just as much as you do. I´m sure of that. If both of you are honest to each other and dont hold back, you´ll be completely fine.”

Taira couldnt stop himself from staring at his friend. Yamada neither, but the blond snapped back into reality much faster, swinging an arm around Tani. 

“Well spoken, my man!”

“Not so hard, please.”

“Taira!” Now it was Yamada´s turn to preach. “Just have fun tomorrow! Enjoy your date! If something goes wrong, you always have us! Just complain about it afterward, and then we´ll make it right! We got your back!”

The hint of a smile made its way onto his face.

“Thanks… I´ll see what I can do.”

“Thats the spirit!”

If he was being honest with himself, he still felt horribly nervous. Even with that pep talk and after having received all that extra encouragement, he couldnt help but doubt himself.

He wasnt doubting Azuma, though. Rationally speaking, there was no way he would be able to mess up badly enough for her to not wanna be friends anymore. 

She was far too nice for that. He just didnt want her to have to be this nice to be friends with him

Regardless, maybe Yamada and Tani had a point. 

Sure, he didnt know anything about wrestling and all that, and by himself, he would have never gone to such an event, but with Azuma… he was looking forward to it. 

He had denied it before for Azuma, but it was totally true for him: 

So long as he was with her, it didnt matter what they did; he would have fun either way.

.

.

.

“Have fun tomorrow, Zuma-chan!”

“Tell us all about it afterward, okay?”

“I´ll try to start a Mexican Wave at some point, so keep an eye on the crowd!”

“Thanks, girls!” By the end of their chat, Azuma was still feeling nervous, but it was the excited kind of nervous. The type that didnt allow her to not smile for even a second over the last half hour or so. “I´ll keep you in the loop!”

After disconnecting their call, she let her head fall back on her soft pillow. 

One thing was for certain: she would once again make a total fool out of herself tomorrow. At the latest when she would try to convince Taira to buy matching merch.

Funny thing was, she was looking forward to it.

More than that, she could barely wait!

All she wanted was to be with him. To make memories with him. To make him laugh, just like he made her laugh all the time, willingly or otherwise!

Never in her life had she felt like that about someone.

Taira was… unique.

Because of him, even the prospect of some stupid wrestling show was enough to keep her up at night.

—--------------------------------------

As he and Azuma were once again standing at their usual train station where they always parted ways, Taira still couldnt believe what had happened during the past few hours.

The day had gone… perfectly.

Seriously! It couldnt have gone any better even in his wildest dreams.

He had been so ridiculously nervous when they met up right around where they were now only a couple of hours earlier, and the fact that Azuma somehow looked even more beautiful than normally had made the situation twice as difficult to handle. His hands had been sweaty enough for him to almost glide down the railing. 

However, all it had taken was one short train ride, and a funny passenger with a crazy large cowboy head, and the two of them were laughing together as if that previous nervousness had never existed. 

From that point on, he wasnt nervous anymore. He wasnt overthinking everything but instead focused on the here and now, enjoying his time together with his best friend.

This was so out of character for him!

All he had concentrated on during the trip had been Azuma. From beginning to end, and it had been the absolute best decision he had ever made.

Looking at her just kept his soul at ease… god that sounded so tacky, but it was true.

Whether she was complaining about the long line at the food stall, gushing about those weird sunglasses she had made them both buy for a mind-bogglingly high price, or insisting that the blond girl who had gifted one of the wrestlers with a chair had been no other than Nabe, whatever she did, Taira just adored it.

He was seriously down bad.

Enough so that his heart had skipped a beat when she had rested her head on his shoulder on the way home… even though they were both very much awake. The warmth of her breathing against his arm, and the feeling of her cheek pressed against his T-shirt were both still very much present in his mind.

…This was the part where he had to do something about this, right? 

After today, they couldnt just shake hands and say goodbye.

Taira wanted to tell her how much he enjoyed today. How it was only because of her. How, even though he could be all too negative on so many occasions, she brought out the best of him each and every time. 

He wanted to tell her that she was the prettiest girl in the entire country even while wearing these stupid glasses, but he would never be smooth enough to deliver such a line convincingly.

What should he do?!

.

.

.

Azuma was getting seriously fidgety because Taira hadn't spoken a word to her in like five minutes! Not since they stepped out of the train.

She had believed that everything had gone pretty much perfectly before; she had even gotten to cuddle with him for a little, but now she was growing kinda anxious. 

Did she overdo it before? Had she made him feel uncomfortable at the very end? He was the type of person who had a tough time dealing with intimacy after all…

But he had been so kind and accommodating the entire day that she simply hadn't been able to stop herself! She had wanted to be close to him! She still wanted to be close to him!

Her voice was almost gone because of all the yelling and laughter over the last couple of hours, but she still felt giddy enough to imagine all the ways in which she could bring this day to a perfect conclusion and it made her want to scream.

There were so many options!

Should she hug him? Kiss him? Confess?! 

Everything seemed possible right in this moment!

The stars above shone brightly upon them as if to give her their blessing for whatever she chose to do… even though the closest streetlight and all the annoying insects buzzing around it kind of dimmed both view and atmosphere. 

Regardless, nothing was ever going to happen if they didnt speak with each other!

Azuma was ready to take the plunge. To jump into the unknown and totally put herself out there if she had to. 

She could do it. 

She wanted it!

Here goes nothing!

“...”

“...”

…Somebody quickly give her one last push!

“Taira I-”

“Azuma.” 

Of course, this was just her luck! 

They had to speak up at the same time and talk over each other, totally ruining her confidence! However, she suddenly saw something in his eyes that made her want to listen instead of talk. 

“Would you allow me to- I mean, could I walk you home? It´s late, and I dont want you to be alone, even if it isnt that far.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She smiled.

“I´d like that.” They fell into a slow walk beside one another, and Azuma couldnt help the impulse; she kinda wanted to tease him because his phrasing had sounded so bold. “You know, I think you´re the most gentlemanly guy I have ever seen wearing shades at night.”

“Pretty sure the bar isnt high there.”

“Lots of movies I´ve seen over the years beg to differ.”

“Your taste in entertainment seriously needs to be examined.”

She laughed and lightly nudged him with her shoulder. “You didnt seem to mind my taste in entertainment earlier when you were yelling for that big guy to jump down the ladder~” 

Taira made a face and groaned, which prompted Azuma to laugh again.

She wanted to double down on her teasing, so she stepped even closer, but that is when it happened: for the briefest of moments, their hands brushed against one another. 

It caught her off guard enough to make her squiek like a mouse, which prompted her crush to stare at her, which in turn led to her face heating up and a subsequent concentrated stare on the ground. 

Azuma was so distracted by her own embarrassment, she couldnt hear his next words, so she wasnt at all prepared when he suddenly grabbed her hand.

Her head whipped around at the speed of light.

Which was appropriate, because her face must have been as bright as the sun.

“W-w-w-what are you doing?” Stuttering was so not her style, but a daring Taira was not something she could handle right now!

He mumbled something again, clearly embarrassed. It made her feel slightly more at ease. “Come again?”

“I said your hands are cold… mine aren't, so, you know.” Oh my god. When had he turned into someone acting so forward? “...Unless you dont feel comfortable like this. I could completely understan-”

“No!” Her response was very loud, and the heat crept back onto her cheeks. Hopefully Taira could barely see behind these fake sunglasses. “I dont mind… thank you.” She gathered enough confidence to squeeze his hand once… and he returned it!

Internally, Azuma was screaming loud enough to put Suzuki´s strong organ to shame!

Externally, however, they once again reverted to absolute silence as they walked the streets of her neighbourhood at night. 

Hand in hand.

Their pace was slow, slow enough for her to think about all sorts of things she wanted to say, things she wanted to do, and yet, when they arrived at her doorstep way too soon, Azuma had no idea how to start.

The only thing that gave her confidence was that Taira hadn't let go of her hand yet.

Another moment passed where neither of them said a word. Thankfully, Azuma had hyped herself up enough to try and talk to him again when he surprised her once more by speaking up first.

Who was this guy and what had he done to Taira?! 

“Thank you for today.” Before she could react at all, Taira had let go of her hand and instead pulled her into his arms. He was actually hugging her. For the very first time! “I had fun today and… and it was only because of you… I think.”

“...You think?” She muttered against his chest while wrapping her own arms around his much larger frame. 

He was so warm.

“...I know.” He stood straight again and gave her one of those awkward smiles that she believed to be the most adorable sight in the entire world. If he hadn't been simultaneously rubbing her back, she wouldn't have been able to concentrate on anything else.

“Good night, Azuma.”

The moment he let go of her, Azuma pounced.

.

.

.

Taira was still in a world of his own as he sat on a random bench near the train station.

Even though it had been easily fifteen minutes since Azuma had disappeared behind the front door of her house, Taira still felt aflame. 

He concluded that he must be in a coma.

This had to be a fever dream.

Stuff like that just didnt happen.

Not with him.

Beautiful girls didnt just kiss him out of the blue! Nor did they tell him that they would call him soon!

…He had to make sure somehow.

The devil was leading his fingers as he typed a familiar number and put the phone to his ear.

“About time!” Yamada picked up after only a single ring. “How´d it go, dude?”

“...I think I might be in a fever dream.”

“...What?”

“I got kissed.”

“Oh boy! Congratulations!”

“I need you to come here and pinch me so that I know its real.”

“It´s the middle of the night!”

Without another word, he hung up.

He smiled.

So much for asking for help.