It was just about when he was starting to get comfortable with his role that he first noticed it.

Kano had been substituting himself for Ayano for nearly a month by this point. After a few rocky initial attempts, things had smoothed out greatly. He was already used to her way of speaking, but now he had also gotten a handle on her class schedule, the sort of mistakes she made on tests, and how she was expected to react to her friends.

It was because he had learned these things, especially the last one, that he noticed something strange about Shintaro's reactions. True, they were always obnoxious. He blew off Ayano as if she were a bother, always ignoring her when it suited him or brushing past her without so much as a glance back. It was the sort of thing that made Kano, who cared for his older sister more than anything else in this world, want to wrap his hands around his neck. Maybe it was lucky that he never saw Shintaro while wearing his own face anymore.

But because he was watching, he noticed. Sometimes, when Kano gave Ayano's embarrassed little laugh, Shintaro would suppress a small shiver in return. Sometimes he swallowed thickly when she moved closer. Sometimes, rather than just rolling his eyes at the wrong answers, he'd actually start to get annoyed at her.

Because Kano was watching as an outside observer, he saw it.

"Nee-chan, are you busy?" One night after going to school for her for the afternoon, Kano poked his head into Ayano's bedroom.

She looked up from what she was reading, smiled, and shook her head. "No, just the homework. Come on in."

He moved inside and closed the door behind him. "Nee~chan! This is about your friends. It's an important question, so answer honestly, okay?"

She laughed at the way he leaned in as he said it, almost as if asking for a secret but speaking far too easily for such a thing. "Okay, Shuuya."

"Do you like Shintaro?"

The way her face suddenly lit up a bright red was more than enough of an answer. Ugh, now he needed to pretend to have a crush, did he? Maybe he would have been happier having not asked. "A-ah… ahahah! Wh-where did this question come from, Shuuya…?"

"Well, I was wondering, since I'm pretty sure he likes you."

Even brighter red. This was, most certainly, a crush. "E… eeeh? That's not… ah, Shintaro-kun isn't the sort of person who would like someone! So, maybe, you're wrong this time…?" Though she was still flushed, she averted her gaze awkwardly, as if unsure which truth she should be hoping for.

Kano just put a smile on his face. "Maybe! Well, that was all. Good luck with the homework!"

"Ah, wait, but I didn't answer!...?"

He shook his head. "No, no, you answered well enough. Good night!"

"Wha—hey, Shuuya! Y-you know not to do anything strange, right?!"

Kano simply grinned at her and gave a small wave as he slipped back out of her room and closed the door behind him.

Ah, this sucked.

Actually, if he'd had his way, he would have sabotaged whatever budding romance there was between his precious sister and that terrible, selfish jerk. But… since it was something that Ayano seemed to want, that sort of thing was out of the question. Instead, he adjusted his behavior slightly and continued as before.

Any time Shintaro said something that could be seen even slightly as praise, Kano gave Ayano's usual smile, but started to put a little more red on her face. If Shintaro asked a personal question, Kano fidgeted a moment longer than would be usual before responding. Shintaro seemed not to care. No, more accurately, he seemed to deliberately ignore it. Well, that much was fine with Kano. He hated the way his sister cared so much for this guy, so if their crushes never got serious, he'd be more than happy with it.

It was a weird reaction, though. The more Kano crafted flustered responses, the less response Shintaro would give in return. And if he then backed off, going back to the way he'd been imitating before he asked Ayano, Shintaro would start to give more tells again.

Did that guy go for girls who played hard to get, or was he just not right in the head? Well, Kano knew Shintaro wasn't right in the head, so that was a stupid question.

Still, it was a good incentive for him to keep up Ayano's puppy love behavior.

"Aaah, Shuuya, what weird things are you doing?!" Ayano practically jumped onto his bed, fixing him with a glare that was made a good deal less scary by the way her face was bright red.

"What do you mean?"

"T… today, Takane-chan teased me about having a crush on Shintaro-kun! I don't!" She trailed off, lowering her head a little. "… Do I?"

"When I asked you earlier, it seemed pretty obvious."

He wasn't sure he'd ever seen her face turn quite that red before. "Aah, geeze, this is so…! Okay! No crushes on Shintaro-kun! Nothing like that! Don't do anything like that!"

"But~ it'll be weird if we don't act the same!"

Her gaze drifted to the side, and immediately Kano realized that the expression on her face was no longer embarrassment. It was pain. "Nee-chan…?"

"I promised myself I wouldn't get distracted over Shintaro-kun before I knew the rest of you were safe. So, please, Shuuya… just pretend that I don't like him like that, and I will too, okay?"

"Nee-chan…"

"Okay?" The smile that she gave made his heart twist painfully.

"… Okay."

But that didn't change the fact that Shintaro seemed to respond to Ayano not having a crush in return. Much to Kano's dismay, he could only continue on as if oblivious to the increasingly obvious signs. Ah, and since it was Nee-chan, she probably didn't realize at all. Or she ignored it enough to not realize it.

"… Hey." Shintaro said it in enough of a mumble that Kano wasn't sure he'd even heard it at all.

Summer was just beginning, and the two of them were eating lunch together on the roof of the school. There seemed to be an early heat wave, so rather than sit on a bench out in the open, they were sitting together in the shade of the stairwell exit with their backs to the wall. Takane and Haruka were off somewhere else, doing something that Ayano had forgot to mention to Kano but he couldn't get Shintaro to actually say by name, so he once again worked around not knowing by not bringing it up again.

"Is there… something going on?"

Kano gave a gentle laugh. "Ah, what kind of a question is that? It's strange for you, Shintaro-kun."

Was that a blush? No. No, that absolutely couldn't be a blush.

"Idiot. I'm being serious. Sometimes, you… ah… I don't even know how to say it…"

"Something you don't know? That's really rare!"

Shintaro glanced his way. Ah, yep. That was a blush under that glare. Dammit. "I said I'm being serious here! Ayano…" He turned away again, awkwardly looking around the rooftop. "You… try too hard, sometimes, okay?"

Normally he was feigning most of his confusion, but this time Kano actually had no idea what Shintaro was talking about. "Is this about yesterday's test? But wasn't it Shintaro-kun who said I just need to keep studying and my grades will improve?"

"This isn't about the tests!" Shintaro turned towards him and suddenly leaned in.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh, no.

Ayano had told him not act like she had a crush, but either way, it would really be expected to turn that bright shade of red when your best friend suddenly kissed you. At least, that was what Kano was intending, but somehow the fact that Shintaro had just kissed him froze the illusion on his face. Kano was blushing. Kano knew he was blushing because he could feel his face heating up and his ears burning far hotter than the warm day around them. But Shintaro couldn't see that. Shintaro couldn't see any of that; he could only see the frozen image of Ayano that, to Kano's credit, at least had reached the point of "dumbstruck" before he'd lost control of it.

"… Hey, Ayano…"

"… —eeeeeeeeeeh?!" Shintaro jumped as Ayano's voice suddenly rang out in a surprised noise, and it was thanks to that that Kano knew he finally had his mask back. Okay, blush first, and then… bury her face in her hands? That seemed like a good idea. That was pretty close to what Kano felt like doing, though Kano also felt like taking a page from Kido's book and giving Shintaro a hard knock to the stomach, so he opted instead for covering Ayano's face in embarrassment. And that had been really embarrassing, shit. Aren't guys supposed to give girls a chance to react or something?

… That had been a terrible first kiss!

"How could you? Stupid!"

Shit, those had been his words, not hers. Kano kept the illusion as it was, but looked up himself to see if Shintaro had noticed.

Arg, he didn't want to feel pity at this guy's expression. Probably he didn't even realize that he looked hurt. But it seemed somehow hearing those words from Ayano had indeed broken through whatever exterior Shintaro had built up. Ah, this was bad. Kano couldn't let there be an incident over something like this…

"It's not fair that Shintaro-kun gives advice like 'you try too hard' right before giving it his all." And Shintaro had, hadn't he? He was a stupid, dense, awkward guy who had no idea how good he had it, and all he knew how to do was criticize the girl he liked even when he just wanted to kiss her. He was a terrible person and Kano hated him, but he had stolen the heart of Kano's precious sister, and so he wasn't someone that Kano could just step all over.

Kano knew it was probably a bad idea to ask. But it had been a bad idea for Shintaro to kiss him, so now he at least needed to know.

The illusion of Ayano pulled her hands away from her face and put her fingertips together, gaze bashfully kept on the ground. "Shintaro-kun… do you like me?"

Maybe it was because he thought Ayano was still looking at the ground, and because he had no idea that Kano was staring straight at him, that he actually flushed, his awkwardness and embarrassment showing on his face in full. If nothing else, it was a much better look for him, Kano thought. It made him look like he had a human heart in there, after all. "Hey, asking stuff like that directly…"

"It's weird, isn't it? Ah, then don't mind it." Kano stood up and the illusion followed obediently. "I think… I need some time to think. But I'll definitely, definitely talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

With the way the illusion turned and quickly took off, Shintaro probably thought Ayano wouldn't have seen it, but Kano didn't miss the way he awkwardly lifted a hand as if to maybe stop her, before lowering it and letting her go.

She definitely deserved someone better than that guy.

"Nee-chan, there's big trouble!" The moment he got home that day, he tracked her down and all but tossed her bag at her.

"Whoa—! Shuuya?"

"Shintaro kissed me!"

Her expression froze. Ah. That was the exact same look his mask had been frozen in. Well, at least it was some consolation that it hadn't been unreasonable. "Kissed… you?"

"Ah, I mean, kissed you…" It was a slip that he didn't even realize he'd made until she pointed it out. Whenever he spoke about things that had happened, it was always about her. You failed another test today, or you spent lunch talking to Takane. You, because all of these things were, to the world that was not just the two of them, happening to Ayano.

Why had he said 'me'?

"… Eh? Eeeh? Eeeeeeh?!" Ah. There was the blush. "H-he kissed me?! Why didn't you stop him, or—?!"

"I would've! You were sitting on the roof for lunch together, and then suddenly he just leaned in and kissed you! There wasn't even any warning!" Well, now they were both flushing.

Ayano buried her face in her hands. It seemed he'd gotten that part right, too. "Oh, what do I do? What do I do? What did he say? What did I say?!"

"Ah, um…" Kano thought back, trying to recall the events surrounding the kiss. "He said something about… not trying so hard, I think. And then you asked if it was about a test, and he said it wasn't, then…" Kano paused awkwardly, gaze falling for a moment. His face still felt warm. "You yelled at him, but… then said it wasn't fair. Because Shintaro was trying his best, or something else that was something like what you'd say…" The minute or so after the kiss was still a little fuzzy in his memory. "You asked if he liked you. He didn't really answer, though. So you said you needed to think things over, and left… Ah, and you said you'd definitely talk to him tomorrow. So, Nee-chan, I'm absolutely not going in for you tomorrow."

Because whatever was going to happen between the two of them, Kano didn't want to step into the middle and mess it up. That would be exactly the opposite of his role.

Ayano's face was still covered by her hands.

"Aaah, I missed out on kissing Shintaro-kun… Shuuyaaa…!" Finally she peeked past her fingers. "No, but, ah… I'm sorry. This isn't… what I should be worried about. Not when you all are suffering…!"

Kano sighed, then sat down next to her and put an arm on her shoulder. "Nee-chan! You know we care about you a lot, right?" She nodded slowly. "So if there's something… or someone, that makes you happy… don't ignore that just for us, okay? We want you to be happy, too."

Even if the guy who made her happy was a huge jerk.

Well, he was Nee-chan's jerk now, and he'd just have to accept it.

The next day, Ayano didn't seem her normal, cheerful self when she returned home from school. Wordlessly, she grabbed Kano by the sleeve and led him to her room.

"Nee-chan…?"

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, gaze on the floor. She seemed to be trying to smile, but couldn't quite manage it. "Hey, Shuuya, I talked to Shintaro-kun today."

Kano stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue.

"I think… I figured out why I never realized he liked me like that. I don't think he really likes me like that at all."

"Huh?" He tilted his head a little, confusion on his face. "That doesn't make any sense. Then why would he kiss you?"

She shook her head, laughing in a way that was a little bit pained. "He didn't, though, did he? Not really. Shuuya… I think the one he likes is you."

Kano felt his heart drop into his stomach. "Wait… what? How?! D-did I give it away somehow? When did he…?"

But he trailed off as tears began to slip down Ayano's face, though she spoke as if she weren't crying at all. "I don't think he knows anything about it… but apparently there's something about you that's just different enough for him to notice. Because he said that it seems to come and go from day to day. And so he wanted to kiss me, yesterday, when he was sure that he was actually feeling something. He wanted to see if that made his feelings stick around… but today they were gone."

… No. This sort of thing just wasn't fair. Or rather, it was completely unacceptable. Kano had done everything he could to behave exactly like Ayano, so there was no way that Shintaro would be able to spot a difference. Even if he did, to do it with such reliability that he could develop a crush specifically on 'the Ayano who was Kano's imitation' was unfathomable.

Ayano slid to the floor. "Ah… heartbreak kind of hurts, doesn't it? I suppose someone like me just never had a chance with him after all. Even though I knew that all along…"

"… Sorry. I'm sorry, Nee-chan. This is… my fault. If I'd done a better job…!"

She shook her head. "Even if you'd done a better job, he still wouldn't like me. He just wouldn't like you, either. It's not that you took my chance from me, Shuuya, so don't apologize. It's probably better this way, anyway…"

Ah, but how could he not apologize when she was crying like that…?

It was another lazy day at the Mekakushi Dan hideout, with too much heat and Kano sprawled out on the couch, leaving just barely enough room for Shintaro, squeezed in at the other end. They had been like that for several minutes now, sitting in silence enough that the faint noise of cicadas from outside mixed with the ticking of the clock as the only sounds audible to either set of ears. Kano thought it might even be reasonable enough to fall asleep like this. Especially since the rest of them had gone out, and Shintaro was usually one to leave the quiet as it was.

"… Kano." Usually.

"Mmm…?" He lifted his head lazily to look down towards his feet, which seemed to be starting to encroach on Shintaro's lap. "If you're going to complain, just remember that I was here first~!"

"Yeah, but your feet smell."

"Well, then I guess it's a shame I'm so tall." He grinned and stretched out, letting them reach all the way across Shintaro's legs. Shintaro made a face.

"Don't do something like that just to be annoying…" He gave a shove, pushing Kano's lower legs off the couch.

Kano laughed. "Ah, if I were doing something to annoy you, it would probably be something more like this!" With that, he sat upright and flopped over to the other side, positioning his head squarely in Shintaro's lap. He grinned up at him. "Now you don't have to deal with my smelly feet anymore!"

He wasn't sure exactly what reaction he was expecting, but the one that Shintaro gave him wasn't it. Instead of an annoyed glare or anything like that, Shintaro's gaze flicked away from him, and Kano was pretty sure the red on his face wasn't just reflecting off his jacket.

"You're… obnoxious."

"And you're the most selfish jerk I know!"

"That's… not what this is about."

Maybe he should have been expecting it this time. The way that Shintaro suddenly leaned down towards him. Ah, it really was déjà vu, how he felt the mask on his face freeze in shock as his real face burned a bright red beneath it.

"… don't even know why I like you…"

Oh. This was that.

It took a few more seconds before Kano regained control, and from there, he twisted his mask into something that probably came out halfway between a smile and a smirk.

"It might have something to do with this hint. Shintaro wouldn't know, but this is actually the second time we've kissed."

"—H-huh? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ah, nope, that's the only hint you're getting! Consider figuring out the rest your punishment for before."

With that, he settled on the couch a little more, leaving Shintaro to stare down at him, confused and still slightly flushed. Even in the heat, Kano thought to himself, Shintaro's lap didn't make too bad of a pillow, after all.