Ryoga doesn't understand why people fuss over having their first kiss. It's just a form of affection, isn't it? Perhaps he's heard enough of his sister gushing about how cute that Kotori girl is, and constantly on his back about how he needs to "make a move" on Yuma.
He immediately scoffs at that suggestion, but Rio insists. She claims he'll cheer up a bit if his younger friend just gave him some loving affection! As far as Ryoga's concerned, he never once considered himself needing affection, nor really expressing it towards others.
Not that love really was out of the equation, though even if that was an emotion he felt towards Tsukumo Yuma, he wasn't about to take it any further. For all he knew, the boy didn't even realize just how many admirers he had. It was embarrassing, Ryoga realized after many months of getting to know the rambunctious duelist.
Despite how much he wanted to keep his distance away from Yuma, and despite how much he warned the boy "not to get involved with him,"... Those words just never felt right. Separating himself from his friend (at least, that's what Yuma called their relationship) brought him uneasiness and tugged at his heartstrings.
And then there were moments where he seriously considered Rio's words, despite how outlandish they sounded at times. She'd tease and push him around, but never held any bad intentions. She merely smiled fondly at him as she reassuringly rubbed his shoulders.
"He enjoys having you around, you know?" She pulls his hair into a high ponytail, so she has easier access to his upper shoulders. Her strong hands knead and massage at the muscles, and she sighs at how tense he is.
"You think I don't know that?" His response ends in a low 'tsk!' but that didn't pass by Rio's sharp hearing.
"No," She pauses, rubbing at a particularly tense spot, muttering a series of incoherent words under her breath, all of which completely bypassed Ryoga's ears. "But sometimes I think you refuse to acknowledge your own happiness."
While he can't deny that she's spot on, Ryoga is too stubborn to verbally admit to his faults. He merely rolls his eyes and loosens his tie a bit. "Sometimes I think you're a little too observant."
Rio laughs, and whether it's sincere or entirely icy is up to debate. "And sometimes I think you need to get your head out of your ass." She gives him a hearty pat on the back, and waltzes up to her room.
Ryoga is thankful he's not interested in his sister's relationship, but he does at least take into mind her words. Maybe next time he'll take her advice into consideration.
"Shark!"
The underclassman runs up to him, looking as enthusiastic as ever. Whatever it's about, Ryoga's mildly curious as to what Yuma's so overjoyed about. 'Hm? What is it?"
Yuma rummages through his bag, spilling out its contents on the contents on the ground. Ryoga wants to groan at the boy's clumsiness, but instead proceeds to help his friend clean up the mess of items. It takes several minutes before Yuma finally pulls out what appears to be clothed rolled into a large ball. He brushes it off and laughs a bit, before handing it Ryoga.
"Here! Grannie made this for you!" He takes one of Ryoga's hands and places the spherical object in his palm.
It doesn't take long before he realizes that it's one of Yuma's daily prized possessions. "A duel meal?"
Yuma's face lights up ten times more so than it did before. "Yep! You've been sort of down lately, so I asked Grannie to make an extra one just for you!" He's leaning in closer as he speaks, completely unaware of the close distance between them. It's just one simple move he has to make, and Ryoga's tempted to take that chance.
"So you better do your best while dueling me today, y'hear?!"
'I'll take that chance,' He reassures himself, before leaning in and kissing Yuma squarely on the lips. It's quick and a bit shaky but Ryoga's not aiming for perfection. He's aiming for satisfaction.
When he pulls away, there's a slight albeit rare smile on his face. "I'll see you after school then." Ryoga walks off to class, his "duel meal" in hand, leaving a very confused but very happy Yuma behind.
Food tastes better when it's from someone you love, doesn't it?