Nine year-old Junpei slumped down in his desk, letting out an obnoxious sigh one would regularly hear from an adolescent boy who had to do something that displeased him. Out of all the things he could've chosen to do to help out his class, he had to take care of bunnies? Now, you see, normally Junpei wouldn't find this much of a bother, especially considering his crush, Akane Kurashiki was the other classmate to volunteer, but bunnies? They were so...girly. For all Junpei knew, the girl bunnies could have cooties, and those were something he'd rather stay away from. Okay, well, maybe the cootie thing was a lie, but still.

"Um. Junpei? We have to take care of the bunnies, now. After that we can go to recess!" Akane had hopped up from her seat and hightailed her way to Junpei, nearly slamming into his desk with her bubbling excitement.

That was another thing. They had to take care of the bunnies during recess! All that time he could be playing or whatever he wanted to do and he had to take care of girly animals.

"Yeah, yeah," Junpei murmured, getting up from his seat. He grumpily followed Akane to the bunny cage.

"The teacher said we had to feed them each a carrot and then carry the cage outside so they can enjoy the sunshine." The brown-haired girl spoke happily when the two had reached their destination. Her eyes lit up like some celebrity had just walked into the room, getting ready to serenade her. Junpei had assumed that she just really liked bunnies.

Junpei nodded in response. It wasn't that he was so angry about taking care of the bunnies that it made him unable to speak; it was that Akane, his crush, was smiling at him so sweetly. What in the heck was he supposed to do when his throat was going all dry and funny? Certainly not speak, that was what.

"Junpei, are you okay?" Akane asked, her curiosity simply getting the best of her.

Junpei swallowed the lump in his throat. "Never better, I guess..." he muttered with an innocent shrug. He inwardly cringed. He was trying to be one of the cool guys in all those movies he'd seen. And what a foolish attempt it had been.

Akane's eyes widened. "O-Oh, if something's wrong you don't have to tell me. I bet having to deal with me and these cute little bunnies must make you mad." She bent over, placing two carrots inside the cage.

Junpei's heart sank a little. "N-Not at all!" He almost nearly shouted, frightening Akane. "I don't mind it that much."

Akane didn't say anything at all and just blushed. She turned to Junpei, not sure of what to do next.

"So, uh, we should, you know...probably carry the cage out now." He took one side of the cage when Akane nodded. "Hey, we can both carry it, there's no need to look so down, ya know."

Akane's face had turned doubtful for a few seconds, but she and Junpei had carried the cage with ease. Walking side by side out of the classroom, the girl coughed, as if trying to get Junpei's attention. "U-Um, Junpei?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're here with me."

It took all Junpei had to not let his tiny fingers let go of the cage. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Me too."