Well this will be quite an interesting journey as it shall be my first attempt at writing anything related to romance.

A small warning: while it begins with a light-hearted tone, this story will eventually delve into some darker themes in later chapters that will probably make several people feel uncomfortable upon reading, so I do ask that you guys do proceed with caution.

Other then that, please enjoy.

Edit: For those wondering why I changed the title, I just thought that this one would be more appropriate(and less confusing) for the audience's sake.

Typically, on an average sunny day, Shigeo Kageyama would always take the pathway that laid on his school's right to get back home.

It was a much shorter and pleasant path for any student to take; its' tall trees provided a decent amount of protection from the bright warm sun that loom high above them and it of course offered a wonderful view of the nearby river that connected the multiple urban sections of the city.

Plus, it did help remove an extra ten minutes that it would have taken for the fifteen-year-old middle schooler to reach his small neighbourhood.

But, if one were to directly ask the young teen why he frequently took this path every day after school, none of these answers would have been the correct one.

Instead the boy, while maintaining his famed dull(and somewhat gloomy) expression, would calmly reply that it was simply an old habit that he had accidently pick up during his youth when he and his younger brother Ritsu would occasionally use the route as a quick and easy shortcut to reach the joyous wonderland that was the local playground during the summer breaks.

The playground in question was nothing to gawk at of course. It wasn't very large in size or held any memorable features that could catch an energetic child's attention. Most of its' equipment was already beginning to rust rapidly due to a lack of any proper maintenance on the city's part and it unfortunately always carried a nasty smell that came from…well some unexpected visitors passing through.

But for someone such as Shigeo who held enough nostalgic memories to reflect upon on all the wonderful times that he had spent those long summer days playing with his brother and childhood crush, Tsubomi, this old pitiful playground would always hold a special place within his heart…

"Something the matter?"

"Hmmm?"

Slowly, his eyes shifted toward Teru, who happened to be sitting right next to him upon one of the old wooden benches that stood near the small sand box of the park.

"Something the matter?" The blonde hair boy repeated, his face held a look of concern for his friend, "Ever since we arrive here, you keep shifting your eyes all over the place as if there was something troubling you."

"…"

"Come on, just spit it out."

"No, everything's alright, it's-"

"Oh, don't be like that, Kageyama."

Shigeo couldn't help but flinch slightly upon hearing his friend's quick (if rather blunt) response. Teru's shape eyes stared intensively back at him, almost as if they were trying to guess the type of thoughts were coursing through the young teen's mind,

"Just say what's on your mind." Immediately, a warm smile soon appeared upon Teru's face, one encouraging his close friend to open up and share whatever secrets laid dominant within his heart, "There's no need to shy about it."

"…It's a bit lonely here, don't you think?"

"Hmmm?"

It was a bit hard for him to express his thoughts but… for someone who used to have so much fun here when he was younger, Shigeo couldn't help but feel a bit dishearten at seeing this familiar place nearly empty of life. There were absolutely no children that could be seen playing within the entire park despite it being the perfect hour to enjoy the wonders of the outdoor…

"I guess… It just doesn't feel right that there's only just the two of us here. It' would've been nice to see more kids playing around here."

"…. Hahahahahahahahahah!"

Startled by the sudden bust of laugher, Shigeo could only watch in wonder as Teru tighten his arms around his stomach in a fruitless attempt to hold in the unending rounds of laughter that was coming out of his mouth.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! Unbelievable! To think that you- Hahahahahahahahahah!"

It was such a strange sight to behold, seeing him in such a vulnerable (and somewhat goofy) state of mind considering that Teru rarely allow others to view him in any other way then the perfect self-image that he himself projected on a daily basis.

Then again…

{Let's put that aside! We'll buy you some fancy clothes!}

The young esper shuddered upon recalling the events that led to purchase of that shirt, "It's really hard to tell what exactly he is thinking at times…"

"Hahah...you're quite something, aren't you, Kageyama?" Slowly, Teru's laugher started to die out, his body once again began relaxing into a more comfortable position, "Here I thought that there was something actually bothering you…"

"Ah…sorry." Shigeo could almost feel his face flushed a bright shade of red in utter embarrassment over his friend's answer, "I didn't mean to make worry you like that."

"No, it was quite rude of me to do that. After all, it's hard to forget that you're just an ordinary person with your own set of everyday problems."

"Ordinary…"

"So, to make it to up you, why don't we just enjoy this lovely scenery for a little awhile, hmmm?

Truth to be told, that would've been a nice way to spend the afternoon with his friend. Even when he was hanging out with his friends, Shigeo always did appreciate those small moments where they could simply relax, lay back and enjoy the quiet atmosphere that surround them.

Old habits did die hard after all. But…

Teru turned and face Shigeo, offering another of his bright smiles, although this one felt a bit less genuine compared to the ones he had shown earlier,

"Hanazawu… why did you call me out here? Is there something that you want to ask me?"

While Hanazawu Teruki was never really someone that Shigeo could easily understand, he knew his friend well enough to tell that this simply wasn't Teru's style.

"Heh, always straight to the point, huh?"

He paused as he straightened himself properly upon his seat, his eyes quickly looked upward toward the blue sky as if to avoid his companion's heavy (if unintentional) stare.

"…"

For a moment, there was nothing but utter silence between the two boys as one waited patiently for the other to quietly gather his thoughts and speak on whatever was on his mind.

Eventually Teru did spoke, although this time, his voice took on a much quieter tone compared to his usually confident way of talking,

"Yeah, you're right. The reason I ask you if we could meet up after school today was, well, I need to ask you a favour today."

"Hmmm?"

"It's a simple favour, really." Again, Teru paused as he took a deep breath, almost as if he was ashamed of what he was about to ask, "I need your help."

"Oh. Okay … so, what's the problem then?"

Teru couldn't help but blinked, almost taken aback by Shigeo's modest response. Slowly, a small laugh of relieve escaped from his lips, although it was unclear if he once again laughing at his companion's good nature or at his own silly doubts,

"Heheheh, I had a feeling that you were going to say that… Well then, where shall we start?

"…"

"Well keep this short, a few weeks ago, I realize that there was another esper attending my school, and after a few encounters with her-"

"Oh. It's a girl."

"-I've become confident that she's definitely someone who could use some help with developing her powers."

"…"

"So, all I need you to do, Kageyama, is go to my school, talk with her and simply persuade her to join me with the rest of group from the awaken lab during our training sessions. A piece of cake, right?

"I see…" Shigeo lift his eyes towards the bright blue sky as his mind processed his friend's odd request.

A mixture of feelings swelled inside him, unsure if he should've felt honored that he was being trusted with such a personal request or worried that he was about to take on something that was beyond his capabilities…

Still, there did remain one thing that remained unclear about the whole ordeal…

"Hanazawu, why do you need me to be the one to do it? Can't you do it?"

"Ah. That. Well to be honest, we're not on good speaking terms right now, so it'll probably be for the best if I avoid meeting her until then."

"She doesn't like you?"

"Well the last time we spoke, to put it bluntly, she said to me, "You're quite annoying, you know that? So fuck off and die already.""

"…Oh."

[Mob's Explosion Meter: 5%]