Sitting on a wooden bench, Chibita twiddled his thumbs as the city's clock tower rang in the hour. It was now 7PM on Friday night, the exact time and day Karamatsu had asked his star to meet him in the park by the fountain. Prior to this moment, Chibita had spent the last two hours choosing an outfit that would best suit the occasion. He luckily remembered the fuchsia skater dress with thin black stripes he had purchased a few weeks ago. Black ballet flats, navy stockings, and the same brunette wig worn at the night club were soon paired with the dress along with a makeup scheme of nude pink lipstick and smoky gray eye shadow. Though confident in his outfit, doubts of Karamatsu appearing left Chibita antsy.

"Calm down, damn it," Chibita scolded himself under his breath. "He's just a stupid Matsuno." Chibita pulled his phone from his purse and checked it for the sixth time; no new messages could be found. He surveyed his surroundings. Though Karamatsu wasn't among the few people walking by, the sight of a little boy crying as his mom guided him along reminded Chibita of Karamatsu's emotional outburst.

Karamatsu left so abruptly yesterday, recalled Chibita. I haven't seen him cry that much since my failed kidnapping. If that idjit stands me up because he's still crying, I guess that's a good enough excuse.

"Good evening, my star."

Chibita jumped and let out a small squeak of surprise due to Karamatsu whispering his greeting directly into his right ear. Karamatsu took a step back and gave his date a worried and apologetic look.

"Forgive me, my star. I had no desire to frighten you." The genuine nervousness in Karamatsu's expression prompted Chibita to flush from embarrassment.

"No need to feel bad," Chibita responded in his feminine voice. "I-I'm easily startled. Heh heh." Chibita returned his phone to inside the purse and tried to lighten the mood by jokingly adding, "You're a little late tonight. I began to think you forgot about our plans."

Karamatsu's cool guy expression returned to his face. As the glow from the streetlamp flashed across his sunglasses, Karamatsu slicked his hair back in one swift motion. "I would never miss a chance to bask in the glow of my star's galactic gorgeousness. Plus, in defense of my fashionable lateness, I had to retrieve a proper gift for you." Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a small bouquet of pink and white primroses tied together with a pink ribbon. With a cool smile and flushed cheeks, he bowed forward and presented the flowers to Chibita.

"Y-you didn't have to…" Chibita gently held the flowers in his hands, pressing them to his nose and smelling the sweet perfumes omitting from them. A familiar feeling of warm bliss returned within the oden salesman.

Taking a seat beside Chibita, Karamatsu replied, "It would have been a crime to not present you with a gift. After all, seeing those primroses reminded me of the place where our paths intersected so harmoniously…minus the scuffle."

This idjit's so sappy, Chibita thought as he flashed Karamatsu a shy smile.

"By the way," Karamatsu continued, "I forgot to ask what name has been graced by you, my star."

"Oh it's Chi—huh!" Chibita soon stopped himself, remembering the situation at hand. Knowing the danger of revealing his real name, Chibita softly gnawed his lower lip as he began to conjure up an alias.

"Chia?" Karamatsu raised his eyebrow.

"No, no! Uh…it's Chi…haru? Yes, Chiharu! My name's Chiharu."

Unfazed by the awkward answer, Karamatsu offered a flirtatious smile to his date. He gently held "Chiharu's" hand and pressed his lips onto the back of it. In a seductive voice, he purred, "Chiharu…you can call me your Karamatsu."

Chibita became bright red and almost let out another squeak. The gentle brush of Karamatsu's lips and the husky tone of his voice were enough to cause Chibita's toes to curl up inside his shoes. Speechless from bewildered, Chibita distracted himself from Karamatsu's glance by intensely eyeing the park fountain's trickling water flow peacefully. Karamatsu, who also had extra color in his cheeks, scooted closer to Chibita on the bench.

"Chiharu, my lovely star, I wish to know more about you. Tell me, do you always go to night clubs like Primrose?"

"Oh, uh, n-no. In fact, I rarely ever go to big social events like that. I work most of the day and prefer to go home and rest once I'm off. You know, watch some game shows or a movie before bed. I-I'm not a real exciting individual."

"Don't be so modest. Just because you don't party every night doesn't mean you're boring. You know, even I appreciate the wonders of calm and solitude."

"Really?"

Karamatsu nodded and turned his eyes to the evening sky; a wind began to cascade his bangs across his forehead as if on cue. "Before I allow the sand man to take me away on his ship of dreams, I sit upon the roof and play myself a love song on the guitar. True, I'd happily allow my brothers to be in attendance while I play, but they…usually remain uninterested." He lowered his head, staring at his knees.

Sensing Karamatsu's sadness, Chibita placed the flowers in his purse so the blossoms were peeking out and held both of Karamatsu's hands in his. As Karamatsu looked back at him, Chibita noticed tears in the corner of his eyes reflecting in the streetlamp's glow.

Damn this idjit and his unexplainably adorable, pathetic face. Chibita gulped, trying to stop his knees from shaking. Finally, he pressed his hand against Karamatsu's cheek and spoke to him in a comforting voice.

"I doubt your brothers want to hurt you. If anything, your brothers don't know what they are missing out on, Karamatsu. You're not a bad person, just…more emotionally driven than most." Chibita offered a sincere smile to the Matsu boy. "Trust me; there's nothing wrong with you."

The two stared at another for a moment. Suddenly, Karamatsu's lower lip began to quiver, and he lunged into Chibita's arms. As he pressed his head against Chibita's shoulder, Karamatsu wailed in between sobs, "THAT'S THE…NICEST THING…ANYONE'S EVER SAID TO MEEE!"

"Damn it, calm down!" Karamatsu was unable to hear Chibita's demand over his sobbing. Chibita could feel tears soak into the fabric of his dress.

Overwhelmed by the awkwardness of the situation, Chibita's only instinct was to comfort the sextuplet by rubbing his back in a circular motion. "Uh…there, there?" A group of teenagers walked past them, giving them confused stares before snickering amongst another. Just as Chibita's embarrassment was at its peak, Karamatsu's crying grew quieter. Soon, Karamatsu sat back up. He took off his shades to dry his eyes and his nose on the back of his hand. As he put his shades back on, he sat forward and stared at the ground. Kicking a nearby rock away with his boot, Karamatsu softly said, "You…probably want to leave now, huh?"

"W-what?"

Karamatsu rubbed his arm as his aura turned melancholy. "I have to be honest with you, my star. I'm not as cool as I may seem."

"No…" Chibita tried his best to hide the lack of surprise in his voice.

"I do not wish to disappoint you, but I have too much of a heart to be the typical cool guy. I'd rather revel in a monogamous romance than be the guy with hundreds of women to pick and choose from day in and day out. In fact, I've never even had more than three women give me the time of day before. Two were scamming me for money, and the other was a psychotic plant that tried to take over half the city."

"What are you—"

"The point is I've never been able to be vulnerable around a woman before like that, but at the same time I've always wanted to. To me, showing one's true feelings is the bravest, most honorable action a man can do. However, I know that idea isn't always the definition of a man for most women." Karamatsu stood up with his back turned to his date and slouched with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. "So if you want nothing more to do with me, I understand…and I'm sorry for ruining tonight."

As he began to walk ahead, Chibita sprang up and grabbed Karamatsu by the wrist. Chibita inhaled a deep breath and hugged Karamatsu from behind, causing the sextuplet to gasp and tense up. With his lips close to Karamatsu's ear, Chibita whispered, "I'm not letting you go until we set up a second date, you idjit."

Karamatsu's body relaxed. A small chuckle left his lips as he spun himself around so that he could return Chibita's embrace properly. "You truly are a star, Chiharu."

While they pulled away and smiled at another, a light rain began to fall around them.

"Shit!" Chibita cursed as he raised his purse over his head as an alternate umbrella. Just as he began distressing over his wig becoming soaked, Karamatsu removed his jacket and held it above both their heads. The chivalrous action made Chibita secretly smile to himself and grow even fonder of the emotional romantic.

"Come on; I'll walk you home."

For three blocks, Chibita and Karamatsu walked beside another as rain pattered against the convenient shade of the leather jacket. Though neither conversed, loving glances and subtle smiles were continually exchanged between the two. As Chibita's front door came into view, a twinge of sadness arose in both of them over the thought that the night was truly concluding. Standing under the awning of his apartment, Chibita slowly searched for his keys in his purse.

"When did you want to meet again, Chiharu?" Karamatsu lowered his jacket once sure that rain could not touch either of them.

"Oh, um…I have work the next few days, but on Tuesday I'm free after six. M-maybe you could come here, and we could watch a movie." The bold request brought back Karamatsu's flirtatious smile.

"A night of watching movie stars with my own lovely star? Sounds like a night not worth missing, Chiharu." Chibita chuckled at the NEET's cheesiness, now finding it quite attractive. Karamatsu suddenly leaned forward a bit, placing his face a mere inch from Chibita's. Though he dared not to move forward, he bit his lower lip for a moment and had a shade of pink paint his cheeks; his body began to shudder in fear and anticipation. He suddenly backed off, and played off his previous stance as if he was trying to flick something off Chibita's hair.

"Uh, you had fuzz," he muttered, turning his head to the side so that Chibita couldn't look him in the eyes.

H-he actually tried to kiss me? Chibita became surprised and flattered over the realization. At that moment, Chibita decided he wanted to part with Karamatsu on a high note. Leaning up towards the sextuplet's exposed cheek, he closed the gap between them by briefly placing his lips against Karamatsu's pink-tinted skin. As Chibita pulled away, Karamatsu held the cheek that had been kissed; his glasses slid forward, showing how wide his eyes had become.

"Oh, uh, well…night, Kara!" Embarrassed and excited, Chibita unlocked his front door and dashed into his apartment, leaving Karamatsu speechlessly gawking outside. Once he locked his door again, Chibita pressed his back against the wooden frame. "I kissed that idjit," he whispered to guarantee himself that he was not in some kind of bittersweet dream. Though he knew he had made his life more complicated by doing so, he smiled to himself and resisted his desire to jump up in jamboree. Just as he closed his eyes to savor the feelings rushing through him, Chibita noticed the dripping of rain was being interrupted by a single sound: Karamatsu letting out a high pitched shouts of delight as he raced away from his home.