"I still can't believe you betrayed me back then, Nariyuki...it's been nearly a year now since we've caught up, and to this day I'm still hurt by it!" Oomori said with his classic crocodile tears.
The aroma of espresso beans circulated prominently throughout the cafe as Nariyuki sighed. The guy was trying to guilt trip him, and he knew it. It had been their characteristic interaction all the way back since middle school, with Oomori teasing him about something trivial, and him having to apologize for something he had no reason to be apologizing for. Which was why it was no surprise to Nariyuki that their first topic of conversation after not seeing each other for a year would be about his relationship with Fumino.
"Oomori, I can understand you saying this a year ago, but you have a girlfriend right now too." Nariyuki pointed out.
"That's not the point!" Oomori insisted. "The point is that we were supposed to be brother in arms, single and ready to mingle all the way through high school! And yet you left me behind! I thought we understood each other!" At this point, the man was practically shouting. Whether he was simply teasing him or legitimately making a point, the looks they were getting from the nearby customers were beginning to embarrass Nariyuki.
"First of all, keep your voice down." He pleaded. "Second...Furuhashi and I didn't even start dating until right before graduation…"
"Right before graduation is still within high school." He shook his head chastingly. "Ya let me down man."
He sighed again, ultimately giving up on trying to reason with his friend.
"You're too much, you know that?"
Oomori laughed heartily, claiming victory for the first bout of their conversation.
"You know...while we're on the subject." His friend continued. "I'm surprised that you two took all the way till graduation to become a thing."
He raised an eyebrow, confused. "What do you mean?"
"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Oomori returned incredulously. "You two were practically closer than most couples at our school. Everyone basically assumed that you two were already dating. There were so many rumors of you guys always hanging out together. I mean even I knew that. I saw you two talking behind the school all the time. And don't even think that I forgot about how y'all literally spent an entire night at a hotel together."
"As if I could forget…" He cringed painfully at the memory. "We went through so much effort just to get you to delete that one stupid photo."
"Well then spill it." Oomori continued with his interrogation. "I remember you saying in our first year that there was no chance that you would end up dating anybody since you were so focused on your grades. When did you finally decide that you were ready to fall for her?"
Nariyuki stared at his friend sitting on the opposing side of the table. The question itself was a full one, but his surprise wasn't from the question itself. It was from the realization that he had never really bothered asking himself when he had fallen for Fumino.
It hadn't really mattered and it never really came up until this point in time. He loved her and she loved him. How it happened didn't change how he felt.
Yet, at this moment, curiously, he found himself looking back for an answer.
When exactly did I fall for her..?
Two Years Ago
~October~
Nariyuki sat silently on the bench next to Fumino.
It was late, but he had every reason to be there at that moment. The girl had finally confronted her father directly about her passion to study the stars, and he wanted to be there for her no matter what the result was. From the looks of things however, the man had seemed to be, at the very least, more receptive of the notion this time around.
He was glad.
"Don't worry, Mother..."
Nariyuki perked up at Fumino's voice, barely missing the words that the girl had just uttered.
"Did you say something, Furuhashi?" He asked.
The girl shook her head. "It's nothing…" She said before smiling softly.
"Thank you, Nariyuki…"
"...for supporting me."
He chuckled at the undeserved appreciation. "It was nothing. In the end, I didn't do anything really…"
Which he truly believed. Everything that had happened tonight was all due to the girl's own perseverance. All he had done was cheer her on from the sidelines.
She really was amazing.
*poof*
He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a sudden weight on his left shoulder. He glanced to the side and saw Fumino's head resting on top of it.
The girl must have dozed off again.
"Furuhashi..? Did you fall asleep again..?" He asked.
When there was no immediate answer he smiled fondly.
'Well that's to be expected...you really gave it your all today, Furu-"
"I'm awake…"
He froze.
Two words.
There was no way he had misheard this time around, and before he could even come to terms with his shock, a deep blush formed on the top of his cheeks, burning like a flame.
"Uhm….this is a l-little…" He stuttered, failing to say anything coherent. "W-what…?"
What was going on?!
Despite his efforts to express his flusteredness, Fumino continued to lay on him. He couldn't move, and a part of him wasn't sure if he wanted to.
Was this really okay?
The silence stretched out longer than what should've been considered normal, and it wasn't until an entire two minutes had passed did the girl finally decide to speak up.
"Hey, Nariyuki…" The tension in his chest relieved tremendously at her voice. "That day of the festival…"
Her eyes shifted nervously at the ground.
Until they met his own.
"Why did you hold my hand?"
Upon hearing her question, he felt his heart go still.
The moment the girl was referring to...he immediately knew what it was. Admittedly, that particular memory of the two of them had been etched deeply into his mind. The night after the festival, it had been an unforgettable experience.
Back then he had held her hand without thinking.
And in the same way now,
He didn't need to think for an answer.
"Because...I used to...dream about my dad and cry a lot too. At the very least, I wanted to relieve your pain in any way I could. I know what it's like to be there...to miss someone you love and feel so helpless."
He paused, breaking eye contact for the next part.
"I wanted to tell you...that everything would be okay…"
The tension in the air was unnerving. Nariyuki's head was spinning slightly. He didn't know what it was, but he felt anxious. Eventually, he shifted his gaze back to Fumino.
And his chest tightened at the sight before him.
She was staring at him with an expression that he couldn't discern. Her hands were over her chest and her eyes were peering into his deeply. To him they almost seemed...sad, as if she was on the verge of crying.
"S-sorry!" He said in a panic. "That was a bit too much, wasn't it? Just forget I said all of that..."
"N-no!" She replied just as desperately. "You didn't say anything wrong. I'm grateful...Nariyuki…for everything." She averted her gaze, looking hesitant to continue with her train of thought.
"and…"
"I'm really glad I met you…"
He stared silently.
Slowly but surely, he returned the sentiment with a reassuring smile. Though his voice was firm, his composure was ultimately betrayed by the amount of shyness that could be heard there alongside it.
"I'm glad I met you too…"
What...
What is this feeling?
This sensation in my chest…
The two of them walked back to the mansion at a silent pace, and throughout its entirety, Nariyuki continued to feel the same conflicting emotions resonate inside him.
He really had no idea.
~Early January~
He was falling, as one would expect to be after mindlessly putting their body weight on a rail covered in ice. He felt his balance leave his feet, prepared to stumble backwards into the flight of stairs behind him.
Just his luck really, on the day of the center exam.
Why did he have to be so careless? At the very least he and Fumino had managed to save the dog from running into the street right before.
I wonder if she will be mad at me for getting injured again…
The fall never came.
Out of nowhere, he felt a firm hand grab his own, stopping his momentum. A surprising amount of force pulled him upward, but the reverse was true as the one who had reached for him was pulled down in the process.
His eyes widened to its full length and by the time he had realized what was happening it was already too late.
The blue-haired girl tumbled down the steep stairs and landed at the bottom with a sickening thud.
He felt his throat dry and heart stop.
"FURUHASHI!"
He rushed to her prone form as quickly as he could, feeling the panic rising in his chest.
"Furuhashi! Furuhashi, say something please!" He said desperately.
The girl groaned, turning over slowly to peer at him. Relief flooded through him. She was still conscious.
"N-Nariyuki…" Fumino managed weakly. "A-are you okay..?"
Nariyuki scoffed disbelievingly. "Am I okay?! Why are you asking me that?!" He yelled. "Why would you do something so reckless, Furuhashi?!"
He was angry. It surprised himself even. He rarely ever raised his voice at anyone, and he never would've expected to have done so to Fumino of all people, the girl who from the very first day they had met had always been kind and warm to him.
But he wasn't mad at her. He was furious with himself. He had been careless, and in doing so, he had let his friend get hurt in his place.
"Sorry...I...just moved on my own…" She shied away from his unexpected outburst. Almost immediately, the anger left his body and was replaced by formidable guilt. Not only had he managed to let Fumino get hurt, but now he had even made the girl feel bad.
I'm the worst...
"N-no...I'm sorry." He apologized. "I was the one who lost my balance. You were the one who saved me, Furuhashi..."
He looked to the ground shamefully.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you..."
"I-it's okay…" She smiled reassuringly. "I'm just glad you're not-...Ow!" She cried out in pain.
"Y-your leg…" His attention shifted to her injured limb, deep concern written clear on his face.
"I-it's nothing! I'm fine...I should be able to walk…" The girl tried to stand, but almost immediately she winced and lost her footing, but this time Nariyuki was there to catch her.
"Clearly you cannot." He chastised, a lot more calmly this time. "Lean on my shoulder. We need to head to the school to let the infirmary take a look at it."
"But Nariyuki...the exam..."
"That doesn't matter right now." He replied firmly. "Let's make sure you're fine first. Until then, I could care less about the exam."
If Nariyuki had been paying more attention, he would've noticed the deep blush that had creeped onto Fumino's face from his words, but his mind was too occupied with a particular thought of his.
Furuhashi...you're the last person I want to ever see in pain…
It was new. He didn't know where the thought had even come from. Afterall, the feeling had just now randomly sprouted in his mind, but he decided not to question it for the time being. There was a more important task that required his focus right now.
I'll make sure to support you properly this time.
~Late January~
The smoothie had not been his brightest idea. He was supposed to be helping Fumino, not making a mess, yet he had carelessly let his fingers slip when he had handed the glass to the girl.
Some caretaker he was.
"I'm sorry, Furuhashi…" He apologized while gently running his fingers through her hair. "After all the trouble you went through to make your hair look so nice today…"
The girl was quiet, taking a few moments before speaking.
"What do you mean? You said it looked the same as always…"
"Huh?" He said surprised, before remembering the words he had said when he had first arrived at her house. "Oh! I mean…what I meant by that was…"
He answered truthfully.
"You're as beautiful as ever."
This time, Nariyuki didn't earn a reply, and Fumino remained silent.
Wait...what the heck did I just say..?
"I mean, no!" He cried out in embarrassment. "I mean...it's true, but I'm not trying to be weird or anything! It's just a general statement! So…"
He looked towards the ground, feeling guilty.
"I mean, I feel bad for messing up your hair. I don't know a lot about it, but..it must be hard work making it so pretty every day."
From behind, Nariyuki couldn't see her face, but the girl smiled softly at his concern. "I guess so. Us girls…we put a lot of effort into grooming."
"I don't doubt that. Honestly...it kinda feels...like I'm a hair-dresser and you're the customer, don't you think?" He chuckled, trying to bring some humor into the air.
Fumino didn't laugh however, and instead her expression suddenly became shy.
"You know…" She murmured. "even if it's not true...it would be more fun if you said…"
"It's like we're a couple."
He froze.
"W-what..?"
In a heartbeat, the girl was turning around in a frantic manner to try to take back what she had said. "W-wait no! I didn't mean-" Her footing slipped, and time seemed to slow. It was a mere second, but instinctively, he reached his arms out to catch her.
They landed with a crash.
In the aftermath, she was on top of him, and the shower head that he had just been holding was now lying on the floor, sprinkling water over their entangled bodies.
Their eyes met timidly.
"That was just...part of your female psychology...training." She explained slowly with a voice near to a whisper.
"R-right…" He returned, just as tense. "I get it...but…now it really…"
"Feels like...we're a…" She attempted to finish his thought, but before she could, Nairyuki's eyes shifted to the girl's clothes, and his face turned red.
He quickly turned away with a blush.
"Y-Y-Y-ikes!" She cried out in panic, putting distance between them. "I'm so sorry! Why did I say that?!"
"Um no it's not that...it's just…" His voice caught in his throat as he put a hand up to his eyes.
"You should really hurry up and get changed…"
The girl gasped, and in almost an instant the blush on her face matched his own.
"W-why didn't you say anything sooner!?" She yelled, covering up her chest self consciously.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'll go get you a change of clothes right now!"
He rushed out of the bathroom, and sprinted in the direction of the girl's room.
"God, what is wrong with me?! I'm absolutely losing it…"
It's like we're a couple.
The words from earlier stuck to him, and when he really considered the possibility of the idea happening...
It made him somewhat…
Happy..?
He shook his head violently. "What the hell am I even thinking?! Where the heck is this even coming from..? I need to hurry up and get her clothes for crying out loud!" He said trying to refocus his attention back to the task at hand.
Yet, as he reached into her closet to grab her a new set of attire, deciding to go with a warm turtle neck, the image of the girl being on top of him with their faces inches apart flashed back in his mind.
She really is beautiful…
~February~
"It's okay...It's okay, Furuhashi! It was well wrapped in plastic, so the chocolates are just fine!"
He had made it in time. He wasn't the most athletic person, but as soon as he saw the bag of chocolates fly out of Fumino's hand, he had pushed himself to sprint faster than what he thought was physically possible for his body. His pants were wet now, but if it was in exchange of saving the girl's Valentine's gift for her father, then it was well worth it.
"Nariyuki...what are you doing here..?" Fumino asked in disbelief.
"Huh? I promised you I'd support you until your injury healed, didn't I?" He answered matter-of-factly. "I was on my way to your house when I spotted you...and it's a good thing too…"
"A good thing..?" She repeated, still confused.
He smiled at her earnestly.
"You went through all the trouble of preparing this heartfelt gift for your dad. It would be a terrible shame...if he never got it."
Adrenaline was pumping through him, his breath still shallow. He must've looked silly for being so terribly out of shape. It was hard to imagine his heart beating any faster than it already was.
But before he knew it, it was doing just that.
Fumino lunged forward and buried herself into his chest.
"F-Furuhashi?!" He asked in panic. "What's wrong?! Y-you s-shouldn't move l-like that, you'll hurt your-"
"No..."
"W-what..?"
"No." She said again, more clearly this time. "The truth is...those chocolates…"
"are for...you."
His eyes went wide, the revelation surprising him more than anything he had ever heard from the girl before.
"I mean...of course, they're platonic! You know...because you always do so much for me!" The girl tried reasoning, but he was far too focused on the mix of emotions swirling in his mind to hear her.
He never would have expected it.
Sure he had received chocolates from Uruka and Rizu, but he never would have expected it from her.
Maybe it was the fact that they had been spending so much time together lately, so he knew first hand just how hard Fumino was working during these times. The girl was practically studying in all of her free time which he found truly admirable.
He never would have expected it.
Yet,
A part of him had hoped for it. Unknowingly.
Now that it had actually happened…
He felt…
Without warning, Nariyuki unwrapped the bag, and popped one of the chocolates into his mouth.
KRUNCH
"EEEEK! D-don't eat them!" She cried out in horror. "W-what's with that sound?!"
"Haha, they're a little hard, but they sure are tasty." He commented.
"You're bleeding! Stop forcing yourself, Nari-"
"They're delicious." He insisted, and the girl froze.
"I can tell you put a lot of care into making these." He continued, smiling brightly. "I love them. Thank you, Furuhashi."
There were a lot of things he wanted to say in that moment, but for now, he settled on simply appreciating the girl's efforts.
I don't quite understand it myself...but...
Whenever it has something to do with you...
I'm incredibly happy.
The girl blushed, looking away and breathing a sigh of relief.
"Me too.." She uttered beneath her breath.
"H-huh, did you say something, Furuhashi?"
"N-no, it's nothing!" She said while waving her hands in front of her. "Let's get back to my place. You need to change before you catch a cold!"
~Early March~
"I don't know...if it's okay to ask this, but…what kind of person, was your dad?"
They had ended up at their usual spot behind the school after informing Kirisu Sensei of their successful entrance exam results. Just now, they had been chatting about going their separate ways after graduation, and he had tried to comfort her with a few words that he had borrowed from his father.
Hence, Fumino's question.
"A-Ah! O-Of course, if you don't want to talk about him, it's completely fine…"
"Hmm, well…" He hummed thoughtfully.
"Honestly, he was a weird guy."
He retold her a particular story that he remembered of his father from his childhood. A story of how the man had confronted a group of delinquents who had been littering in front of a store. He vividly recalled how afraid he himself had been, and how in spite of this, his father had proceeded to lecture the hostile-looking group of people. Miraculously, not only had the man somehow convinced the three to clean up their trash, but he had even invited them over to their house for dinner afterwards. Once it was all said and done, it had seemed that the three vandals' discourteous behavior had changed for the better.
"He approached all kinds of people with sincerity, honesty, and a firm resolve, and before long...everyone always ended up adoring him." He finished wistfully.
There was a brief silence as Fumino processed his story.
"He sounds like a truly great man."
He nodded in agreement. "Yeah…"
"I always...wanted to be like him…" He said, his voice suddenly overcome with a strange sadness. "But he was so big and so far away...it always felt like I'd never catch up."
And in the end...I wasn't able to.
A sense of hopelessness seeped through his walls at the thought. In a couple of weeks he would be graduating, and it would soon be his time to pursue his chosen career in teaching, but when he really thought about it…
...was it really his career that he was pursuing?
Even when you're gone, Dad...I'm still trying to catch up to y-
"It's okay. You don't have to catch up."
He whipped his head to her, unsure if he had heard her correctly.
"What?"
"It's okay." She repeated. "You don't have to be like anyone else. Your dad was your dad. You're you. What's wrong with that?"
"Or rather...what I mean is…" He stared at her, his eyes focused on every single detail, every single display of emotion on the girl's face.
His heart stilled in anticipation.
"You're great the way you are, Nariyuki!" She stated firmly.
"Furuhashi…"
"Nariyuki...you're my tutor, and I'm so proud of you…just the way you are." She continued. "And I'm sure...that one day…"
"You'll be an even greater teacher than your dad!"
He was stone still. He didn't even realize how his cheeks were in flames from his sudden blushing. He felt strange...like his heart could burst from the overwhelming warmth in his chest.
Fumino finally seemed to gasp in realization.
"I-I'm sorry!" She averted her gaze, mortified. "W-Why am I getting all worked up about this?! W-we should probably head home, don't you think?"
He looked away as well, though for him, the foreign feeling in his chest stayed with him in its entirety.
"Y-yeah..."
They walked side by side, leaving the campus grounds. It was a route they had walked back home together many times, but none were as tense and silent as it was now.
Minutes passed as he avoided his gaze from the girl. He was very much lost in his thoughts, and rightfully so. This was the first time he ever seemed to feel this way.
This feeling in my chest…
It hurts.
Until now, he had never been one to feel sad from the thought of graduation. He may have been afraid of it, but never sad. It was a momentous occasion that he felt that he and all of his friends should be proud of. That was what he had tried to convey to Fumino earlier in their conversation. That it was something to be happy about.
And yet...after what the girl had told him...after the powerful words that she had uttered to him...he was reminded again,
That they were going their separate ways now.
Earlier he hadn't really understood it entirely, but when he took in that reality fully...his heart clenched painfully.
Furuhashi…
All the conversations they had shared behind the school.
All the silly moments of them doing the craziest things.
The glances.
The touches.
Her smile.
He had always cherished them.
But it wasn't until now that he realized...how much he would miss them.
They were graduating. It was something that they should be proud of. That fact didn't change.
And yet, at this very moment, one underlying truth stood in his heart far stronger than the former.
He wasn't ready to let her go.
"Thank you, Furuhashi." He said to break the silence. "It's the first time...anyone's said anything like that to me. It means a lot."
He stopped walking to stand in front of her. The girl looked up, her attention completely focused on him.
"After we graduate...we're all going to go on our separate paths, but...if...you're open to it, Furuhashi…"
His voice caught in his throat, and he swallowed the knot that had formed there.
He needed to say it.
He wanted to say it.
"Maybe I could still...be your sup-"
"Fumino-cchi?"
~Late March~
The afternoon at the guest house had turned upside down with the sudden change of events. He had wanted to talk to Fumino, chasing her down the ski course that he knew was well beyond his capabilities, and as a result he had gotten them both stuck in this precarious situation; trapped in a storage room in the middle of a brutal blizzard.
They were huddled close together under a thick blanket to preserve their warmth. It was awkward, but the idea of them being alone like this strangely made his heart race.
Why was that..?
"Here Furuhashi...use this heat pack." He offered while avoiding eye contact. "And...uhm...I'm glad your ankle's doing fine at least…"
The girl reached for the item in his hand and squeezed gently.
"I'm sorry. Honestly, it was better sooner...but I couldn't tell you." She said with a guilty expression. "So...I'm sorry."
"...what do you…mean..?"
He was confused. To him, her voice sounded unusually regretful. Unconsciously, he thought back to two weeks ago, right before Uruka had interrupted their walk back home. At that moment, he had tried to tell Fumino that he wanted to continue to support her...whatever that meant. But the allegedly injured girl, in a shocking surprise, had dropped her crutch and ran off in a hurry.
He still didn't understand why, but he knew one thing was for sure.
In the moments after when Uruka had confessed her feelings to him...all he had been able to think about…
Was her.
"By the way…" He said suddenly. "Lately, there's this person...who's really on my mind."
The girl turned her head towards him, not saying anything, so he continued.
"I wake up in the morning...and I think about them. When I'm eating, when I'm studying…"
"I'm always thinking about them."
He clenched his fists beneath the blanket.
"I don't really know...what this feeling is. But I could really use your advice, Professor Furu-"
"It's love."
He blinked before whipping his head at her.
"Huh?"
"You're in love with that person, Nariyuki." She said politely. "Very much so."
He felt his head spin at the answer.
"L-Love?!" He exclaimed in disbelief. "Me?! T-There's no way-"
"Nariyuki." She interrupted. "That's all the advice I can give you. The rest...is up to you. I told you, remember?"
She smiled at him in a way that made his stomach drop.
"We have to go our separate ways now and do our best. I can't...always be here for you, Nariyuki."
He stared.
There was plenty of noise from the walls being pelted by the heavy snowfall outside, but in the little space between the two of them, it was deathly quiet.
It felt like an eternity before he was able to bring himself to speak again.
"Yeah...you're right." He finally said. "Thank you, Furuhashi."
His eyes shifted to the ground, and he felt a strange relief overcome him from his new perspective.
For once, he finally understood.
Thank you...Furuhashi…
Because of you…
I now know what this feeling in my chest is…
He turned his head to her, eyes fixated on the girl's delicate face. A warm blush creeped onto his cheeks, and this time, he was well aware of it.
Because of you...I now know why…
I can't seem to let you go.
From the very start…
It had been obvious.
I've fallen in love with you, Fumino Furuhashi.
Present
"Nariyuki? Yo, Nariyuki!"
He snapped his head up, startled and brought back from his memories. "S-sorry...what were you asking?"
"I asked when did you end up falling in love with Furuhashi?" Oomori reminded before raising his hands in a placating fashion. "It's fine if you don't know. I think most couples don't really know either. It kinda just happens, you know what I mean?"
Surprisingly enough, he did in fact have an answer to Oomori's question now, though in his mind, he was figuring out on how to put it in a way that was actually comprehensible. The memories he had sifted through gave him an idea on when and how it happened, but putting it into words was a completely different challenge all together.
His head turned to look out the window thoughtfully.
"It kinda just happens."
I sure wonder about that…
At his silence, Oomori shrugged and prepared to bring up a different topic of conversation, but at the last second Nariyuki spoke up, deciding to simply speak from his heart.
"I guess…in a way...I've always been drawn to Furuhashi..." He started. "There are a lot of great people I know that work really hard, but something about her just caught my attention from the very start. She doesn't just work hard for the sake of success. She works hard because she truly wants to learn and be the best version of herself that she can possibly be. I think...that's very rare, especially for someone as fragile as her, and so I've always admired her because of that. When I think back on it...she was everything that I liked in a person. She was kind. Beautiful. Mature. I think the reason I never really realized that I had fallen for her was because of how dedicated she was to her dream. I wanted to do everything that I could do to help her...even if it meant putting aside the feelings that I didn't quite understand."
He looked down at his hands with a smile.
"But she taught me something back then." He continued fondly. "She taught me how to love myself. She taught me how to appreciate every characteristic and every circumstance that had shaped me into who I am today, even the ones that hurt...even my weaknesses. Seeing me for who I really was...she did something for me that I never really knew how to do for myself. Because of her I was able to confront my biggest fear head-on; discovering my own separate path and what it is I really wanted to do."
"You're great the way you are...Nariyuki!"
"I've always liked her, but it wasn't until that moment…that I had truly fallen in love. After that, I couldn't stand the thought of not being able to spend the future without her there with me. I wanted to continue to support her...I wanted to be there for her, forever. When we confessed to each other at the field...when she told me that she loved me me more than anyone in the whole world...I was so happy that I could burst. Every passing day with her, it feels like I continue to find new things about her that I keep falling in love with. Life just feels so colorful with her there with me, and I just know...that there's no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with than with her."
'So yeah…that's how it happened." He finished with an exhale.
It hadn't felt that long in his mind, but from the look that Oomori was giving him, he must've been speaking for quite some time.
"S-sorry, I kinda got carried away there." He apologized, looking abashed. "J-just forget it...this stuff is too embarrassing to talk about outloud-"
Oomori was crying again. Loudly. Surprisingly enough, Nariyuki couldn't tell if it was an act or not this time around.
"How could you?! You really did leave me behind, man! You're on a whole different level entirely!"
"W-what are you on about it now?!" He said flustered, once again embarrassed by the sudden outburst.
"It's just so obvious isn't it…you two were just meant to be together!" His friend continued passionately. "The bond you two share, it's so admirable! Relationships like that don't just exist anywhere!"
Oomori smiled genuinely.
"I'm so happy for you!"
As much as he wanted to be touched by the heartfelt words, Nariyuki was just way too bothered by the judgemental eyes of the working staff to currently accept the sentiment. They were definitely going to get kicked out at this rate.
"Alright! Alright! I get it! Just keep it down, please..."
Nariyuki sighed for what very well felt like the hundreth time that day. He was exhausted.
It was supposed to be just a casual hangout, but catching up with Oomori always took a little bit out of his lifespan. He really needed to teach the guy to watch his conversational volume at some point in time.
"Relationships like that don't just exist anywhere!"
He found himself smiling softly to himself again, silently thanking his friend for his words of support. It really did mean a lot to him, even if he hadn't thanked the man directly. The next time they caught up, he would make sure to treat him to something nice.
Looking at his phone he took notice of the time and realized it was around that time of the day again. A few minutes past evening, right about when Fumino would be getting home from university.
On these kinds of days, they would usually text or call each other before bed, after each of them had finished studying or completed their respective homework. This was especially the case now, since Fumino had her research internship to worry about too. The girl had been spending a lot more of her time after classes prepping for exams because of it.
But today, for whatever reason, Nariyuki had the urge to give her a call early.
And so he did.
The phone dialed.
And like she had always done before, Fumino picked up immediately.
"Nariyuki?"
"Hey, Furuhashi."
"You called me early today," She said, surprised. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Nariyuki chuckled to himself. Of course the girl would be worried about him over this.
"Nothing's wrong." He assured. "I just wanted to tell you something is all."
"What is it?" She asked.
"I love you."
He couldn't see her response, but that was just fine. He simply imagined the girl's adorable blush followed by her loving, shy smile through the phone.
His heart warmed.
And that was all he would ever need.
"I love you too, Nariyuki..."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Fun chapter, hope you guys enjoyed it!
Appreciate any reviews. Your feedback is what gets me to keep writing these.
Until Next Time!