Batz yawned as he stepped into the kitchen to fix up a cup of coffee, a dressing gown worn over his well-built form. In the bedroom behind him, Janga still slept peacefully.

He spotted Guntz sitting at the table, his hands propping up his head as though deep in thought.

"Morning, champ." Batz said sleepily as he went to fill up the kettle. "Sleep well?"

Guntz slowly shook his head. "Mn… no, not really"

"Well, that's a shame." Batz replied, picking up the coffee tin and shaking it to see how much coffee powder was left inside. "All good on your end, I hope."

Guntz said nothing. He didn't even move an inch. A brief silence hung in the air before Batz turned round, concern on his face, and went to sit down opposite Guntz, his coffee briefly forgotten.

"Guntz, tell me what's wrong."

For the first time, Guntz reacted more strongly, spluttering in surprise whilst trying to save face. "W-what? Nothing! What gave you that idea?"

"You get all sulky when something's bothering you. Same as it was when you were a pup." Batz said, crossing his arms. "Now c'mon, what's been biting ya?"

Guntz didn't want to say anything. This felt like his burden to bear. But at last, he sighed, and finally began to open up.

"You… know Klonoa, right?"

"Young-ish cabbit sort, about your age, goes with you on hero missions?" Batz ventured a guess, to which Guntz nodded. "Seems like a nice kid. Why?"

Guntz cleared his throat. This was proving most difficult. "W-well… for the longest time I only really saw him as a partner… maybe a friend at most… but lately I've been… um…"

"Go on."

Guntz shivered in trepidation. "I've started… having, um… feelings for him… like… romantic feelings…"

There was a short pause, before Batz let out a bout of uproarious laughter. "Golly, is that all? You really had me worried there, Guntz!"

Guntz buried his face in his hands, believing he was being made fun of, before Batz put an encouraging hand in his shoulder.

"Hey, hey, I didn't mean it like that, son! I'm happy you've found someone you really like! What, you'd thought I'd disapprove?"

Guntz nodded sheepishly, and Batz chuckled.

"Guntz, I'm already in a relationship with a former outlaw named Janga, I wouldn't have room to complain about it. Klonoa's a good kid, and I'd be fine if you wanted to get together."

With that he got up and went back to the kettle which had finished boiling.

"So! You got any idea how to kick things off with him?"

Guntz finally lowered his hands, feeling at least a little bit more self-assured. "I guess not, no."

As Batz opened the tin of coffee grounds, he had a think about what might help his son get over this hurdle. "Well, maybe find something you can both do that you think could be a great day out. A way for you both to bond closer if you will."

Guntz digested this suggestion, the gears turning in his head as he considered what he could try.

"Before you do anything, though, best for you to have a coffee too." Batz chimed in. "No reason to plan your romancing without a little pick-me-up."

…

For the second time this week, Klonoa was awoken to a knock at the door. This one was much less dainty than the last, though he once again failed to recognise who it was until he opened it up.

This time, Guntz was on the other side of the door, his usual smug smirk upon his face.

"Hey, Klonoa! You busy today?"

Klonoa yawned. "Nah, not really. Why?"

Guntz reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. "I've thought of something that might do you some good. You think you could meet me at this spot this afternoon?"

Klonoa glanced at the paper when Guntz pressed it into his hands, an eyebrow raised. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Excellent!" Guntz said as he was already walking off. "I'll see you there!"

Klonoa looked on at Guntz's rapidly vanishing form, before closing the door and looking at the paper Guntz had given him, upon which were directions to this place just outside of Breezegale.

Klonoa was certainly not amiss to spending some time with his friend, but he had to admit Guntz's vagueness about what he had planned was odd…

And there was that fuzzy feeling again…

…

Klonoa waited at the spot where Guntz had asked him to meet him. It was just on the outskirts of Breezegale where a lot of the local bounty hunters hung out. Klonoa had met some of them before, and although it wasn't the friendliest place ever, the general vibe was they were fine with you as long as you were fine with them. Though at the same time you were well advised to keep your coin purses out of sight.

As Klonoa wondered whether Guntz was tailing a fugitive to this place, he heard the revving of an engine indicating the approach of his hovor-bike, the Red Clan. Sure enough, its sleek red chassis was quickly speeding towards him. Upon screeching to a halt, Guntz hopped from the driver's seat to stand in front of Klonoa.

"Sup, Klon." Guntz said with a grin.

"Heya Guntz!" Klonoa called out to the approaching wolf. "So, what's this all about? You got something planned?"

"As a matter of fact…" Guntz said as he pointed to a building nearby. It was a small bar, often used by bounty hunters both before and after assignments. A little bit seedy, but then the regular clientele didn't really mind so much.

"A bar?" Klonoa said. "What do we gotta go there for?"

"Well, we've been going to a lot of places that you really like." Guntz said, puffing up his chest proudly. "So, I thought I'd do you the same kindness, take you to my kinda hangout spot and show you how to act all tough like me!"

Klonoa let out a little gasp. He wasn't super into bars and pubs, but the fact that Guntz wanted to do something like this of his own volition meant a whole lot.

"You really wanna do that, Guntz!"

Guntz gave Klonoa a grin. "Of course! What are partners for?"

Klonoa beamed.

The next few minutes were spent with Guntz trying to coach Klonoa on a more tough looking posture, what sort of facial expression to have, and a basic idea of the sort of vocabulary that people would see as manly. It was rough going, but with luck he might be able to pull it off.

Then came the moment of truth.

Inside the bar a bunch of rough, tough sorts sat around tables, nursing alcohol and generally being rowdy. But everyone went dead quiet when the door suddenly opened and Klonoa stepped inside.

He had a tall standing posture, his fists against his hips, and his face giving a smug smirk, one eyebrow cocked. On anyone else it would have given the appearance of someone not to be messed with, but on Klonoa his cuteness was just too powerful, and it fell apart.

"Howdy, fellas."

There was a brief pause, everyone in the bar looking on gobsmacked, before breaking out into a wave of laughter, several of them falling off their chairs in hysteria.

Guntz buried his face in his hands, thinking he had humiliated his friend, but upon looking over he saw Klonoa still smiling with an air of confidence, just rolling with the punches. The patrons seemed to respect him not immediately running off and after their initial wave of laughter mostly began returning to their conversations, albeit with a new topic of discussion.

Shrugging, he just decided to follow his friend inside and grab a drink with him.

As they walked up to the bar, the bartender wiped a tear from his eyes from the force of the laughing, before turning to them both.

"Your usual, Guntz?"

"Sure." Guntz said, trying not to grimace from his attempt to toughen Klonoa up backfiring.

"And how about your friend Mr Toughie over here?" the bartender continued, gesturing to Klonoa.

Guntz just shrugged, wanting to get it over with. "Whatever's not got any alcohol in it, I guess." He may have wanted to make Klonoa more manly, but he didn't want him getting drunk. In all likelihood the cabbit wouldn't be able to handle his liquor.

Klonoa looked round the room with a smile. "Well, seems like I was able to give everyone a good laugh, eh Guntz?"

"They were laughing at you." Guntz said, a sulking mood starting to come over him. "Not with you."

Klonoa thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't mind too much. It was a good attempt to try a tough guy attitude, but even if I still need practice it still lightened the mood a little, don't you think?"

Guntz tried not to completely shrink back into himself as he took a sip of the drink the bartender slid across the counter towards him. "Heh. I guess. That's what I like about you, though."

Klonoa looked at him inquisitively, frowning slightly as he saw his own drink slide his way; a glass of water. Apparently that was the only non-alcoholic beverage on offer. "Oh?"

Guntz cleared his throat to try and clarify what he meant. "Well, you're not just incredibly cute and all that, but you're also self-assured. You'll dive headfirst into anything just to give it a try, and even if it doesn't work out you'll still see the funny side. It's like no matter how you get knocked down, you always find your way back up again. Like just now, they were all laughing at you, but you just breezed through without a problem."

Klonoa smiled. "Aw, that's really nice of you to say, Guntz!"

Then, he suddenly went quiet as something seemed to occur to him. "Wait… you think I'm cute?"

Guntz immediately got flustered and tried to stammer his way into an excuse. Klonoa's cheeks went red, his heart fluttering a little, stomach all fuzzy.

The brief bout of blustering was then stopped by the door to the bar bursting open, and a foreboding figure stepped inside, dressed in a black cloak. Klonoa and Guntz froze, recognising the man as the outlaw they'd caught robbing people on the nearby roads. The man recognised them in turn immediately.

"YOU!" he yelled. "You're the ones who turned me in! Do you know how hard it was to break out of that cell?! I'll give you both what for!"

As Guntz tried to get in front of Klonoa to shield him from any oncoming pain, one of the patrons suddenly turned around, revealing themselves as a bounty hunter named Big Dantil, one of Guntz's dad's contemporaries who had gotten back into the circuit after spending several years imprisoned by the supervillain Garlen.

"Now then, did I hear you say you broke out of prison?" he said.

The outlaw turned to him. "Yeah, I did. What's it to you?"

Big Dantil shrugged with a smirk before pulling out a gun. "What's it to me is that you oughta come along quietly before someone gets hurt."

In a panic, the outlaw threw himself at Big Dantil before he could fire, and all hell broke loose. Most of the patrons tried to subdue him and prevent him from escaping, while others seemed to be fellow outlaws who tried to assist and create an opening the outlaw could escape through. A brawl soon escalated, and in the carnage Klonoa and Guntz just managed to sneak out unscathed, before sprinting towards the Red Clan as fast as their legs would carry them.

"We'd better make ourselves scarce!" Guntz said as he jumped onto the driver's seat and directed Klonoa to get on with him. "A couple hours out of town should let things die down."

"Wait, Guntz!" Klonoa said. "There's nowhere for me to sit!"

"Just sit behind me and hang on tight!" Guntz called back, suddenly catching sight of the outlaw managing to escape the fighting within the bar and start rushing towards them, followed by Big Dantil and a few others. "Hurry!"

Thinking quickly, Klonoa tried to get onto as much of the seat as he could behind Guntz before wrapping his arms around Guntz's waist to keep himself steady. If Guntz reacted to it, he didn't show it, just putting the peddle to the metal and screeching off just before the outlaw could reach them. They shouted expletives their way, before promptly being jumped and subdued by Big Dantil.

Klonoa hung tightly to Guntz's frame as the wind rushed past them, the hover-bike driving onto the dirt roads that cris-crossed between Breezegale and La-Lakoosha.

His cheeks were still blushing like crazy…

…

The pair drove for a while, only occasionally exchanging words, before finally coming to a stop at a vantage point near the top of a hill just outside La-Lakoosha. Finally getting off, Klonoa and Guntz went up to the edge of the outcrop and watched the view below. The sun was starting to set, letting an orange glow permeate across the landscape.

"Here, we'll take a quick break, then I'll drop you off back home." Guntz said as he watched the sunset with Klonoa, unconsciously wrapping an arm round his shoulder.

Klonoa jumped at the touch, but then began leaning into it a little. It felt nice.

"Hey, Guntz…" Klonoa began. "I know that didn't really go as planned but… I kinda had fun. Maybe we should have another shot at a day out together sometime."

Guntz looked surprised at the offer, before relaxing and giving Klonoa a smile.

"Heh, you got it, Klonoa. I'll find us somewhere a bit less hectic, maybe see if we can't get through that cuteness to the tough interior inside."

Klonoa laughed, and wrapped an arm around Guntz's waist again as they stood together, watching the sun set…

Nearby, however, Popka was skulking about on a scavenging hunt. He didn't like doing these long walks, especially as this hill was a mile's walk from the Claire Moa Temple, but there was a bushel of berry bushes that only grew there that he really loved, and he often went up the hill with a basket to collect some.

As he picked a few, anticipating gorging himself when he got back, he glanced over and spotted both Klonoa and Guntz.

He stared in shock for a moment, let out a silent gasp, and nearly dropped his basket in surprise before rushing off without being seen…

…

The stars were almost out, and Lolo was sitting in the temple's garden, a flower in her hands she was slowly picking the petals from, whispering "… he loves me, he loves me not…" to herself.

Suddenly, she saw Popka rushing up towards her, panting hard from the exertion of running as far as he did.

"Popka, what's wrong?" she asked.

Catching his break, Popka tried to explain. "I was out… up at this hill not far from here… you will NOT believe who I saw with Guntz!"

Lolo looked inquisitively. "Go on."

Popka continued. "It was Klonoa! The two were just up at this lookout point, almost holding hands, watching the sunset! It's like, I knew the two were close, but I didn't think they'd be THAT close! Um…"

He trailed off as he saw Lolo's demeanour change. Her face darkened, her hands trembled around the flower stalk, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Um… Lolo? You alright?"

…

Klonoa was dropped off by Guntz right in front of his house, the sun now fully down and the moon now out. The pair exchanged their goodbyes and Guntz got back on the Red Clan and sped off into the night.

As Klonoa stepped into the foyer of his house, he saw his Grandpa sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace, a pipe in his mouth, seeming to have waited for him.

"Ah Klonoa, you're back." He said, turning to look at him. "I was starting to get concerned. You were alright, I hope."

"Yeah, Grandpa." Klonoa said as he stretched his limbs a little. "Was just out with Guntz. He wanted to take me on a day out and we ended up driving around on his bike together for a while." He did his best to downplay the more dangerous parts.

His Grandpa chuckled. "Ah, I was wondering when that boy would make the first move."

Klonoa stopped halfway to his bedroom. "What do you mean?"

Grandpa turned to him, a smile on his face. "He's smitten with you, Klonoa! I've often seen it in his eyes when he comes to pick you up for those hero missions of yours. He may not like to show it, but I know the look of adoration anywhere. I'd say you have an admirer."

Klonoa stared for a moment, before snorting and trying to brush it off. "Pfft, you kidding? Guntz is much too manly for that. Nah, it was just a day out between friends. Just like how Lolo took me out to this café the other day."

Grandpa's head suddenly jerked up, as if he was realising something. "Did you say she took you out too? Just the two of you?"

Klonoa looked confused. "…yes?"

Grandpa got up and walked up to Klonoa, his face looking slightly worried. "I fear your relationship with your friends might be more complicated than you realise, Klonoa."

Klonoa looked on, not quite following. "I… why do you say that?"

Grandpa thought about coming right out and saying it, that Lolo had the same look of adoration in her eyes whenever she saw them both together, but he thought better of it. "Tell me, Klonoa. Have either of them seemed to act differently around you recently? Acting bashful, stumbling over their words, getting flustered?"

Klonoa thought about it. "I… guess so… but… surely you don't mean… they love me both…?"

Grandpa shook his head. "I couldn't say for sure. But perhaps you should think about how they both feel about you. And how you feel about them in turn. Otherwise, they might misunderstand, and someone's feelings could get hurt."

Klonoa's mind started to race, clues beginning to click for him in a way he hadn't considered before. He quickly said a goodnight to his Grandpa before rushing to his bedroom to make sense of it.

So, the odd behaviour of his friends… being all made up and nice when going on a day out with him… calling him cute… wanting to spend more and more time with him…

Did that mean they loved him?

And that fuzzy feeling he got in his stomach when he was with them… did that mean he loved them too…?

He smiled as he began to realise the mutual fondness that they seemed to have… then his face fell in horror as he realised what that meant… that they both loved him… and wanted him for their very own…

Both of them…

Oh…

Oh no…