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It had been two months since Yumenosaki’s new school year started, and the third years were exceptionally busy. They’d gotten assigned a lot of school work, but were able to enjoy themselves on the weekend. Luckily, it was Friday. Despite this fact, Mao had to stay overtime; he even offered to help Kunugi-sensei with grading tests. On the other hand, someone like Arashi had complete freedom to do what she wanted. She called Adonis and Mitsuru over to go to the bakery together.
Mitsuru’s eyes went wide after he heard Arashi’s suggestion. “I’ll race you both there,” he declared before he felt a hand gently grip his shoulder.
“Patience, Mitsuru,” Arashi chided. “You don’t even know where it is.” She chuckled softly before ruffling Mitsuru’s unkempt hair.
“Narukami,” Adonis called out. “I actually have plans with Kanzaki.” He gave the duo a polite smile before both groups went on their ways. Once Adonis reached the school gates, he quickly texted Souma the address of where he wanted to go.
“I’ll be waiting at the crepe shop across from the garden terrace.” Adonis’ hands trembled slightly while composing his message, but his otherwise moved efficiently. He felt his heart skip a beat after hitting enter, but he couldn’t place the reason why.
Souma’s phone began vibrating, and he retrieved it from his shirt pocket. He struggled somewhat as he inputted his passcode: 0829. Technology baffled Souma, and for a second, he almost wished Kaoru was able to help him. The third years from before had all graduated, and Akatsuki have since disbanded. Souma felt lonely at times, but he had Adonis to keep him company.
For a few minutes, Souma had trouble replying; parts of his message got autocorrected into katakana, an alphabet he was quite unfamiliar with. He improvised by making his message technical and overcomplicated. ‘Garden terrace’ ended up being written as, ‘house with flowers in it’, resulting in: “I shall meet you across from the house with flowers in it.” Souma let out an exasperated sigh after pressing send, and he made his way to the crepe shop.
The two crossed paths, and headed for their destination together. They talked about how classes were going, as well as club antics and activities. Souma testified that a new member of the Marine Bio Club, a first year, has as much knowledge on sea life as Kanata. As for the Track and Field Club, no one new had officially joined. However, a submission form was being reviewed. Mao expressed concern after looking over this student’s records: they had a history of poor health. He recommended that they instead join the Game Club or the Handicrafts Club, but they were insistent on being in Track and Field. Adonis noted that they have as much drive as Souma, which he promptly agreed with. Souma wished the new student well, before he and Adonis stopped at a busy intersection.
“Shall we hold hands while crossing the street?” Souma offered before he followed up with, “Kiryu-dono has emphasized the importance of doing so. He is quite particular in regards to his little sister and Nito-dono.”
Adonis accepted the offer, a small hint of excitement in his voice. The two men joined hands, and the light turned shortly after. While they crossed, the tune of Tooryanse played twice. It was necessary for such a busy street. Souma found himself humming along, even when he and Adonis were safely on the other side.
“We don’t have that far to go,” Adonis explained as he pointed at a building half a block away. Its sign would definitely be noticable from more than a couple blocks away, yet it was also easy on the eyes. The couple made their way to the creperie, with springs in their steps. It wasn’t until Adonis felt around for his wallet that he realized they were still holding hands. He quickly pardoned himself before retrieving what he was looking for.
The lineup was short, but many people were just now leaving work. In a matter of minutes, about thirty customers were in line behind Souma and Adonis. Neither of them seemed to notice, least of all Souma. He was intently reading the menu, trying to decipher any and all choices written in katakana. He especially struggled to figure out what ‘cafe au lait’ meant, and Adonis informed him that it was a coffee-flavoured crepe. Souma praised Adonis’ intelligence, to which the latter humbled himself with, “I remember reading about crepes in a Japanese travel guide.”
Souma decided to order a chocolate-banana crepe, and Adonis settled with strawberries-and-cream. Their order totalled to about one-thousand yen. They made themselves comfortable on a nearby bench, and began to eat their meals.
There was soon a problem, though. Souma began examining his crepe, as if he was unsure on how to eat it. “These ‘crepes’ are vexing, indeed…” His tone conveyed a mild level of disappointment, and he put emphasis on the thing troubling him.
“You eat the filling first,” Adonis explained patiently. He watched as Souma took a bite of banana, which resulted in some chocolate being smudged at the corner of his mouth. Adonis couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. “Stay still, Kanzaki,” he implored before leaning close to clean the chocolate off.
Souma wasn’t expecting that. If it weren’t for his secure hold on the crepe, he would have dropped it. His face turned bright red, and he looked down at the ground to hide his bashfulness. “Adonis-dono…” he choked out. “Did you just...kiss me?”
“My apologies,” Adonis conceded. “I acted in the spur of the moment, and—” his explanation was cut off when Souma leaned forward and kissed him properly.
“I returned the favour,” Souma clarified in a hushed voice. “Now we are even, yes?” He averted his gaze before continuing. “And I’m quite fond of the ‘crepe’ you purchased.”
Adonis was at a loss for words, but he eventually managed to suggest heading back once they were done eating. Souma nodded firmly before finishing his crepe. Adonis split his own meal, and then the couple made their back to the academy. They spent the rest of the day watching animal documentaries in Adonis’ room, and fell asleep on the couch in a tangle of limbs.