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“I’m… sorry I’m making you escort me,” Kamui said. He kept his gaze downcast at the motions of his feet while he walked. He stared at the wide cracks breaking up the narrow sidewalk corners. “Someone has to be with me outside campus limits. But I can be alone! I can fight alone.”
“I don’t mind,” Subaru replied. He walked at his side, hands in his pockets, trying to maintain the calm mentor demeanor that Kamui needed for reassurance. No, he didn’t have to fight on his own. “You can’t stay on campus forever. It’s a breath of fresh air from your surroundings. You looked stir crazy sitting at the table.”
He was gracious about spending any time with him (which Kamui was grateful for!), but he didn’t want to inconvenience him on the fly. Still, he was pleasantly in high spirits after Subaru came to the mansion. Only important meetings and their study seasons brought him to the Dragon of Heaven’s residence for a visit, but he went the extra mile for Kamui’s sake.
“I was,” Kamui admitted. “Tired of the same scenery.” He choked up on familiar anxieties that slithered after his conscious everywhere, ready to express far more self-doubts about Fuuma and school and a leftover injury recovering on his arm, bringing his thoughts to a half. A shadow appeared before him. He stopped short.
A line on the sidewalk spilled out from a boardwalk that lead up to a stall. When the customers walked away, they peeled a wrapper from a fish shaped pastry.
Sensing he wasn’t beside him, Subaru glanced back. Kamui stared at the scroll menu that hung above the worker’s head. The sparks of curiosity that lit up his face intrigued him. He hadn’t shown interest in buying anything until that point. A bit guilty, Subaru wished he had thought of eating – he always forgot to eat himself.
“Do you want a taiyaki?” Subaru asked. “We’ve been walking for a while. We can take a break here and get some food.”
The question rang in Kamui’s ears, and he surprised himself with how much he wanted to have a taiyaki. He patted his pocket where his student wallet would be, but there was emptiness. Granted, he had left with Subaru immediately after he posed exploring Tokyo together, and he hadn’t thought about getting anything. Sorata would make dinner anyway.
“No money,” Kamui said, shoving down the disappointment. His stomach growled. He turned on his heel. He would have to wait. “Let’s keep walking this way.”
His footsteps were heavier, echoing his inner turmoil. He shouldn’t be that upset he couldn’t get a sweet. He wasn’t, not exactly. Now, he had a handful of options without money to use on their way.
Kamui quickly realized something was off. He was a few paces away from the stall’s line before he turned back around.
“Subaru?” Kamui called.
Subaru leafed through his wallet. He fished for coins as he stepped into the line, counting the amount printed on the menu. He waved for him to join him.
Kamui went pale with embarrassment. He didn’t have to go that far. “I don’t—“
“I just got paid from my last job,” Subaru said, snapping his wallet shut. He stuffed the wallet back in his pocket. “I’ll pay.”
“But… That’s it, I pay you back later?”
“Let me treat you, Kamui,” Subaru said. He smiled, the creases around his eyes showing genuine sincerity. “I want to.”
Kamui wearily glanced between the stall and Subaru. Once again in the span of an hour, his unbridled happiness he wanted to do something for him outweighed the negatives. Arguing with him was out of the question; he knew Subaru told the truth. He returned to the long line.
Subaru scanned the menu contents, frowning. “Which flavor do you like?”
“How about you?” Kamui challenged. If he was about to get taiyaki, he wouldn’t mind sampling the kind of flavor that Subaru would also buy for himself.
“I like tea,” Subaru thought aloud. “I like matcha. I can try a matcha taiyaki.”
Hearing the answer changed his mind. For Kamui, matcha wasn’t quite his speed at that moment. He craved another flavor. Something comforting and a little less on the sweet side sounded appealing.
“Cheese?” Kamui asked.
“They have that?” Subaru checked the menu again. He usually didn’t think of the actual food based fillings rather than the sweet ones, but he wasn’t complaining he had found something suiting his taste. “Here I thought you would choose chocolate. Cheese it is, then.”
Kamui couldn’t resist a smile. Surprising Subaru amused him for whatever reason. It was more refreshing than surprising him with another good score on a test.
The line moved at a steady pace despite the length. Their taiyaki arrived and they wandered off to the side to eat them.
Kamui pulled back the white paper. The underlying scent of cheese greeted him, and he took a deep breath of the aroma. His mouth watered. His teeth dug into the waffle exterior and breached the inside. Sweet, gooey cheese met his tongue, almost spilling out of the side. He lapped the cheese up before it dripped. Trying to be more careful, he took smaller bites.
Out of the corner of his eye, Subaru watched him. He was amused – he never would have thought that Kamui would be so overcome with joy eating a taiyaki. “I haven’t seen you so excited for a while,” Subaru said. Admittedly, he wasn’t too hungry. A few bites were plenty. He tucked the leftover treat in his trenchcoat pocket so it wouldn’t get crushed.
Kamui snapped out of his reverie. He slowed down, shaking his head. Subaru occasionally surprised him with how observant he was – and he had indulged himself more than anything else lately.
“Yeah.” He meekly scooted his foot on the ground. “Again… Thanks, Subaru.”
Kamui finished the rest of the cheesy goodness in peace and quiet. He listened to the faint conversations around him, and he wondered where else they could go for the rest of the stroll. He threw away the paper in the nearby bin.
Subaru held out a bag towards him.
“Here. This is for you,” Subaru said.
The logo name on the bag was printed on the banner hanging above the boardwalk. The bag appeared to be full, and white paper peeked out of the top of it.
When had Subaru gone to get more?
“How many are in there?” Kamui asked, the bag’s plastic handle circling his wrist, lightly rattling the bag. The handful of paper cases for the taiyaki rustled.
“A dozen,” Subaru said.
“I can’t eat that many!” Kamui protested. One taiyaki was enough for a treat, and the price more than a few dollars. “Why did you buy a dozen of them for me?”
“You liked the first one. Why not? They’re all for you,” Subaru assured. It wasn’t much of a gesture. Taiyaki were best eaten fresh, after all. But it was what he could do to make it last. “Share them with the others at home. Or, you can save them for tomorrow. Eat a little at a time. You have a test coming up, don’t you? Spread each taiyaki out while you study the notes from last weekend.”
Having Subaru dote on him made him irresistibly happy, but a dash of guilt crept up underneath the adrenaline. But Subaru didn’t back down for it, and he didn’t even want to deny him again.
Subaru continued walking down the sidewalk. “Shall we explore the city? I can take you around for another hour.”
Kamui raced after him, the bag swinging at his side in his raw haste. He pointed towards a side street that had the peek of electronics in a window. “That way.”