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It was Monday afternoon, and Idia was, as usual, on the horns of a dilemma. Azul was too close to having his third checkmate in a row, and it was almost impossible for him at that point of the game to do some miraculous play and suddenly get rid of two pawns, a bishop, a knight and the Queen and say "Checkmate" before his clubmate.
He moved his hand to take his only rook and move it to a place where he thought it could (possibly) protect his King. Azul smiled, and Idia clicked his tongue. Shit, did I make a mistake? Idia checked what he had just done. There wasn't anything bad in his last move as far as he could recognise, but maybe he should've given it a second thought after all. Azul took his knight and dropped his rook without flinching an eye. Shroud bit his own lip without staring at the face of his rival. I forgot that damned knight was there . All he had left were a pawn and a bishop, which were both cornered by Azul’s pieces, leaving the King in a hard place. Idia let out a deep sigh.
“Should we call it a checkmate?” was all he was able to hear. He didn’t want to raise his sight and find the satisfied look on his adversary.
“Ugh…” Idia dropped his head until his forehead hit the table. “I lost, again…”
Azul smiled over the demonstration of defeat Idia was presenting before him. “Shall we try for a fourth time?”
“Why did I even think I stood a chance…” The blue haired mumbled, seemingly tormented. He let his fingers scratch the back of his head before sitting properly again.
“You shouldn't have mentioned the word bet in the first place.”
Idia did not reply immediately, and stared at Azul's smiling face while he started to organize the pieces of the chess board. How had it come to this? Oh, right. Last night, a limited sale of a special, limited figure of one of the characters of a game Idia liked caught him off guard. It was expensive even though it was an offer, and his allowance could pay the full price of it but it meant no more money to spend on the manga volume that was coming out later that month. And then, he had the great idea of telling Azul, his one and only games partner at school, that he wanted to make a bet with him. After all, between asking him for a loan and owing him money versus making a bet, the latest was by far the best option. The conditions from Idia were pretty simple. He wanted the figure. But Azul…
“You’ll lend me that jacket you always wear and use the school uniform for four days.”
And he agreed. He fell right into his trap. Idia’s mistake was not to make a bet with him (they had done some before), but to allow Azul Ashengrotto, the cunning and clever leader of the Octavinelle dorm, to decide on which was the game they would play. Maybe even checkers would have been a better alternative, damn. Azul-shi almost always wins in chess, I should have chosen the game after all...
“It's not fair, your part of the bet doesn’t bring any kind of reward to you…” Idia stood up after he checked what time was it. They should have left half an hour ago.
“Aside from the satisfaction of knowing that I won? I do have another reward,” Azul asserted. Both his hands took the box of the chess pieces, putting it on a shelf, right on the place where the word chess was carved in wood. “My reward is seeing how you deal with being out of your comfort zone for a while.”
Idia groaned for an instant, and wondered if Azul was really his comrade or he just enjoyed putting him in situations like that. What’s so bad about my comfort zone? I don’t hurt anyone. The silver haired one did not say anything until they finished putting the club room in order. Idia gathered his stuff before going out to the corridor. It was almost dark outside already, and before he could sneak to the Hall of Mirrors, Azul was already closing the door of the room while looking at him. They didn’t say a word until Azul held out his hand, dead serious.
“Can I just... lend you anything else? I have plenty of-”
“It's not right for a man to go back on his word,” Azul interrupted, still serious.
“But Azul-shi... What if people stare at me just because I'm not wearing my jacket...?” the golden eyes of the taller leader examined the face of the other. He really didn’t want to take it off. “I can't stand being the center of attention…”
“The worst scenario might be people telling you that it is rare for you to use the school uniform. And if someone asks you what is the reason behind it, you can say it was a bet. You’ll get it back before the weekend, Idia-san.”
“Still…” He was still unsure. How was he supposed to be comfortable in his daily life if it meant that he would have to dress in a way that would make everyone fix their sights on him?
“I promise I won't say anything mean.”
“I might send my tablet to classes instead of attending myself…” said Idia, opening his beloved hoodie to give it to Azul. “It’s almost clean, I had PE and Alchemy today, so I barely wore it during the day, and I just got it washed yesterday...”
“Okay.”
They walked together to the Hall of Mirrors and parted ways to their corresponding dormitories. Idia was not happy at all with the result, but well, what else could he do? It was his idea from the beginning. It’s just four days. Just four days… He stopped before stepping into the mirror that took him to Ignihyde and saw Azul disappear through Octavinelle’s. Well, I’ll have to deal with it... I need to continue that game. And he stepped into the mirror.
Azul, on his side, arrived at Mostro Lounge half an hour earlier to the afternoon shift, the most busy one. As usual, Jade and Floyd received him on the entrance to briefly talk about the current status of the place. He paid attention to the details and gave instructions aloud, to which all the workers replied with a loud "Yes", beginning the preparations for the next shift. Floyd stood in the entrance of Mostro Lounge, paying special attention to the work being done by the others, supervising that Azul's orders were fulfilled as soon as possible. Jade, on the other hand, accompanied him to the VIP room with a couple papers that needed to be checked while giving a brief summary of their contents. And although he hadn't paid attention to Azul at first, assuming it was just as any other day, as soon as they reached the office, his heterochromatic sight couldn't help but notice the piece of clothing his leader and boss was holding on his arm.
“Oh?” Jade exclaimed, leaving the documents on Azul's desk . “Isn’t that Idia-san’s jacket?”
Azul looked back at him, a little smile on his face too, and replied, “Yes. It is part of my prize from today’s bet.”
Interesting. “Would you like for me to take it to the laundry?” Jade asked, moving his right hand to his chest while Azul took a quick look of one of the documents.
“There’s no need. He said it’s clean, so I’ll just keep it in my room.” Azul took another of the documents and clicked his tongue. “This is rare. I’ll go get changed and come back. Jade, please bring me two more copies of this and the list of suppliers. There are some things I want to check.”
“Understood,” Jade replied, and took the document mentioned by Azul to leave the room.
Ashengrotto made sure the office was locked before heading to his room. It was not too far from Mostro Lounge, and it had been built exclusively responding to his wishes when he was negotiating the construction of his business with Dire Crowley. All he wanted was that his bed was close to the wall, as it was easier for him to sleep that way. He opened the door of his room and left the hoodie at the top of his bed, changing into the dorm uniform as fast as he could. After all, it was time for him to work.
▬▬▬▬▬▬■□■▬▬▬▬▬▬
It was late when he came back. That day had been particularly chaotic for some reason, but apparently there was an Alchemy test being held among the first year students, and the most desperate and irresponsible ones had brought to him some interesting acquisitions. Signing new contracts was always a joy to him. After taking a shower and drying his hair, Azul was preparing himself to sleep. A t-shirt and shorts were all he used at that time of the year, as he could regulate his temperature quite nicely. And just when he was about to tuck himself into bed, he saw Idia's hoodie on top of his pillow . Azul took it from the shoulders to leave it somewhere else, and couldn't help but to laugh a little when he realized the actual size of the clothes.
“This is ridiculously big.”
As far as he knew, Idia was not that big , neither was he a traditionally muscular man as that first year from Savanaclaw. Why did he use something so much bigger than him? It's like an XXL size, I could fit inside three times.
Could he?
...
I'll just try it once.
Azul put on the jacket, over his pajamas, and when he zipped it to take a look at the mirror, he laughed at the scene. It was gigantic. It already looked big on Idia, but on him it was ridiculously big. Although he couldn't deny that it was warm and soft on the inside. The material of the fabric was evidently of a high quality, but that didn't surprise him. He knew the Shroud household was a wealthy family, and even if Idia was not a fan of using expensive clothing, it was obvious that his family would not allow him to use something of poor quality. Maybe not even Idia knew how expensive his hoodie seemed to be. It’s really soft, and somehow it makes me feel comfortable… Is this Idia-san’s aroma…?
“... This is ridiculous.”
He took it off as soon as he became conscious of what he was doing. And thinking. It was weird. Azul left the jacket at the end of the bed and took off his glasses to leave them on his night table. He tucked himself into the bed, and covered himself up to his head while getting himself as close to the wall as possible. But there was something that he couldn't stop thinking about.
... Would the jacket cover me to the feet while sitting?
He couldn't stand being curious. It was part of his nature: he needed to know as much as he could, even when it came to things as trivial as this. He sat on the bed, removing the sheets and cover, staring into the piece of clothing with a certain degree of doubt. Would it?
Azul reached out to the jacket and put it on again. Then, he tried to sit, getting his legs closer to him, and tried to cover his whole body with it. Funny thing? He fit inside. It felt even bigger than when he had just tried it on minutes before. It was a perfect fit for his slender body. Perks of being more thin, and smaller than him, I guess. And as curious as it may sound, it felt nostalgic. The warmth he felt on his whole body was incredibly nostalgic. He felt safe, in some way. Maybe it reminded him of home, because it made him feel little in such a big piece of clothing, or maybe it was just him being delusional due to the stress, but the thing was that he felt genuinely comfortable using it. An idea crossed his mind, but he shook his head before thinking that he might be actually going crazy. And when he was about to take it off, he slowed his movements. Idia-san wouldn’t mind, would he…? Azul looked at his own arms being completely covered by the sleeves of the hoodie and gave it a second thought.
“.. Just for today.”
I barely move when I sleep, anyways.
Azul moved to his bed, tucking himself in once again, this time with Idia’s hoodie on. He hid his legs inside of the jacket while he got himself closer to the wall to sleep at last. It felt comfortable. The hoodie was so big that he fit inside of it and made him feel little. Certainly, it was nostalgic. It was not his imagination playing tricks on him: the sensation was the same that invaded his senses just an instant ago. It was warm, and familiar. It’s been years since the last time he closed his eyes and felt asleep right away. He had no dreams that day, nightmares either. He just slept through the night and only woke up to the sound of his alarm. But no matter what, he convinced himself that the hoodie had nothing to do with it.
▬▬▬▬▬▬■□ tuesday □■▬▬▬▬▬▬
Azul searched for his clubmate during the breaks, but he was nowhere to be seen. There was also the fact that their classes were in different hours and buildings, so he didn’t really think he was going to meet him randomly in the corridor. It wasn’t something that happened often before, so there was nothing to worry about. All he had to worry about that day was the Alchemy exam that was scheduled for his class. Or at least that’s what he made himself think, but he couldn’t deny that there was also a certain degree of worry over how Idia was dealing with everything that day. He knew it was going to be a challenge for him, but he thought that would be fun. But it’s not fun if I can’t see it myself , he thought. He sighed, and continued walking towards the Alchemy classroom. He would have the opportunity to see the results of the bet in club hours anyway.
His exam was finished with the precise amount of time invested in each answer. It was not usual for Divus Crewel to make written exams, but they weren’t that hard to answer if you had actually paid attention to his explanations. Good thing he was always attentive of details and his notes were impeccable. He waited until the end of the class to ask a few things he was wondering for the sake of his experiments (and his business, of course), and started walking towards the Board Games clubroom with a delay of twenty minutes or so. And as soon as he opened the door, he opened his mouth to apologize for being late, but was unable to form a proper sentence when he saw the figure of Ignihyde’s leader sitting with his back to the door.
It was the first time he had seen something other than his loose, flowing hair: a medium-sized black ribbon with golden and silver details tied the long blue hair in a low ponytail, while the rest of the hair on the top of his head looked less chaotic that the other days, but still not as neat as the ponytailed strands of hair. Idia turned around to see him, and stood up from the chair, looking at the floor. He was evidently nervous, but looking at him from the front was still a bit thrilling. The blue vest and the white shirt definitely made an impression on him. He looks incredibly different... Is this Idia-san, really? Idia looked like he was waiting for Azul to say something. And he also felt like he needed to say something, but no words were coming out. He breathed and smiled while closing the door behind him, standing with a hand on his hip, looking at him. There was only one word going through his mind at that moment.
“Impressive, Idia-san.”
Idia groaned. “I look ridiculous.”
“Not at all. You just look different than usual.” Azul walked up to him, still smiling. “You even tied up your hair.”
"Ortho said I should tie my hair... so it matches my appearance with the school uniform and it doesn’t look… sloppy. "
"It was a good idea. It matches well with the uniform." Too well, I’d say.
"I only attended History class and Animal Language today because I had an exam and it would have been weird if I didn’t show up for both classes... This is horrible, please give me back my hoodie, Azul-shi!"
"Request denied. A bet is a bet. You should have won the game." Idia let out a deep sigh. Of course he would say no.
As soon as Idia asked what they were playing next, Azul suggested Battleship, as they hadn’t tried it since they had first met, when Idia was too shy to look at him directly. It was easier for him to just focus on the game and not look at Azul’s face. The session seemed to go on without any differences for Idia. But the glasses leader was not sure it was an ordinary session. He was definitely thankful about Idia asking what to play that day. He never thought the day would come that he was the one not wanting to look at Shroud’s face directly. It is only a school uniform, what the hell.
The whole afternoon while they played, Idia was talking non stop about a discovery he had made in the early hours of that day. All Azul heard was technical jargon, programming concepts and the usual game vocabulary the older one regularly used when he got excited talking. Of course he could understand all he said; he paid attention to his whole speech and even made some comments about it, but he was sure not to look at him or do so only when Idia called him, as if he unconsciously wanted to make sure that Azul was at least remotely interested on his soliloquy. Fortunately, the screen that divided them made Idia unaware of the fact that Azul wasn’t looking at him as usual. After all, he had something else to focus on instead of Idia’s new look. It was my idea in the first place. I’ll have to bear with it.
When it was already time to leave, Azul looked at his senpai from the back while he closed the door, finally getting used to the look of his hair in a low ponytail. It was curious that he never stood up normally. He was sure that Idia was taller than him, but as far as he could remember, he had never seen him properly standing.
“Hey, Idia-san. You know what would make you look even better with the uniform?”
Idia turned back and looked at him, unsure. At that point, he was not sure about what Azul might suggest. “... What?”
“Standing up properly.”
His hands shook for a second. “But it’s so troublesome...”
“Try it.”
“Ugh...”
Idia let his arms rest and deep breathed, stretching his back to stand up as the other requested. His appearance changed in an instant. And it was not only Azul’s idea. The slim figure of the other was enhanced greatly by the shape and the colors of the uniform. Azul thought his mind might have been exaggerating on how handsome Idia looked on his uniform. Finally appreciating Ignihyde’s leader and his 6’0’’ of height was a privilege, somehow. He knew Idia was already used to walking that way, but he doubted he would actually forget that scene. Idia, slightly embarrassed and nervous, standing up properly while wearing Night Raven College’s uniform, his hair tied in a low ponytail. He smiled, once again. The taller one whined for a single second before going back to his usual posture, and Azul crossed his arms while turning away, thankful that night was near and the orange tone of the sky could hide his cheeks and the slight tone of red they had gotten a couple seconds ago.
“You look good with the uniform, Idia-san,” he spoke in a low voice, while he walked before Idia.
The blue haired followed his clubmate steps. “I hate it…”
Azul let out a little laugh. “Just bear with it. Friday afternoon you’ll have your beloved jacket back.”
As soon as they arrived at the Hall of Mirrors, each one of them took their leave after a goodbye gesture and the classic “ see you tomorrow ” phrase. Azul was close to being free. He breathed in before going into the mirror, calming himself. It only took him a step into Mostro Lounge for Jade to reach him and give a report on the issues that were incomplete for the afternoon shift. He gave the instructions as usual, and after assigning the chores, he turned back to his vice prefect.
“I’ll go get changed. Then I’ll be in my office in case you need something.” Almost immediately, Ashengrotto directed his sight towards the corridor.
“Azul,” Jade called him, forcing Azul to look back at him.
“Hm?”
“How was today’s club session?” He asked, innocently.
“... It was fine.” Azul fixed his glasses and began his walk towards his room.
Of course it was , Jade thought, as he watched Azul walk with a slight tone of red on his ears. He just smiled and went back to work.
▬▬▬▬▬▬■□ wednesday □■▬▬▬▬▬▬
The next day had started and there wasn’t anything different in Azul. Last night he had been absent for a while, but it was just a matter of time to see their leader behaving as usual. No words needed, both twins did their job and didn’t comment anything to the glasses guy. After all, there was no need.
Jade and Floyd were walking down the corridor after their first class. They were luckily next to each other’s classroom on wednesday mornings, so all they had to do was to find each other after leaving their classes. A group of classmates from Floyd class were gathering in the entrance of the room, and as Floyd tried to get out, a student from Pomefiore started talking.
“Hey, hey, did you hear the latest rumor?” Floyd overheard. “Apparently, Shroud-senpai has been using the school uniform since yesterday!” Jade was just stepping out of his classroom, and casually eavesdropped too.
“No way! But he’s always using the same jacket, isn’t he?”
“One of his classmates told me! Cat- I mean, this guy is not a liar.” So Cater Diamond is behind this rumor , Jade thought. He was not surprised. “Although he’s not attending all the classes personally.”
“Tch, how uncool…”
Floyd called Jade’s attention with a gesture of his hand, and Jade left the place walking with his twin by his side. Their next stop were the stairs that took Jade to the third floor and which were next to Floyd’s next classroom.
“Azul’s got something to do with it, don’t you think so, Jade?” Floyd asked, just before his twin turned around to go to his class.
Jade smiled. “Of course, Floyd. Idia-san’s jacket is in Octavinelle, after all.” He hadn’t mentioned anything about it to Floyd, but he was sure his brother had paid attention to Azul that day. Twins’ instinct.
The other twin smiled back, letting out a low voiced laugh. “You’re right.”
They looked at each other to the eye and smiled, and parted ways to their next class. They didn’t find it necessary to mention anything about the rumor they had heard about Idia Shroud to their leader the whole day. Neither did they say something when they saw him go right to his room to change his clothes as soon as he got to Mostro Lounge, right after his Board Game Club session that afternoon. Jade noticed his ears had a slight tone of red, just as the day before that.
It was entertaining, and interesting.
An ultra rare Azul .
▬▬▬▬▬▬■□ thursday □■▬▬▬▬▬▬
It was already early morning and Azul didn’t seem to be around. Jade walked around asking about the dorm leader, but no one had seen him. That’s rare , he thought. He was already used to Azul being almost ready by that time, but there had been a few occasions in which he had overslept. Maybe he’s still in his room.
The vice leader walked directly to his boss’ bedroom door and opened it with extreme care, and just when he was about to call out to him, his eyes catched Azul’s silver hair on the bed. He was facing the wall, not really aware of the fact that someone was at the door. Oh? Jade thought, smiling at the image of Azul using a hoodie instead of his usual pajamas. And he recognised that piece of clothing right away. How wouldn’t he? The teal haired remained silent and just closed the door, heading to the lounge where Floyd was waiting for him and Azul. “He’s going to be ready in a couple minutes,” he answered when his twin asked for the dorm leader.
After 10 exact minutes, Azul arrived at the lounge all dressed up, instantly calming Floyd who seemed a bit worried. Not because of Azul in particular, but because they had to wait for him and Mr Trein wouldn’t be happy if he was late to his class. Again.
“Finally,” said Floyd, looking at him impatiently. “You are a bit late, y’know?”
“I overslept, that’s all.” Azul fixed his glasses, walking towards the mirror that took them to school. Floyd followed his steps, looking at Jade.
“Is that so?” Jade asked, picking up his stuff to follow him.
“Let’s go, we are running out of time.”
All of them went to their classes as usual, and both twins headed to Mostro Lounge when they finished. After all, Jade was free from club activities that week. Floyd simply skipped basketball training. Their next task was to begin preparations for Azul’s return when he finished his club activities. Same story that the day before, and an afternoon shift that felt a little bit more chaotic than usual.
Once Mostro Lounge was closed, Azul got out of his room, taking Idia’s jacket to Octavinelle’s laundry. He ended up using it over his pajamas last night too. The calming effect of that first night was something he couldn’t understand, but he was sure that it helped him sleep a bit better than usual. Curious . Anyway, he didn’t want to give it too much thought. That would be a bother. And in the end, he didn’t want to draw hasty conclusions over something so trivial as that.
“Azul?” he heard a familiar voice behind him, which made him stop walking.
“Oh, Jade.” Azul turned around to meet his vice-leader’s sight.
“I thought you were sleeping already.” Jade was still using his uniform, and he was holding some dirty kitchen aprons with his right hand. “That’s Idia-san’s jacket, right?”
“Yes, I’m taking it to the laundry. I have to return it tomorrow.”
“I’m going to the laundry right now. Would you want me to do it for you?” Jade held out his free hand to him.
“It would be good. Thanks, Jade.” Azul handed him the hoodie, with a small smile on his face.
“It must be a relief for you to be so quiet when you sleep, Azul. It doesn’t look stretched out at all, although it does smell a bit like you”, Jade said. The silver haired raised his sight to meet the other’s cunning smile. But it was not Jade’s usual cunning smile. It was one of the kind of Jade cunning smiles that suggested he knew more than he suggested with words. “It's as if you didn’t sleep in your usual pajamas only.” Jade directed his gaze from the hoodie to Azul’s subtly blushing face.
“I don’t know what you mean, Jade," he replied, and the teal haired replaced his cunning smile to a suggestive smile in response. Azul frowned. He knows . But he was not going to fall into his trap. “I slept in my pajamas all these days, as usual. The jacket was in my room so obviously my smell would attach to it, somehow.” The fact that Jade might have an idea of what he did didn’t mean that he would openly admit it.
“As you say, Azul.”
The silver haired fixed his glasses before checking his watch. “I need it to be clean before classes finish tomorrow.”
“Understood,” Jade replied, and it was the last Azul heard from him before heading to his room.
Jade smiled again, watching him leave.
▬▬▬▬▬▬■□ friday □■▬▬▬▬▬▬
The first thing Azul saw on the screen of his phone as soon as he unlocked it in the early hours of that morning was a notification, alerting him of a message from Ignihyde’s leader. He just smiled before leaving the phone on his bedside table to start with his usual morning routine. There was something telling him about what the content of the message was, but he didn’t want to check right away.
He checked that he was taking the correct notebooks and that his glasses were clean before going to the bathroom to change his underwear and brush his teeth. After coming back to his room, he finally took his phone and opened Idia’s message, almost being able to hear his voice inside of his head.
From: Idia Shroud
Is it really mandatory for me to use this today too…?
Azul let out a little laugh. Then, he answered with a single word.
To: Idia Shroud
Yes.
He waited for a response for a couple minutes, while he put on a clean shirt, buttoning his wrists. His phone vibrated, and he smiled again, reading the message on his phone.
From: Idia Shroud
I’ll send my tablet to some classes then...
“It’s a shame he doesn’t use the school uniform more often,” he thought aloud. But of course, he wouldn’t say that to his face. All he could do now was think about how little Ortho would be dealing with his older brother’s reluctance to wear the uniform. After all, the low ponytail with the black and golden ribbon had been his idea. And yesterday he even braided it . It looked nice.
Next stop after getting ready for his classes was Mostro Lounge. He was expecting plenty of supplies to arrive early that day, and apparently the most urgent stuff had already been delivered, including a little box with the “Priority shipment” red sticker and a “fragile” warning, carefully packed. He took that one and went to his room, leaving it on the bed before leaving to Night Raven to attend his classes.
His classes finished a bit earlier than usual that day. Good for him, who still had something to do before going to the club room. He went straight to the Hall of Mirrors, and then to his dorm’s laundry. As he asked, Idia’s jacket was already clean and dry. He took it after thanking the staff of the laundry and promising compensation for their fast service, and then went to his room. As expected, the box was still where he had left it in the morning. He sighed in relief and took it after putting both things inside a paper bag, going back to school and walking straight to the club room.
That day, just as the day before, Idia’s hair had a braid. A long but thin braid, this time with a small ribbon at the beginning and the end of it. Really, it’s a shame that he doesn’t use the school uniform more often. He closed the door behind him and Idia turned around to meet his eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.
“Please tell me my torment finishes now, Azul-shi...” Idia’s eyes resembled a puppy face, although Azul was a hundred percent sure he didn’t do it on purpose. He sighed, showing him the paper bag and opening it for him.
“Yes, it does.”
Idia stood up and walked up to him, and Azul just looked at how he happily took his hoodie from the bag and put it on with a wide smile on his face. He didn’t mind that he was still using the uniform. The thing was that he didn’t want anyone else to see him using it. Those four days had been a torture, but he was happy it had come to an end. Idia turned around to see Azul, still smiling, and the glasses guy moved the bag a bit, to make him realize that there was something else inside. The blue haired walked up to him again and got the box out of the bag.
“What is this...?” Idia asked, as he tried to open the box.
“Consider it as a reward for using the school uniform for four days.”
“Don't tell me…” his eyes were open in surprise and his hands shook for a bit before ripping the last seal. “?!”
What he had in his hands was even better than he expected. He’d lost hope of getting that figure quite a long time ago. Not only was it the deluxe version of the limited figure he was asking for in his initial bet: it was EVEN more rare. Special accessories, special costume and a limited edition disc of the franchise.
“H-How did you get this?! It’s not the one I wanted you to buy, it’s even better than that! There were like… five of these available!”
“It was easy,” Azul said. “Mostro Lounge has won some recognition in the last months. It was profitable for me too.”
“Thank you, Azul-shi…!” Idia’s eyes were brighter than Azul had ever seen him. His heart skipped a beat over the sight of pure happiness he had seen on the senior’s face. Woah . The blue haired couldn’t stop staring at the figure, checking the box everywhere, “You really are benevolent sometimes.”
Azul laughed, a bit nervous. “I’m always a benevolent and kind human being, Idia-san.”
Idia laughed a bit over Azul’s reply, and continued looking at the figure. On the other hand, Octavinelle’s leader looked at him with a smile. Not a cunning smile as he always did. It was an honest smile. It made him strangely happy to see Idia act like that over something like a figure. This was a side of Idia he hadn’t seen before. That week had been full of new sides of his clubmate, and it was satisfying to him. This is the real Idia-san, I see. He breathed, realizing that he had been staring too much and fixed his glasses to hide the red tone of his cheeks
“So, Machikoro today?” Azul asked.
“Yeah, Machikoro.” He didn’t look back at him though. That plastic model, with a little weapon and fancy details on its clothing, had his whole attention.
As soon as he got out of the opposite’s sight, he sighed. This is bad , was what he thought as the other sat on a chair. Idia was the one who had lost the bet in the beginning. But in that moment, Azul thought to himself that the loser might have been someone else.