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Senkuu had a few close friends. Taiju was Senkuu’s first and childhood friend. Tsukasa was the second friend Senkuu met. Taiju had met him at a daycare center they both went to in elementary school. Yuzuirha was the third friend Senkuu had made. Taiju had a huge obvious crush on Yuzuriha from the start of junior high. Senkuu and Tsukasa would always hear Taiju talk about Yuzuriha after school while they went to Senkuu’s.
“Why don’t you try confessing to her?” Tsukasa asked.
“I will! One day… I just want her to like me,” Taiju gushed as the two of them walked into Senkuu’s room with boxes of parts in them.
“Hey, you big oaf don’t drop that,” Senkuu snapped.
The two set the boxes down and sat on Senkuu’s bed to continue their conversation.
“Taiju, I’m glad you have a crush but why wouldn’t you tell her?”
“I just don’t know if she likes me back,”
“Well, how long are you going to keep pushing it off?
“I’ll do it soon,” Taiju huffed.
5 years later and still no progress. From the start of junior high to now their second year in high school. Senkuu was ten billion percent sure Taiju was being illogical. What could be the worse thing that could happen if Taiju confessed? Yuzuirha was not the kind of person to laugh to his face. So what was the reason to wait 5 years?
“Senkuu chan!”
Oh…
Senkuu’s upperclassmen Asagiri Gen stood next to him at Senkuu’s shoe locker.
“Is there something you need Asagiri?” Senkuu asked.
Tsukasa had introduced the two one day after school. They were both in the same homeroom and got along fine, besides Gen a bit over the top personality. When Senkuu first meets Gen, he was exactly like Tsukasa described him as. Over the top and dramatic. Senkuu’s first impression of Gen wasn’t the best. Especially when Gen immediately started calling him Ishigami chan . Soon it was changed to Senkuu chan which to Gen is somehow better..? But as time passed and they started to hang out more Senkuu started to get a strange feeling. First, it only happened around Gen, but soon it happened anytime Senkuu thought of the teen.
Now Senkuu understood.
“Can you help me study for my physics quiz please?” Gen asked.
“Tsukasa told me that the quiz was tomorrow..,” Senkuu questioned.
“It is, that’s why I eallyy- ray need your help,” Gen confessed.
This overly zealous...
Senkuu sighed. “Did you at least take the notes in class?” Senkuu asked.
“Yes!” Gen responded.
Well, maybe it won’t be so bad. He had taken notes during class and Gen wasn’t totally stupid.
“Fine, I’ll call my dad quickly,”
Take it back. He was hopeless. Senkuu didn’t even think it was possible to be so dense! They had both gone to a small cafe on the way to Senkuu’s house. Senkuu tried to look at Gen’s notes to see what he was learning about but Gen’s notes were so all over the place. No wonder Gen was so lost.
“Asagiri, what is this?” Senkuu asked looking up from the notes.
“The notes I took,” Gen replied before taking another sip of cola.
“No this is just a neat pile of words on paper,” Senkuu groaned.
“That too,” Gen mumbled. “But you should hear my teacher. He always talks so fast and then expects me to write everything he says,”
Senkuu did hear from others that class 3-b’s teacher was quite strict. “I’ll do my best to help you, but I can’t promise it will be an A,” Senkuu said, handing Gen back his notes.
Their hands brushed for a second and Senkuu felt a surge of electricity shot through him.
“That’s better than failing,” Gen replied.
After a few cups of coffee and Gen ordering a lot of sweets Gen finally seemed to get the basic knowledge about the topic, but it was getting late and Senkuu had to go home to work on his own homework.
“Ahh thank you so much Senkuu chan,” Gen bowed.
“It’s fine, but next time has better notes,” Senkuu responded, picking up his book bag from the ground.
“Next time?” Gen asked. “I never said anything about next time,” Gen slyly pointed out.
Senkuu froze for a second. His brain shut off for a second before in an act to try and act natural Senkuu respond with “Well with your notes we probably you’ll probably ask for my help again,”
“Someone’s being defensive,” Gen pointed out. “It’s ok Senkuu chan I enjoyed your company too,” Gen hummed.
“You too,” Senkuu was able to say. His face must have been so red.
“HMH is something wrong Senkuu chan?” Gen asked. “Do you have a fever?” Gen put the back of his hand to Senkuu’s forehead.
So close…
“No, I’m fine. Just got hot in here all of a sudden,” Senkuu turned his back to Gen.
They both walked out of the cafe. Senkuu was getting ready to say goodbye to Gen… but Gen started to walk the same way Senkuu was heading.
“Hey, aren’t you coming Senkuu chan?” Gen asked.
“You go this way too Asagiri?” Senkuu questioned.
“Not normally but we already passed by turn a while ago so I’ll take a long way,” Gen explained. “What? Don’t want to walk with me?”
“Tch not what I meant,” Senkuu scoffed.
Senkuu started walking with Gen back to his house. The older teen seemed to completely spaced out as they walked. Gen just looked up at the clouds while swinging his book bag back and forth. Senkuu didn’t even realize he was starting. Gen was strangely captivating. For someone who had a lot of studying to do at home, Gen seemed like he didn’t have a care in the world right now.
“You know Senkuu, this feels kinda like an anime won’t you say?” Gen put.
“I don’t watch much anime so I don't know,” Senkuu replied.
“Hmmm it definitely does,” Gen hummed. “How nice,” Gen clapped his hands together.
“Is that why you act like a chuunibyou?” Senkuu bluntly stated.
“Hey, rude! And no, I'm not a chuunibyou. I’m just enjoying myself that’s all,” Gen huffed. “You should join me Senkuu chan,”
“In?”
“Cloud gazing,” Gen pointed up at the sky “see that one looks like a cow,”
Senkuu looked up at the cloud in question. It looked nothing like a cow, let alone anything besides just a blob.
“Ohh that one looks like a flower,” Gen pointed out again.
What? No, it doesn’t.
“Hey come on Senkuu,” Gen said. Gen took hold of Senkuu's hand and pointed up to the next cloud passing by. “What does that look like?”
Why is he holding my hand?!?
“Nothing?” Senkuu blurted out.
“No no, have some imagination,” Gen explained.
“Ahhhh…. a monkey on a unicycle?”
“Hmm, I can actually see that,”
So that’s what Senkuu and Gen did until Senkuu reached his apartment.
“See ya Senkuu chan,” Gen waved.
“See ya Asagiri,” Senkuu waved back.
In the morning Senkuu came into school and started to change his shoes and was still trying to wake up. Senkuu had been up late again looking at the latest scientific developments. One that caught his eye was an invention made in South America. They had done some test trials and it seemed like they could turn certain animals into stone.
“Hey, Senkuu are you ok?” Senkuu heard a voice ask.
It was Tsukasa. “Ya, I’m fine I was just up late looking at science papers,” Senkuu explained. “Also Tsukasa, good luck to you and Asagiri on your test today,”
“Thank you, Senkuu, but I think Gen will do fine. He’s always answering the teacher’s questions after all,” Tsukasa explained.
“Huh? He asked me to tutor him yesterday and he seemed totally clueless,” Senkuu explained.
“Sounds like he just wanted to hang out with you,” Tsukasa stated.
“Hey, Tsukasa,”
“Yeah?”
“I think I understand now why Taiju won’t confess,”
The test was easy since Gern already knew everything about it. Gen sat down at this normal spot with Tsukasa and Ruri.
“Geez that test was so hard,” Ruri complained.
“It was a lot more difficult than I thought,” Tsukasa added.
“What about you Gen?” Ruri asked.
“I thought it was fine besides question 7. I definitely got that one wrong,” Gen remarked.
“Hey Gen, I heard from Senkuu you asked him for help studying,” Tsukasa said. “I thought you already knew everything about the test,”
“I did, but I wanted to hang out with Senkuu chan a bit, but he always seems so unapproachable,” Gen sighed. “Is he like that at home Ruri chan?”
“Normally yes, but yesterday he came home and seemed happier than usual,” Ruri recalled.
Gen felt a small tug at his lips. “Hmm, I wonder why that is,”