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Mamoru’s face felt very hot and his heartbeat jumped when he felt Kensuke’s lips touch his.
Mamoru quickly opened his eyes as Kensuke pulled away, staring at Kensuke with a lack of coherent words.
“Ken–wha…?” Mamoru felt very confused.
He didn’t understand why Kensuke kissed him all of a sudden. It wasn’t like Kensuke had never given Mamoru a kiss before. Kensuke has often kissed Mamoru on the cheeks or his hands, even his forehead, usually before or after their performances for good luck. But this was the first time Mamoru received a kiss on his lips.
It was Mamoru’s very first kiss on his lips too.
It was a good thing they weren’t around any of their fans or other people in public since they were hidden from view under a trellis with growing vines at a park.
Kensuke looked at Mamoru seriously, as if waiting to see what his reaction would be.
“Mamo–” Kensuke started to talk, but then Mamoru quickly turned away from Kensuke and ran. “Eh? Mamoru!”
“I hope Ken and Mamoru are enjoying their walk to the park,” Koki commented as he and Ryota were taking care of the daily chores at GROWTH’s dorm.
“Sounds like Ken is taking his dog out for some exercise and fresh air,” Ryota teased.
“Ryo,” Koki chuckled and shook his head in disbelief.
Both of them jumped when they suddenly heard the front door open and slam loudly. Koki and Ryota were both surprised when Mamoru rushed inside Growth’s dorm with an upset look on his face.
“Mamoru? What’s wrong–” Koki tried to ask, but Mamoru didn’t hear him as Mamoru headed to his room.
The front door opened again and Kensuke rushed in, almost tripping over his own feet as he kicked his shoes off.
“Mamoru! Wait–Mamoru!” Kensuke tried to stop Mamoru from running away, but Mamoru didn’t look back as he stormed off. Kensuke quickly followed to Mamoru’s room, but then the door was slammed in his face. “Mamoru!” Kensuke tried knocking before he let out a frustrated sigh himself.
“Ken, what happened?” Ryota and Koki questioned with worried expressions.
“Ah,” Kensuke turned and looked at them like he had now realized his friends were there the whole time. Kensuke scratched the back of his head and frowned. “I think–I accidentally made Mamoru mad at me…”
Koki and Ryota looked at each other and then looked at Kensuke.
“Ken…don’t tell me you brought up Mamoru’s former NEET status again,” Ryota guessed as he crossed his arms.
“I didn’t! I didn’t say anything bad!” Kensuke defended.
Koki placed his hand on Kensuke’s shoulder. “Give Mamoru some space to calm down for now, I’m sure the two of you will make up soon,” Koki advised.
“Yeah…” Kensuke agreed, though he didn’t look fully convinced.
Kensuke headed to his room without saying anything else while Koki and Ryota remained in the shared room.
“I can’t imagine Ken and Mamoru having a serious fight with each other,” Koki admitted to Ryota quietly. “They’re always so close when they hang out.”
“Ken and Mamoru are both silly idiots, I’m sure they argued over something minor,” Ryota said. “If they don’t make up soon, I’ll knock sense into both of their heads together.”
Koki chuckled. “I’m glad you care about them as much as I do, Ryo,” Koki said.
“If both of them are in a bad mood, it’ll affect GROWTH as a unit,” Ryota told Koki. “Well, I’m also a bit worried. Ken aside, that was the first time I’ve seen Mamoru really upset.”
“Yeah,” Koki was also really worried. “I’ll try talking to Mamoru in a little bit. Can I leave Ken to you?”
“Of course, Kou,” Ryota already decided.
Koki brought tea and snacks to Mamoru’s room. He heard music being played from inside Mamoru’s room, but it sounded like random notes jumbled together compared to Mamoru’s normally inspired orchestra of melodies.
“Mamoru? May I come in?” Koki called and knocked. Koki didn’t hear a response and the random piano music only grew louder. Koki took a deep breath and entered anyway.
Koki saw Mamoru was sitting on the piano seat at his keyboard. Mamoru had his headset over his ears, so it was obvious why he didn’t hear Koki’s voice.
“Mamoru,” Koki said a little louder as he placed his hand on Mamoru’s shoulder.
Mamoru was a little startled, but he quickly turned around and smiled when he saw Koki. “Kou-kun! Sorry! I hope I wasn’t being too loud with the piano,” Mamoru apologized.
“No, it’s fine. I brought you tea and snacks,” Koki said as he put the tray down on a table that wasn’t buried with music sheets. “Why don’t you take a short break?”
“Yay! Kou-kun’s tea and snacks! I’ll happily partake in them!” Mamoru cheered as he took off his headset.
Mamoru sat down with Koki on the purple lounge sofa in Mamoru’s room. Koki watched Mamoru carefully as Mamoru enjoyed the tea and snacks with a happy look on his face.
“So yummy! Kou-kun always makes the best tea and snacks!” Mamoru praised.
“Haha, I’m glad you like them,” Koki said.
Koki waited until Mamoru finished his tea and snacks before he brought up the true reason he came to Mamoru’s room.
“Mamoru…if it’s a personal matter between you and Ken then I won’t pry, but–can I ask what happened earlier that made you so upset?” Koki dared to ask.
Mamoru blinked and looked at Koki.
“Ahh~, earlier I–...” Mamoru’s voice got really quiet.
Koki half expected Mamoru to say ‘it’s nothing’ and ‘not to worry about it’ so they’ll put it aside for later to discuss and resolve, but he was shocked when tears suddenly appeared in Mamoru’s eyes and flowed down his cheeks.
“Mamoru?!” Koki was worried.
“Eh? Ahh, sorry, Kou-kun–” Mamoru tried to hide the tears, but they wouldn’t stop no matter how much he tried to wipe them away. Mamoru turned away from Koki and curled up a little in his seat.
Koki didn’t say anything as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his blue handkerchief. He handed it to Mamoru, and Mamoru slowly took it to wipe his tears and blow his nose.
Koki waited until Mamoru managed to calm himself down enough.
“I’m sorry, Kou-kun,” Mamoru apologized again.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Mamoru,” Koki assured Mamoru as he put a hand on Mamoru’s back.
Mamoru bit the bottom of his lip and pouted.
“Kou-kun, what should I do?” Mamoru asked Koki.
Koki waited for a minute. “Is it about Ken?” Koki asked gently.
Mamoru nodded his head slowly and took a deep breath.
“Kou-kun, I–I think I’m in love with Ken-kun,” Mamoru admitted.
Koki blinked and was surprised, but his composure was calm. “Oh, I see.”
“That’s it?! You’re not shocked, Kou-kun?” Mamoru was more surprised by Koki’s calm reaction.
“Well, you and Kensuke have always been close friends, and I’ve noticed the two of you have gotten closer recently compared to when we first debuted as GROWTH,” Koki shared his observation. “I think it’s natural for you to feel love towards a person you really like and care about.”
“Haahh, as expected of Kou-kun, you already understand this kind of situation better than myself, even though I’m older,” Mamoru seemed a little deflated.
Koki chuckled. “I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I’ve known you for a long time now, and I’ve known Ken even longer. I care a lot about you two and Ryo, so I’m able to pick up on a few things even if they’re not said out loud,” Koki said.
“Mm. That’s true.”
“But if you truly love Ken more than as a friend, did he do something to make you upset earlier?” Koki was still confused.
Mamoru was quiet for a long minute, and then he answered, “Ken-kun kissed me at the park.”
“Eh?” Koki reacted.
“Mm, it was kind of a shock and surprise. After Ken-kun kissed me, I didn’t know what to do, so I ran away,” Mamoru admitted. “I couldn’t face him because I was so embarrassed! Haaahh, and it was my very first kiss too!” Mamoru got flustered as his face turned red and he hid his face in his hands.
Koki couldn’t help but laugh at how Mamoru was acting like a maiden in love. It was cute.
“Does Ken know about how you feel?” Koki asked the most important question.
“Of course not! I was so flustered over the kiss that I couldn’t bring myself to confess!” Mamoru answered. “Since I ran away, I don’t think I have the courage to tell him now. Ken-kun probably is already upset with me.”
“Unless you’ve done something really bad to get on Ken’s nerves, he forgives and forgets easily, Mamoru,” Koki assured. “I’m sure Ken will calm down after Ryo talks to him, and then the two of you can talk properly.”
“Mm, you’re right, Kou-kun,” Mamoru understood.
Koki smiled. “Do your best to be honest with your feelings, Mamoru.”
“Ken, I’m coming in,” Ryota announced after he knocked twice. He saw Kensuke lying down on the bed scrolling on his phone, but Kensuke’s eyes didn’t look particularly focused on anything.
When Kensuke didn’t say anything, Ryota prodded a little as he sat on the edge of Kensuke’s bed. “Did you and Mamoru have a fight?”
Kensuke stopped scrolling on his phone and looked up at Ryota.
“Hmm, I guess? I wonder if you could call it that,” Kensuke sounded doubtful. “It was mostly my fault though. I kind of messed up.”
“What did you do?” Ryota questioned.
“I kissed Mamoru,” Kensuke answered honestly.
“Hah?!” Ryota exclaimed in shock. “K–Kiss?!”
“Yeah, on his lips,” Kensuke confirmed. Kensuke looked over his shoulder at Ryota. “....Ryo, your face looks red.”
“N-Nevermind about me!” Ryota cleared his throat and calmed himself. “So you kissed Mamoru, and he got upset?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Kensuke assumed.
“Did you ask Mamoru if it was okay to kiss him?” Ryo asked very seriously.
“Er…” Kensuke looked away.
“Kensuke.” Ryo crossed his arms with a scary look.
“I wanted to surprise him! I’ve given him kisses on his cheeks and hands before!” Kensuke mentioned.
“That’s different! You’ve done that to Kou and I too,” Ryota pointed out. “But a kiss on someone’s lips is something you only do if you’re in love with someone.”
“Yeah, I did it because I’m in love with Mamoru,” Kensuke confessed.
“You–are you serious, Ken?” Ryota asked.
“I am. I love Mamoru,” Kensuke was serious. “I’ve always loved him as a friend, but lately I think it’s been more than that, you know?”
“Did you confess your feelings to Mamoru properly?” Ryota’s patience was running a bit thin with Kensuke at that moment.
Kensuke’s hesitation to answer gave Ryota a hint as to why Mamoru got so upset.
“So you forgot to confess,” Ryota figured.
“I didn’t forget! I was going to confess to Mamoru after the kiss, but then he ran away! So then I was going to apologize first and then…confess…” Kensuke started to lose confidence.
“Haaahh…Ken, you really are an idiot,” Ryota stated. “Mamoru is also an idiot, but you’re the bigger idiot. These kinds of feelings are really delicate, especially with Mamoru.”
“Mm,” Kensuke understood.
Mamoru and Kensuke were still in their respective rooms to give each other space. Koki and Ryota met up in the shared room to discuss what they found out.
“How did it go with Ken?” Koki asked Ryota first.
“Ken told me that he kissed Mamoru on the lips,” Ryota started. “He admitted he’s in love with Mamoru, but he wasn’t able to confess before Mamoru ran away back to the dorms.”
“Oh? So the feeling is mutual then?” Koki wondered.
“Huh? What do you mean, Kou?”
“Mamoru also said he’s in love with Ken…he thinks,” Koki said. “But Mamoru wasn’t able to tell Ken how he felt since he ran away.”
Ryota let out a long sigh. “They’re both idiots. The idiot duo of GROWTH.”
“Is there anything we can do?” Koki asked Ryota for his opinion.
Ryota was quiet for a moment before he had an idea.
“Kou, can we borrow your room for a bit?” Ryota asked.
~~~
“Kou? Ryo told me that you needed to ask me something,” Kensuke said as he entered Koki’s room. Kensuke was puzzled when he didn’t see Koki in his room, even though Ryota told him that Koki was waiting for him.
Kensuke was about to head back out to the hallway to look for Koki, but then someone else came into Koki’s room.
“Uwah! Ken-kun?!” Mamoru exclaimed.
“Mamoru? What are you doing?” Kensuke looked at Mamoru surprised.
“Um–I was looking for Kou-kun since he asked me to come to his room–” Mamoru explained, but then suddenly the door behind them shut. “Huh?” Mamoru tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “It’s locked?”
“Wait–did we get locked in?” Kensuke asked as he tried to open the door with Mamoru, but the doorknob was firmly locked. “Oi! Ryo! Kou! We’re locked in here!”
“Exactly, and the two of you aren’t allowed out until you have a proper talk with each other,” Ryota spoke from the other side of the locked door.
“Huh?!” Kensuke and Mamoru were surprised.
“Sorry, Ken, Mamoru,” Koki’s voice was also heard from the other side of the door. “Ryo suggested this was the best solution for the two of you.”
“You can’t be serious, Ryo,” Kensuke tried to talk to Ryota.
“If you two take all night to figure things out, you’ll miss Kou’s delicious dinner,” Ryota teased but also sounded serious. “Well not that I mind since I’ll get to enjoy a nice peaceful and quiet dinner with Kou.”
“Ehhh?! We’ll miss out on Kou’s delicious meal?” Mamoru questioned.
“Then you two idiots better hurry up and sort everything out. Bye, let’s go, Kou,” Ryota said and then the other side of the door was quiet.
Mamoru and Kensuke stared at the locked door before they turned and looked at each other.
“Um…” Mamoru wasn’t sure what to say.
“Ahh…” Kensuke didn’t know what to say either as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. He had planned to talk things out properly with Mamoru, but he didn’t expect Ryota and even Koki to throw them so suddenly in this mess.
Kensuke sighed and sat down on the navy blue sofa for the time being.
“They really got us both this time, haha,” Kensuke let out a defeated laugh. Kensuke looked up and saw Mamoru stood awkwardly to the side. “Mamoru, relax and take a seat,” Kensuke invited Mamoru over as he patted the empty seat next to him.
“Ah–mm!” Mamoru stiffly walked over and sat down next to Kensuke on the sofa.
The two of them were quiet as two minutes passed.
“Mamoru,” Kensuke started first.
“Yes?” Mamoru sat up straight.
Kensuke turned and looked at Mamoru with a serious expression.
“I’m sorry about the kiss–” Kensuke started to apologize, but suddenly Mamoru leaned in close and kissed Kensuke on the lips. “!!!”
The kiss only lasted for two seconds before Mamoru quickly leaned back, but the expression on his face changed. Mamoru looked more relaxed and seemed like he found some kind of resolve.
“Mm, I knew it deep down. I really am in love with you, Kensuke,” Mamoru confessed and confirmed his own feelings.
“Wha–Mamoru?! You–” Kensuke’s face looked really shocked and his cheeks warmed up as he blushed. “Wait, that’s not fair! I was supposed to apologize and confess first!” Kensuke was a little upset.
“Eh? You were going to confess too?” Mamoru was surprised.
“Yeah! That’s why I kissed you earlier–I’m in love with you, Mamoru!” Kensuke confessed for real. “But then you ran away from me!”
“I was embarrassed! You suddenly told me to close my eyes and then you kissed me! Of course I would run away! And you took my first kiss too!” Mamoru admitted.
“Wait–that was your first–ohhh,” Kensuke realized why Mamoru reacted the way he did earlier. “...my bad.”
Mamoru hid his face in his hands. Kensuke also partially hid his face behind the palm of his hand.
Ryota was right, they were truly idiots.
Kensuke couldn’t help but laugh out loud when he looked over and saw Mamoru peeking at him between Mamoru’s fingers.
“So we both love each other,” Kensuke confirmed again.
“Mm,” Mamoru agreed.
Kensuke couldn’t help but think how cute Mamoru looked after everything was finally said out loud.
“But the fact I took your first kiss, Mamoru, you really were either a pure maiden or had no luck with women,” Kensuke couldn’t help but tease a little.
“Gwuah!” Mamoru took it like a fatal blow. “K-Ken-kun! Do you really have to put it that way? My heart is delicate!”
“Haha, sorry!” Kensuke apologized and gave Mamoru a quick kiss on his cheek. “Forgive me?”
Mamoru pouted a little, but then he laughed and smiled with Kensuke. “I’ll forgive you, Ken-kun. Will you forgive me for how I acted earlier?”
“Mamoru, I’ve already forgiven you and forgotten about that,” Kensuke said as he patted Mamoru on the head. “We’re friends! Oh, I guess we’re now boyfriends!”
“Boyfriends–” Mamoru looked flustered as he wasn’t used to being called that.
Suddenly there was a loud growling noise that came from Mamoru’s stomach.
“Ah,” Mamoru realized another urgent matter. They were still technically locked in Koki’s room.
“I’ll message Ryo and let him know we made up so they can let us out,” Kensuke said as he pulled out his phone. But then he frowned when he read a message that was sent to his phone.
“Ken-kun?” Mamoru tilted his head in confusion.
“Are they serious? Ryo!” Kensuke suddenly got up from the sofa. He went to the door and turned the door knob, which was now unlocked.
“Oh! We can go out now–Ken-kun?” Mamoru was still confused as he followed Kensuke out into the hallway and towards the shared room where the kitchen is.
Kensuke and Mamoru stopped when they found a love note left on the kitchen table on top of two packs of instant yakisoba noodles.
Now that you two idiots have made up with each other, you can enjoy tonight alone by making your own dinner. Kou and I are going out for a date at a lovely restaurant we reserved.
~ Ryo
There was another note written on the back in Koki’s handwriting.
Sorry, Ken, Mamoru. I promised to take Ryo out for dinner tonight.
~ Kou
“Seriously…” Kensuke looked defeated again.
“Ahaha…they got us again,” Mamoru also looked defeated.
Kensuke and Mamoru both accepted defeat and heated up the instant yakisoba noodles for dinner. It wasn’t glamorous for their first “dinner date” together as boyfriends, but they made it work by eating the yakisoba together on the lounge sofa while watching a movie about a knight and his dog going on an adventure to defend their kingdom.