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Reo was used to love letters. It was not uncommon to open his locker and find one or two inside, or for a girl —or boy, in some cases— to ask to meet him in a secluded place so that they could hand him a letter containing their feelings for him.
That said, this was the first time Reo had received anything like this.
What Reo had just taken out of his locker was not a pretty perfumed letter, nor a small decorated postcard. No. What Reo had in his hands was a poorly torn out and crumpled notebook page where the only thing written was "Reo, you are amazing" in messy and lazy handwriting.
There was no name. There was no time or address for a chance meeting. There was no phone number. There was not even a confession.
It was just that: a piece of paper.
However, Reo felt something inside him that he had not felt before with any of the very elaborate letters he had received. This is interesting, he thought.
In a life full of boredom, Reo had finally found something out of the ordinary.
❋
Reo didn’t know how to find this person.
Okay, the fact that the note was so anonymous and mysterious was part of its charm, but now Reo regretted not having any clues to find its owner.
Reo had been especially alert to people approaching him these days. Perhaps the person who wrote the note would try to reach him?
However, that didn't sound very likely. A person just leaving an anonymous note in sloppy handwriting would not be the kind of person to approach him frivolously, or so Reo thought. Partly he was trying to convince himself that this person was special, that someone like that wouldn't notice him just because of his last name and try to approach him just because of his wealth and popularity.
Perhaps Reo was placing too many expectations on a complete stranger.
'Reo, you are amazing' this person had told him. Reo wanted to hold on to those words. Someone who thought Reo was amazing, not that Mikage Reo was. Not that he was handsome, or charming, or smart. But amazing.
Was he?
He really wanted to believe this person.
His daily life continued as usual, boring. The habitual routine: going to class, socializing with people who knew nothing about him and had no interest in getting to know him personally, studying, learning about the business world, and start again the next day. But something had changed in all that: Reo couldn't get that little note out of his head.
That's it, his instinct told him. That's what I've been looking for.
Despite his best efforts, Reo could do nothing to discover anything more about the person who left the note. Each time he opened the locker, he did so in the hope that there was another piece of paper in there, but each and every time to no avail.
However, Reo was not giving up. He wasn't going to stop looking, because Reo got everything he wanted, and he really wanted to meet this person.
Reo continued to go to class every day, and every day he searched for clues about this mysterious person. Every day his interest grew more and more. And every day, he was more excited to get to know them.
Meanwhile, in the drawer of his bedside table, a small piece of paper was tucked away and perfectly preserved.
❋
A week had passed when he finally got a clue.
He was looking at his grade on the last exam, on the list hanging in the hallway, when he heard a voice coming from his left.
"You really are amazing, Reo." The world stopped for a second, and the thoughts Reo had been having about how he hated it when his teacher gave him a 99 because 'a 100 is perfection, and perfection doesn't exist' disappeared the instant he heard those words.
A second later, the world spun again, and with it did Reo’s head in the direction from which the voice came.
There stood a tall, white-haired boy, looking at the list of grades. Reo thought he had possibly seen him before, but with the large number of people around him all the time, it was hard to remember those he had barely spoken to.
So he didn't have a name or a personality to associate with that person. All he had were those words, the same words that had been stuck in his head for the past week. And Reo knew that coincidences existed, but his heart told him that this boy was not a coincidence. That they were meant to meet.
But just as he was about to take this opportunity to talk to him, a girl approached Reo to congratulate him on his grade. When Reo looked back in the direction of the strange boy, he was no longer there.
It doesn't matter, Reo said to himself. I'm not giving up on you.
❋
As it turned out, the boy was not in the same class as Reo, but they were in the same elective lesson. After a little investigation, he found out that his name was Nagi Seishiro, that he slept during most of the classes, and that he was alone all the time.
That last piece of information made him both sad and envious. It was sad to imagine that no one would give this boy a chance, but at the same time he was fortunate that he didn't have to be continually surrounded by people who only approached him out of interest.
Reo had already decided that, whether Nagi was the one who wrote the note or not, Reo would be his friend. No one deserved to be treated like a weirdo, and from the opinions he had heard around the high school when he did his little investigation, everyone here treated him as such.
However, he didn’t know how to approach him, since they only shared one class and Nagi spent all the time sleeping in it. It's not like people let Reo alone for a second either.
Whenever Reo tried to talk to him, Nagi had already disappeared. It wasn't even that he was avoiding him, it just seemed that the instant the class was over, Nagi would want to go home without wasting a second. It was even surprising that someone so seemingly lazy could disappear so quickly.
Reo was thinking about how to talk to him until he came up with an idea. Quickly, he started to write something in his notebook, and then cut out the page.
When the class was over, he went to the lockers, but instead of going to his own, he looked for Nagi's locker. Checking that no one was watching him, he slipped in a small piece of paper, neatly trimmed and smooth, with a single sentence written in neat, elegant handwriting:
"Nagi, you are interesting."
❋
The next day, everything was the same as always. Same routine, same classmates around him, same classes. However, when the elective lesson arrived, Reo noticed something strange.
‘Thousand-year Netaro’, also known as Nagi Seishiro, was very much not sleeping. Actually, he didn't sleep through the entire class. When Reo entered the classroom, Nagi looked briefly in his direction, and continued glancing at him for the whole hour. Normally, Reo wouldn't have noticed: if he had to notice every person glancing at him, he would have gone crazy. But because it was Nagi, Reo was attentive.
He couldn't help but wonder if all the glancing was because of yesterday's note. Again, coincidences did exist, but there would be too many coincidences lately.
If Nagi read the note Reo left for him yesterday, and of all the people in the high school, he thought that Reo was the one who wrote the note, it must be because he recognized the structure of the note that Reo himself received. In other words, if Nagi had not been the one who wrote Reo's note, it would be impossible for him to know that this second note was some kind of reply, and that it had to be Reo who had left it in his locker.
Therefore, the chances of Nagi being the mysterious person who wrote the note to Reo were very high. Reo's heart pounded at this discovery, and it was then when Reo realized how much he had been hoping that Nagi was that person.
It must be him, he thought once more. He must be the one I have been looking for for so long.
For once, Reo was unable to pay attention to his teacher. His head was full of lazy eyes, fluffy hair and a tired voice saying 'You really are amazing, Reo'.
❋
Classes were over for the day, and Reo was leaving the school to go to the parking lot where Ba-ya would be waiting for him. She was always so punctual, surely she had arrived before classes ended.
However, Reo's feet stopped even before he could give them the command when he heard a voice. "Reo." He hadn't heard that voice much, but he'd still recognize it anywhere. That slow, monotone tone, almost as if speaking was a nuisance. "Can I talk to you?"
Reo's heart pounded harder —this boy really was going to be the death of him. Despite his impulse to turn quickly to see him, he forced himself to calmly turn, as if this exchange of words wasn't all he'd been waiting for in the last week and a half.
When he looked at him, he noticed that Nagi was avoiding eye contact, and he was playing with one hand with the drawstring of his sweatshirt. He's nervous, Reo thought, because even though Nagi's face was expressionless, his demeanor spoke for him. It should be forbidden for someone so tall to be so cute.
In the immediate absence of a response, Nagi looked down at his own feet, and Reo realized at once what was happening. He thinks I'm going to turn him down. It was not a crazy thought, as Reo received confessions often, and was known to always turn them down. Is this a confession, though?
"Sure." He replied a second late, but seemed to reassure Nagi anyway. I'm sorry, Ba-ya. I'm going to make you wait a little longer, he thought feeling guilty, but he knew the woman was understanding.
"Can we go somewhere... more private?" Nagi asked, still not looking at him. Anticipation was going to kill Reo. Is this really a confession?
"Yeah." He said, and followed Nagi as he led the way. They came to a back area of the high school, with a small bench hidden among some trees.
"This is one of my secret places." Nagi explained briefly, and Reo suddenly understood why it was so hard to find him when classes were over.
"Is it a secret place if you show it to me, though?" Reo joked, but he was actually intrigued.
"It's okay since it's you." Nagi said matter-of-factly, as if those words didn't warm Reo's heart or clog his voice in his throat.
Nagi sat down on the bench and, for the first time since he had called his name, looked Reo in the eye. Although he said nothing, Reo found it strangely easy to understand him, so he sat down as Nagi was silently asking him to.
They were silent for a few seconds, until Reo realized that Nagi didn't know how to start the conversation, or maybe he wasn't even trying. Guessing what Nagi wanted to talk about, Reo made the effort for him.
"Was it you who left the note in my locker?"
Simple and direct, but no less effective. Nagi took a few seconds to answer, as if he was analyzing which answer was the right one. As if he was trying to find out if Reo liked or disliked that note, and depending on that he was going to change his answer.
He must have given up on trying to read Reo's neutral face, or maybe he thought lying was a bother, because he finally let out a sigh and looked away. "Yeah."
"Why did you write it?" It was the next obvious question. From what he had seen of Nagi so far, he didn't seem at all like the kind of person who would write a note and leave it in someone's locker. What's more, the mere fact that he was trying to communicate with someone was surprising enough.
Nagi's ears turned slightly red, and he brought his hand to his nape to scratch there nervously. "It was an unconscious thing."
Reo blinked once, and even twice, as his mouth opened slightly in surprise. Of all the possible answers, that was one he didn't expect. Nagi must have noticed his confusion, because he gave a slightly more elaborate answer.
"We were in class, and the professor asked a complicated question. The whole classroom fell silent, and when it looked like the teacher was about to scold us and send us more homework, you came to the rescue as usual and answered his question as if it was nothing. I wrote that in the notebook without thinking."
Reo was speechless for a few more seconds, and then he started laughing. "You think I'm amazing for that?" He said incredulously. He covered his mouth to try to stop his laughter, but it was an impossible task. It had been a long time since he had let out such a natural laugh.
"Reo, you are amazing." Nagi replied, as if he was annoyed that Reo didn't believe him. This time he was really looking at him. "That's just one more of the proofs."
Okay, now Reo really stopped laughing and felt his heart skip a beat. Where did such straightforward honesty come from? Reo wasn't used to that, and he could swear it was going to be the death of him.
"But why did you give me the note then? If it was an unconscious thing, why bother giving it to me?"
Reo thought he saw Nagi's eyes soften as he replied. "Because it's true. And it's good for you to remember."
An error has occurred. Press Enter to restart your brain.
Enter.
Okay, now you can start to freak out.
"Wh-What do you mean?!" Did Reo just stutter? He never stutters. What are you doing to me, Nagi?
"I mean exactly what I said. You are amazing, and I just reminded you in case you had forgotten." Reo could have sworn he saw the corners of Nagi's lips tilt slightly upward, but he wasn't in the right mental condition to be sure of anything. "Did you mean it?" It was Nagi's turn to ask, but Reo could barely keep up with his own train of thought, much less the conversation.
"Mean what?"
"That I'm interesting." He said nonchalantly, but Reo noticed his gaze twitch for a second.
"Of course I meant it." It was a good thing that Reo didn't have to think to answer that, because he didn't feel quite capable of thinking at the moment.
"Mh. You're weird." Reo was about to defend himself when Nagi continued speaking, with a strange gleam in his eyes that Reo had never seen before. "You're the first one who has ever been interested in a slacker like me."
One second passed. A single second. A second in which Reo's heart was broken and recomposed so that it could melt in his chest. A second in which, at last, Reo's brain and tongue decided to work again. It's a good thing it was only a second, because Nagi didn't deserve to wait a second longer.
"Their loss." Reo said, with a mixture of anger and satisfaction, as if because the others failed to appreciate Nagi, he could now appreciate him. It was the truth. "You are the only interesting thing that has happened to me this far. In my whole life."
Reo noticed how Nagi's breath shrank, and his pupils dilated slightly. "Does that mean you're going to give me a chance?"
Reo didn't know what kind of chance he was referring to. A relationship? A friendship? Not that it really mattered, because his answer was going to be the same.
"Honestly, I think I'm willing to give you more than one."
"That's good." He said, and if Reo focused hard enough, he could notice a slightly amused tone in his voice. "I'm possibly going to need the extra chances."
Reo gave him a weak punch on the shoulder, but could not hide his smile.
"Hey, Reo. Is this the first time you've accepted a confession?"
"So it is a confession."
"Wasn't it obvious...? I told you you were amazing. Several times."
"You're the only person who would think that's a proper confession." Truly, this boy was interesting. Reo was never going to be bored again as long as he was by his side.
"Does it change anything? It being a confession." His brow furrowed a little.
"No. It doesn't." Reo moved closer to him, and said quietly, "It is the first time I've ever accepted a confession."
Nagi looked at his eyes intently, then his lips, then his eyes again. He seemed mesmerized.
"Can I kiss you, then?" He said whispering, softly, as if he didn't want to impose, as if it was a wish he was making on a shooting star and he didn't want it spoiled by saying it too loudly. As if it was what he's been waiting for all his life.
"Yeah. I would like that."
The kiss was nothing out of the ordinary, a simple brush of lips held for a few seconds. Reo didn't have much experience, and Nagi didn't seem to have any, but that was okay. It was special in its own way. It was special because of the moment, and it was special because of the person he was kissing.
Nagi was special.
Nagi must have thought the same about Reo, because when they parted he said, in the sweetest voice yet:
"Reo, you are amazing."
And you know what? The piece of paper is great, but Reo prefers to hear those words from his voice.