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Sako was going to kill Inugami. He only asked him to come along because he didn't want to be alone with Hiragi but–
"This is a good cafe," Hiragi turned to look at him, "it also has a lot of desserts. Wanna go?"
Sako nodded, not having the sanity to form coherent words.
He will kill Inugami.
Or at least beat him up…
Maybe yelling at him is fine.
Kaji watched Hiragi and Sako's backs as they walked, blurring away in the distance.
"So, you are Kaji-san?" Inugami sprang in his field of vision, "I'm Inugami Teruomi."
"Yeah, I know. You're Sako's friend from Shishitoren."
Hiragi had initially invited him to come along for his meeting with Sako. He wanted to decline at first, after all, Hiragi was the one who asked Sako to hang out with him. He didn't want to interfere. But seeing his captain's nervousness, he eventually relented.
Turns out, Hiragi wasn't the only one afraid of the confrontation. Sako, himself, had asked his friend to tag along. The friend he was now left alone with.
He doesn't know how Inugami managed to convince those two to go together, but it worked out and he wasn't the one to complain.
"I remember seeing you at the bridge when that Banjo guy showed up," Kaji hung his head recounting the memory, "you were so cool!" Inugami's face was beaming with admiration.
"Nothing cool with that," he muttered, the shame still haunting him.
"What are you talking about?" Inugami tilted his head in confusion, "you were so cool, going all out to protect your friends. You're an incredible guy to be able to go that far!"
Kaji raised his head to meet Inugami's eyes and immediately looked away at the eye contact. Hearing that from his friends was a different thing but coming from someone he barely knew, he was suddenly feeling bashful. Unaware of what to do with these conflicting feelings.
"By the way, Kaji-san," Inugami changed the topic, "do you also think Sako-san and Hiragi-san like each other?"
Almost as if he was waiting for that question, Kaji let the floodgates open. He went on to talk about how they had always been flitting around each other since middle school. How obvious their pining was to anyone's eye but they still avoided any confrontation. How they seemingly broke up and how they are still as stupid as ever. By the time his rant ended, he was feeling much lighter.
"They need to get together," they both said in unison.
"Kaji-san," Inugami started. His eyes sparkled with something Kaji didn't want to decipher. "Will you help me get Sako-san and Hiragi-san together?"
This is a terrible idea, his brain suggested.
He found himself nodding anyway.
Kaji watched Inugami work on a flowchart. The title on the page read: 'Mission Hirasako'. Inugami continued scribbling in his notebook, yet another plan that they wouldn't implement.
Over the past three weeks, they met daily to discuss their plans to get Hiragi and Sako together. Some of them involved conning them to go to an escape room game with them and getting them locked in till they confess. Other plans involved setting them up on dates until they agreed to go on an actual one. None of which seemed plausible.
Kaji looked around, feeling bored. The café was a quiet one. There weren't many customers around, giving them the privacy to plot their schemes. He fiddled with his headphones, wondering if it would be rude to wear them when Inugami was talking.
His eyes fell back on Inugami who was looking intently at the paper. He let his hands fall back on the table, deciding not to wear his headphones yet. He didn't want to tune out his voice.
In the past three weeks, during the time he spent with Inugami, he realized a few things about himself.
"Kaji-san, how about we get ice cream after this?"
"Yeah, okay."
He can't say no to Inugami.
Kaji's face contorted in a painful expression as he watched Inugami chew on the popsicle. Unaware of the dental condition known as teeth sensitivity, he is munching on the flavored ice without pain.
"You know, Kaji-san," Inugami took another bite causing Kaji to flinch internally, "I don't think any of our plans will work this way."
Kaji hummed in agreement. Now that he thinks about it, they had hardly done any "planning" to get them together. They mostly just hung out at cafes and talked about random things. Mostly Inugami did the talking while he listened to him babble about different topics.
"Okay, I've got it!" Inugami beamed at him, causing his heart to skip a beat. "Next time we see them…" And he went on another lengthy rant on how to get them together.
Kaji would've tuned out if it was someone else, but he found himself hung on every word Inugami was saying, regardless of how ridiculous it sounded—occasionally, offering his input.
He tore his gaze away from Inugami's cheerful face towards his popsicle. His chest squirmed with a weird sensation.
As he watched the popsicle trickle down his fingers, he couldn't tell what was melting faster: the popsicle or his heart.
He likes hearing Inugami talk.
Before he realized it, they were meeting up again for a month straight. Not that he was counting. At this point, even the café staff had gotten used to their presence. It didn't feel satisfying knowing that he had been meeting up with Inugami daily for a month, and they still hadn't managed to get Hiargi and Sako together. Strangely, he didn't mind. That's another thing he realized.
He likes spending time with Inugami.
He looked at Inugami dozing off with his head on the table, his notebook buried under his head. Talkative and outgoing Inugami was fun to be around, he'll admit it. But the quiet, slumbering Inugami still held him captive.
He laid his head next to Inugami, watching him as he took soft breaths. Inugami's face looked serene, lacking the usual liveliness. His canines poked out his mouth left slightly ajar. Pages of the notebook scrunched beneath him being used as a pillow.
Kaji couldn't stop his hand from moving. He brushed his hair that fell over his face. Inugami's nose scrunched at the sensation but showed no signs of waking up. He thoughtlessly moved his hand to caress his cheek.
His hand froze mid-air. Abruptly realizing what he was about to do, he jolted back into a sitting position. Taking deep breaths with his heart beating against his ribcage he looked around to see if anyone noticed him. Fortunately, everyone seemed occupied with their work, saving him the embarrassment.
He quickly pulled on his headphones, blasting music at full volume to drown the sound of his heartbeat. Taking out a candy from his pocket, he ripped off the wrapper and immediately put it in his mouth. He felt the taste of peaches fill his mouth as he tried to gather his scattered thoughts.
As the spinning in his head started to subside, he could see Inugami stir awake. He groggily got up, looking around dazedly. Kaji could see Inugami's lips move as he said something but couldn't hear him over the music blaring into his ears.
Feeling more grounded, he lowered his headphones. "What were you saying?" He asks, trying to sound as collected as possible.
"I was just asking the time!" Inugami chirps, voice still raspy from slumber. "It's getting late, we should get going."
"Right." Kaji agreed, ready to bolt out any minute.
They gathered their stuff and paid for their meal, thanking the cafe staff for their hospitality.
The walk to the train tracks was a silent one. For the first time, Inugami didn't talk along the way and Kaji couldn't help but feel discomfort in his stomach. He resisted the urge to put on his headphones to fill the silence, in case Inugami decided to say something.
"I'll see you tomorrow then," Kaji mumbles, stopping under the train tracks separating Furin and Shishitoren's territory. The territories didn't matter anymore now that both the gangs were on friendly terms. But they kept the train tracks as a common meeting point for each day.
Kaji turned around to walk away, not waiting for a response. His head was a mess and he needed to get away as soon as possible.
"Kaji-san, wait!" Inugami grabbed Kaji's sleeves, stopping him in his tracks.
Kaji stiffened, accidentally biting on the lollipop still in his mouth. He looked down at his sleeve in Inugami's hand. Finally meeting his eyes, Kaji saw sheer determination, but the trembling of Inugami's hand contradicted his emotions. Instead of asking what happened, he opted to wait for Inugami to speak.
"Kaji-san," Inugami started, feeling hesitant. "Will you–" he looked away, "will you go out with me?!"
Kaji's mouth hung open, and his lollipop slipped out and fell near his feet. He gaped at him like a fish.
"G-go out as in date?!" He shrieked, "I thought we were getting Hiragi-san and Sako together?!" He could feel his soul leave his body.
"We still are!" Inugami insisted, "we can go out and still get them together!"
Oh… Kaji couldn't figure out why he suddenly felt disappointed. He was just asking him out to help get Hiragi and Sako together. They wouldn't date…
He closed his mouth letting his shoulders slump, but didn't utter a word.
"If you don't want to that's fin–"
"Okay, let's do this." Kaji cut him off as he watched Inugami's face start glowing.
"Really?" Inugami was trembling again, this time with excitement.
"Yeah…" He knew he would come to regret this.
"Okay then, let's go on a date this Sunday!"
Kaji walked up to the rooftop alone. He had already asked Enomoto and Kusumi to leave without him because he had to meet Hiragi, so he wasn't expecting to be interrupted.
He pushed open the doors, walking in to look around for Hiragi.
"Ah, Kaji," Hiragi waved towards him, gesturing to him to come sit next to him at their usual spot.
Kaji took a seat, feeling jittery.
"So what did ya wanna talk about?" Hiragi got straight to the point.
"Uh, so you know Inugami?" Hiragi nodded. "We, um, we started dating yesterday," he gulped, "and we have our first date on Sunday."
"Kaji, don't get me wrong but," Hiragi looked away, hesitating for some reason, "weren't you two already dating?"
"Huh?!"
"I just assumed, I'm sorry." Hiragi hurriedly added, "it's just you two hanging out all the time so I thought maybe…"
"We were just hanging out as friends," the word left a bitter taste in his mouth, "he asked me out yesterday so now we are dating."
"Oh, right I see. Sorry for assuming."
"Anyway, Hiragi-san," Kaji swiveled back to the point, still nervous. "I need your help. I have never dated anyone so please guide me."
"I don't think I'll be much of a help on that subject," Hiragi scratched the back of his head, "I'm not experienced."
"I know," Kaji exhaled, "I just want you to watch over me during my date." Fake date , he wanted to add, but he didn’t.
"You want me to come with you on your date?" Sako screeched.
"Sako-san, please!" Inugami begged, his hands clasped before him, staring at Sako with pleading eyes. "It's my first date ever in my life! You don't have to be with me the whole time. Just stay around somewhere so I don't feel afraid."
"That's like crashing a date," Sako mumbled, trying to evade Inugami's eyes.
"Please, Sako-san! You know Kaji-san better than me."
Inugami's eyes were relentless and Sako couldn't help but yield. "But I'm not going to interrupt you." He added his condition. "You handle the date yourself, I'll be around in case anything goes wrong."
"Yes, Sako-san!" He leaped onto Sako, grabbing him in an embrace. "You're the best!"
"Get off me!"
Sunday couldn't come faster. They haven't seen each other since the day Inugami announced their date. He had gotten so used to meeting him every day that when he realized he wouldn't see him till Sunday he started feeling antsy.
"You're going to wear that to your date?" Hiragi asked, pointing to his usual outfit—a hoodie with a jacket draped over it and a pair of pants. His headphones were slung around his neck as usual.
"Is it bad?" Kaji started panicking. He had forgotten that Hiragi didn't know it was not a real date. "I don't have a lot of clothes."
"I-it's fine. It's fine." Hiragi tried to calm him. "I don't think Inugami would mind."
"Are you sure?" Kaji asked, tugging at his hoodie.
"Yeah, I am."
"Sako-san, I think I see him coming." Inugami grabbed Sako's hand, pushing the startled boy behind the bushes, near the park entrance where they were supposed to meet.
"Just stay here for now," he whispered to Sako who held his tongue trying not to yell at him.
He went out of the bushes to greet Kaji.
"Kaji-san, there you are!"
"Sorry, did I make you wait?" Kaji asked, taking in Inugami's appearance. He wore a slim-fit T-shirt paired with dark jeans, unlike his usual printed T-shirts. There was an overcoat draped over him, probably borrowed from Sako. Kaji felt guilty realizing Inugami put effort into his outfit unlike him. This is not a real date , he told himself to mellow down the guilt.
"Nope! Just got here," Inugami beamed. He offered his hand to Kaji, "let's go."
Kaji hesitantly took his hand, feeling his palms heat up at the contact. Inugami held his hand firmly as he tugged him, talking about this nice restaurant he knew about.
Kaji couldn't hear him over the sound of his heartbeat.
Sako tailed them from a distance. Although he'd like to let Inugami deal with it alone after what he did with him the other day, something else was bothering him about this date.
"Sako?" A familiar voice paralyzed him on the spot. "What are you doing here?"
He slowly turned around, dread creeping up his body. "Hiragi-san?"
They stared at each other, not uttering a word.
"Are you following them?" Hiragi asked tentatively, rubbing the back of his head.
"So are you," Sako shot back, not wanting to reveal Inugami's request, but he had an inkling that they weren't here by coincidence. "Did Kaji ask you to come?" He added.
Hiragi nodded, the situation becoming clearer. "Inugami asked you?" Sako didn't respond.
There was another beat of silence.
"Are you worried?" Hiragi spoke first.
"Not worried, just…" Sako looked back at Inugami and Kaji getting farther away. "They are both important friends to me."
Hiragi followed his gaze, "I don't think there is anything to worry about. They both seem to get along well, they should be fine."
"It's not that!" Sako raised his voice, "it's just that…" he lowered his eyes, "Inugami is a sincere guy. If he likes someone he will tell them, even if he might get rejected. He doesn't hold regrets." Unlike me, he thought. "But Kaji is not that open. He is an honest guy, but he isn't as open as Inugami." He started fidgeting with his fingers, not looking up. "Inugami is good at understanding people, but even he has limits. If Kaji doesn't share about himself, they might not work out. They will both get hurt…" He trailed off.
Hiragi regarded him with a fond look in his eyes. "I'm glad, Sako," he whispered, "you finally have a friend you can get so worried about."
"T-th-that's not–" he sputtered.
Hiragi's chuckle interrupted him. "Don't worry, Sako," he tried to comfort him, "Kaji is not the same person he was back then. He's more mature now. They'll be fine."
Sako only hoped Hiragi was right.
"I think we lost them," Kaji noted, realizing they were no longer being followed. His hand still held in Inugami's.
"Hopefully, they'll finally get to talk now," Inugami hummed, proud of his plan. "Let's go then."
"Where?"
"To the cafe I mentioned." Inugami increased his pace, tugging Kaji along. "They will get together eventually as long as they are talking," he explained, "in the meantime, we can go on as many dates as we want!"
At that moment, a horrible thought surfaced in Kaji's mind. When Hiragi and Sako get together, Inugami won't have a reason to hang out with him. He couldn’t foolishly let himself think this relationship was real. Or that he will get the privilege of seeing Inugami everyday like he does right now. Once their goal is achieved, it’s all over.
"Kaji-san, look! Panda! Panda!" Inugami waved frantically at the panda playing before them. "It's rolling!" The sun's light won't hold a candle to Inugami right now. He was beaming with pure joy reflecting off his face.
This was their third "date" and Kaji would've been happier had it not been for the sleepless nights he spent the past few days.
Kaji may have been socially awkward, but he's not stupid. He knows what these feelings are, how they'll only hurt him the longer he lets them stew. He may not be stupid, but he surely is a fool for he'd let these feelings rip out his heart in exchange for a glance at Inugami.
"Kaji-san, let's go see the bunnies." Inugami tightened his grip on the hand that he was holding. They had come out of the town to visit the zoo, they had to see the whole thing.
Kaji walked with Inugami to their destination. Pushing the hurtful thoughts to the back of his head, he focused solely on his date.
Inugami held his hand throughout the day and Kaji felt like his arm was lit on fire with the warmth it gave him. He will miss it when they eventually go their separate ways from the train tracks.
For now, he was content listening to Inugami ramble about random animal facts he knew, while trying to suppress the urge to hold him in his arms and squeeze him to death. He’ll worry about the sword hanging on his head later. When he will inevitably have to face his feelings.
By the time they returned to Makochi, the sun was setting.
Kaji's hand was still held in Inugami's, and he was already dreading letting go.
"Kaji-san, I had a lot of fun today," Inugami said softly, a content smile gracing his face. "Let's go to an aquarium next time!"
Kaji could feel his heart soften at the declaration. "Yeah, sure." He couldn't say no to him anyway.
Inugami let out a satisfied hum, grinning from ear to ear.
They walked in silence, but this time Kaji didn't mind it. This silence didn't feel suffocating anymore and he was starting to figure out why.
He looked at their interlocked hands swinging between them and Inugami's glowing face. He wanted to stay here forever.
But fate had other plans for him.
He felt his stomach churn when he looked at two people standing within his field of vision behind Inugami. His legs stopped moving and his head started spiraling.
"Kaji-san?" Inugami questioned noticing him halt abruptly.
He followed Kaji's line of vision. His face immediately lit up in understanding.
"Is that Hiragi-san and Sako-san?!"
Standing inside a confectionery shop behind them were Hiragi and Sako. As they had been doing for the past few dates, they had asked them both to accompany them to their dates. Eventually shrugging them off along the way they would go off doing what they wanted, allowing Hiragi and Sako time for themselves. They had not seen them the whole day since they separated so it was surprising to find them suddenly trying out sweets with each other.
However, it was not their location that caught his attention. Kaji looked at their interlocked hands, mirroring his and Inugami's. They wouldn't be holding hands for no reason. Especially not since they fell out. The reason was more than obvious.
"Do you think they got together?" Inugami whispered, his voice laced with excitement. "Should we congratulate them?"
Kaji didn't answer. He had nothing to say. He snatched his hand back from Inugami.
"Kaji-san?!" Inugami's voice suddenly felt distant. He was feeling out of breath, his legs suddenly heavy and chest burning up and–
Oh
He was running.
He let his legs carry him wherever they wanted to. Putting on his headphones he hastily pressed the play button with shaky hands to let any song play.
By the time he came to a stop, the sun had already set. He took in his surroundings, there were trees nearby and he could see some swings at the corner of his eye. It was the park.
He was still trying to catch his breath when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He flinched, whipping around in a defensive stance. His hands froze when he saw an equally out-of-breath Inugami standing behind him.
Inugami gestured to him to take off his headphones and he warily complied.
He was immediately bombarded by a string of questions.
"Why did you run away? Are you feeling okay? Did something happen?..."
Kaji tried to speak but he kept getting interrupted by more questions. Feeling overwhelmed, he grabbed his headphones for comfort, music still blaring through them, and put them on Inugami's head.
Inugami squawked, head exploding with the loud music. "What are you doing?!" He screeched, ripping the headphones off his head.
"You weren't listening!" Kaji childishly defended himself.
"I don't think I can even hear anything anymore!"
Kaji felt a surge of anger wash over him. At himself. For acting out on his feelings and not considering the consequences. He snatched his headphones back and walked past Inugami.
"I don't think we have to see each other anymore," he started, trying to push down the nauseous feeling creeping up. "There's no reason for us to meet, right? You should find someone who will make you happy." He croaked out the last part. The thought of seeing Inugami with someone else destroyed him. But they were never a true couple, to begin with, and Inugami would be better suited with someone who could match his personality, unlike him.
"Kaji-san," the way Inugami's voice broke left a sting in his heart. "Are you breaking up with me?"
What?
"What?" Kaji turned around to face him again, and he wished he hadn't . "W-why are you crying?!" He screamed helplessly watching tears trickle down Inugami's face. If he wasn't already feeling bad, he now felt like he had committed a crime.
"You-you're right," he sniffled, "I shouldn't be crying. If Kaji-san doesn't like me anymore, I can't force you to." He furiously rubbed his eyes trying to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop falling.
"L-like?" Kaji gaped, "Inugami, why did you ask me out?" He hurriedly asked, already dreading the answer.
"Because I like you…" Inugami answered with sincerity.
Kaji felt himself shatter, realizing how badly he had misinterpreted the situation. "Was it not to get Hiragi-san and Sako together?" He lowered his voice hoping Inugami might not hear him. Unfortunately, he underestimated the silence of the nighttime.
"What are you–" Before Inugami could complete his question, Kaji had already turned around, ready to bolt out of the park.
Kaji was barely near the gates when Inugami pounced on him causing him to crash into the ground with Inugami on top of him. He flipped himself on his back trying to push Inugami off him, but Inugami was faster. He grabbed his hand and pulled him back, sitting on his stomach he firmly planted his hands next to Kaji's head, effectively pinning him on the ground.
"Kaji-san, please stop running!" He breathed out, hovering over Kaji, letting his residual tears fall on his face.
Kaji stopped squirming, accepting his fate. He had to face this sooner or later. He didn't want Inugami to cry anymore.
"I thought you only wanted to date me to get Hiragi-san and Sako together," he admitted, looking anywhere except Inugami's face.
"Why did you think that?" Inugami chased his eyes, making sure they were interlocked.
"I-" Kaji let out a shaky breath, "I didn't think you would want to go out with someone like me…"
"What does that mean?!" Inugami shrieked, "Kaji-san, you're so amazing why wouldn't I want to be with you? I like you the way you are, what are you talking about?"
He fell silent, breathing heavily against Kaji's face. Kaji moved his hand to place it on Inugami's cheek. He caressed his face, wiping away the already-dried tears.
"I like you too," he whispered, hoping that would be enough of an apology for the tears he caused, knowing well he wouldn't forgive himself easily even if Inugami did.
"Then why would you want to break up?" Inugami pouted, "you didn't even think of Ichigo, Momo, and Mochi!" he accused.
"Ichi- who?!"
Inugami saw his life flash in front of his eyes. He immediately got up trying to get away. But Kaji was faster, so he grabbed his hand and pulled him back. Wrapping an arm around his waist he pulled him into his lap, effectively preventing his escape.
"Who are you talking about?" Kaji demanded, looking up at Inugami. Despite being in a seated position, Inugami was still taller than him.
Inugami hesitated, but mumbled out, "Hamsters."
"Hamsters?"
He hid his face in his hands, "those are the names of the hamsters we'll get when we're older." He admitted.
Kaji let those words get processed in his head before bursting out laughing.
"Why are you laughing?!" Inugami was offended.
Kaji wrapped his arms around Inugami's waist, pulling him close and resting his head on his shoulder. "You're so cute," he whispered, his laugh muffled by Inugami's clothes.
Inugami snaked his arms around his shoulder, still grumbling, but allowing himself to indulge in the closeness.
"Shouldn't we get going?" Inugami murmurs near Kaji's ear, causing a shiver to run down his spine.
"It's fine," Kaji tightened his grip around Inugami, "I just realized something else."
"Oh, what is it?"
I don't want to let you go.
"It's a secret."
"Huh, why?!"
"I'll tell you when we get Ichigo, Momo, and Mochi."
"But that'll be in ten years!"
"I'll tell you in ten years then."
"That means you'll have to stay with me till then, okay?"
"Yeah, I suppose so."
"Promise?"
"Yeah."
"Say it."
"Promise."