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Rin was in love. Oh, he was so in love. His heart sank treacherously in my chest, breath caught in my throat, my thoughts were confused and could not come together into something coherent. That's how much he was in love.
Suguro was sitting in the next row, at a desk just one ahead of the one Rin was sitting at. Suguro looked at the board, from time to time writing something in his notebook, gnawing on a pencil and incessantly listening to the teacher's lecture... Suguro... Was one of the best students, so smart, so diligent, so... Nice. And, most likely, he did not even suspect what kind of internal struggle was taking place inside his classmate.
An ideal place from which Rin could see black hair with blond streaks, frowning eyebrows in concentration, a strong figure and those eyes.
When Rin described all the strange symptoms that were happening to him next to Suguro to his father, he only smiled mysteriously, congratulated him on his first feelings and made a couple of jokes that made Rin’s face flush. He... He wasn't in love... But... As it turned out, after a week of reflection, he was, and head over heels. The old man, as always, was right. And for almost two months now, these feelings have been warming in chest.
The last lesson traditionally took place in the fifth classroom, the students were already sitting at their desks, the teacher began introducing a new topic... But could Rin concentrate? No matter how hard he tried, his gaze always slid past the board, to his first, exciting love. First love... It sounded and felt like this... Rin was not a poet or a writer, but he could swear that when Suguro looked at him, butterflies fluttered inside.
Black hair, always looking stylish in his school uniform, sitting in the front rows, immersed in reading a book or the teacher's explanations...
Sometimes Suguro raised his eyes from the book... And for some reason looked at him. Was Rin too obvious? Be that as it may, at such moments he immediately quickly turned to the board.
His heart began to beat faster when their eyes accidentally met for a moment, and he couldn't help but smile nervously. Suguro's reciprocal (friendly, obviously) smile worried him to the core.
The teacher continued to talk, but Rin became more and more distracted. He thought about how nice it would be to talk to Suguro about anything, to talk to him and learn more about him, to bring that attention back to himself, to discuss one of the hundreds of things they had in common. Reflections turned to romantic dates that could take place in an imaginary world...
The nervousness increased.
It was unbearable not to know about Suguro's feelings.
The teacher leaves the classroom for some important business in the middle of class, and Rin considers it a blessing. He missed almost everything anyway. Who knows, maybe in the next lesson he won’t have such problems with attention.
A familiar giggle was heard from a nearby desk, and the teenager rolled his eyes, already knowing who it was. Here are the disadvantages. Traditionally.
— You know that he doesn’t have telepathy, right? — Shima chuckled, ruffling his pink hair and lowering his voice. It feels like he lived the drama. — And he’s unlikely to guess about your feelings if you burn a hole in him.
— You know that my brother doesn’t even pay attention to the amount of hair gel you use? — Rin retorted, and his interlocutor's face turned red. — And he’s unlikely to guess about your feelings while you’re flirting with everyone.
— I actually wanted to help you, but I’m not sure anymore. Since you are so smart here, you have no need to hear this, — Renzou snorted, turning away. — I had some information about Suguro, but since you’re not interested...
— Wait, wait, — Rin immediately protested, and Shima grinned like a predator who had caught its prey in its cunning clutches. — What do you have there?
—You don’t think I’ll tell you so simple, — he laughed quietly, winking. — But I'll give you a hint. I recently discussed something with Yukio. Ask him.
Rin groaned.
— Oooh, are you serious? He's about to blow my mind because I'm distracted in class, — he complained. — Co-ome o-o-on. Shima.
But Shima was a brazen traitor, and Rin promised himself that he would definitely take revenge on him. It was not for nothing that he was the older brother of the object of his "unrequited" love.
Satisfied with his own thoughts, Rin crumpled the piece of paper, throwing it straight with a precise movement…
— God, Rin, I asked you not to do that! — Yukio whispered indignantly, turning around. The desk that was right in front of Rin was perfect. — What is always your problem?
— Shima said you know something about Suguro. — without further ado, he said. — And you must tell it to me.
— Come on. Suguro, right? But you said that you don't like him at all, — sometimes his brother was unbearable, and Rin understood this already from that malicious smile. Luckily, he had an ace up his sleeve. Leaning forward, Rin chuckled.
— Every joke you make about me falling in love with Suguro will cost you the same joke about you and Renzou, — watching the enthusiasm in his brother’s eyes fade, he crossed his arms. Yukio will talk about this again. Obviously. But for now, he won't dare.
His little brother rolled his eyes.
— Suguro was going to ask someone out on a date, it seems. Now leave me alone, I need to solve this problem.
The heart skipped a beat. Rin's cheeks turned red and the smile disappeared from his face. What else did this mean? Who... Was Suguro in love with someone? What? When did this happen?
— Date? Suguro was going to... Invite someone? — He squeezed out almost in a whisper. Now any excellent student would envy his concentration. Rin squeezed the pen in his hands. Stop. The school was always full of rumors. It was too early to panic. — How did you even know this? And who is he going to call?
— I don’t know who, — Yukio shrugged. —But I know that it was someone who was in the cafeteria at that break at ten o'clock. Shima and I were there when he said it. Oh, and there was also Shiyomi, standing right behind him. Maybe she saw who he was looking at?
— Shiyomi! — Rin immediately called in a whisper, turning to the back desk and not even listening to the end. The fair—haired girl, who was diligently writing something in a notebook, raised her head.
— Oh, Rin. Hello again, — a friendly smile appeared on her face. — Do you need help with your assignment again?
— Yes! No! That is… — he shook his head. — Yukio said that you were in the cafeteria when Suguro said he wanted to ask someone out. Did you see who he was looking at?
Shiyomi thought for a moment, tapping her pencil on her desk.
— Hmm... I was thinking about what to order for lunch, so I didn’t follow his gaze, — noticing Rin’s disappointed eyes, she suddenly continued. — Oh, but I think I know something that could be useful to you too. When we were in art class yesterday morning, Ryuuji compared the blue paint to the eyes of someone he likes. Ask Izumo, she was there too, the teacher called me and I couldn’t listen to him. Maybe Ryuji said something else?
— I see, thank you!
Blue eyes! Great! The circle narrowed. At the speed of light, Rin turned to the left, towards where the purple—haired girl was sitting.
— Kamiki! Hey Kamiki! Izumo!
— What do you want, Okumura? — She whispered displeasedly, turning around. This was all Kamiki. She would never admit that she was satisfied with anything in this life, but Rin knew what she really was like, so everything was fine. — I won’t give you a pen anymore, you already owe me three.
— That's not what I'm talking about, —Rin moved closer to her, lowering his voice even more, so that she probably had difficulty hearing. There was no risk. — Yesterday, during art class, Suguro said that he likes someone with blue eyes, right?
For some reason, Kamiki grinned, suddenly more interested in the conversation than at the beginning.
— Let's say. And what?
— Did he add anything else? Name, height, class?
— No. But it takes you so long to figure things out that even these details wouldn’t help you, — she giggled, trying her best not to laugh. — When we went out into the corridor, Suguro stopped at the chess club class and watched them play for a while. And, if it wasn’t my imagination, he even blushed. I guess Konekomaru's group was training there at the time. So this is someone who...
— Got it, thank you!
Yeah! This is even better! Rin was there yesterday, just when this game was being held there! Supported Konekomaru! So it was one of the chess players! The desk on the right could be easily reached.
— Konekomaru! Hey, I'm here! — He called in a whisper, waving his arms, and feeling closer to the truth than ever. — Who is on your chess team with blue eyes?
The named one adjusted his glasses, looking at his friend in bewilderment.
— Uh, what's the matter?
— Doesn't matter! I'll explain everything later! So who?
— Uh... I think... Akiro and Minori? Oh, and your brother participates sometimes too.
Definitely not Yukio. He's already a disaster in love. There are only two people left. But... Rin frowned. The first one was sitting too far away. No problem, he could pass the note!
«Akiro! It's a matter of life and death. Do you like Ryuji Suguro?
Okumura Rin».
Yes. Looks good. The minutes while he waited for an answer were the most tense of his life. Akiro, the brown—haired guy sitting in front of Suguro, frowned, turning around and showing that he thought it was a joke. He looked at Ryuji, calmly reading a textbook, looked at Rin, who was actively gesticulating... He rolled his eyes and turned back.
Sending the note back took less than a minute, but to Rin it seemed like an eternity.
«Are you crazy? I have a girlfriend! Get together already and stop pestering the whole class!»
Great! Only one person left! The desk is behind, but slightly to the left.
— Minori!
— Shut up.
— This is very urgent!
She raised her head with a groan, throwing her black hair back.
—What do you want, Okumura? This better be important, I don’t understand anything about these formulas anyway.
— Do you have any feelings for Suguro? — He whispered, leaning down so that she could hear everything.
Minori looked like she wanted nothing more than to hit him, and Rin was relieved that she was too far away. Although, even this would not be so important now.
— I'm a lesbian, idiot! Now don't bother me!
Huh?.. Rin blinked, puzzled. But now it all made absolutely no sense. If none of them had a relationship with Suguro... None of them had any sympathy for him... Who was he looking at? Crap. Apparently these stupid rumors were a misunderstanding.
— Yukio! — He called again, frowning. — This trail didn’t lead me to anyone! Blue eyes, was at a chess match and in the cafeteria! Who is this anyway?
— Oh my God, Rin, are you serious? — Yukio exhaled, running his hand over his face. — Yes, I don’t even know who it could be, — he said expressively looking at his brother. — I don’t have the slightest guess.
— And me too! — Not noticing the tone, Rin waved his hands, leaning back in his chair at the same time as the bell from class trilled. As if on cue, everyone around them began to make noise, getting up from their seats and collecting their things. Home... Well, he didn't learn anything new today, couldn't find out anything about whether Suguro was in love with someone, but at least it gave him hope for the chances... Chances. Could this even be like this?.. Could Suguro... It filled his chest with something pleasant. Something in love. Who knows, right? Rin bit his lip in embarrassment. Everything was possible.
— Earth is calling Rin, welcome. Stop dreaming or I'll go home without you. — Yukio snorted, pushing him in the side. Rin shook his head, returning to reality. The class was already half empty, and all of his brother's things had already disappeared from his desk. He seems to have really withdrawn into himself.
— Yukio, Rin, are you coming? — Shima called loudly as he left the classroom. Yukio nodded quickly.
— Coming! Pack your things and catch up, we will be waiting for you in the yard, — he added, already turning to his brother. — And don't forget your textbook. At least this time.
And Rin would definitely joke about whether Yukio was sure that he wanted him and Shima to be interrupted from their sweet, exclusively — friendly — conversations, but his younger brother had already disappeared. As usual.
Rin grinned, scooping up the notebooks into one pile and sloppily stuffing them into his bag. When suddenly... He frowned in confusion when something flashed nearby. Someone's palm...
Note.
What?
A carefully folded album sheet of paper lay right in front of Rin. The one who put it here...
When he raised his head, Suguro was already quickly leaving the classroom. Oh... Oh. Ooh... Really? Really? Seriously?
Rin's face turned red in an instant, and his throat became sore. With hands trembling with excitement, he opened the sheet...
«Okumura Rin
From the first day I saw you in class, I felt that our meeting was something special. I admire how loyal and kind you are to your loved ones, how you are never afraid to jump into any crazy ideas, and I can never take my eyes off you.
Every time you laugh or talk about what's on your mind with such enthusiasm, my heart starts beating faster. I spend a lot of time thinking about you and how great it would be to spend time with you.
I know this might be a bold move, but I would like to ask you out on a date. Even if you say no, I still want you to know that you are special to me and that I value your friendship.
Again, I'm sorry if I'm being too revealing or embarrassing to you. I just wanted to take advantage of the chance that everyone has the right to.
I'll be waiting for your answer after the weekend, during the first lesson.
Suguro Ryuji.
Will you go on a date with me?
1) Yes
2) No
(circle your answer)»
Rin swore his heart was about to stop... He took a deep breath, clutching the note to his chest. If only Suguro knew how obvious the answer is. Of course this is...
***
And the very next evening, when Rin finds out... Demons. His real essence. Past. Father... This all seems crazy and crazy. But... He realizes too quickly that this is not so.
Shiro...Dead. There are demonic monsters and creatures around. He has blue flames that can kill.
Rin crosses out the number one. He circles the number two. Suguro will be better off without him.