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It's been awhile, since Mao hasn't found himself preoccupied with all the things he's had to do - so long, in fact, that he can't help but feel a bit useless now, having his hands free of anything besides the straps of the swing he idly sits upon. He's almost tempted to leave the park now, to go back to the school and desperately ask Keito if he's sure there's no work that needs to be done, or maybe practice passes with Subaru even if Chiaki and Midori were otherwise preoccupied, or perhaps even suggest to Hokuto that they have a lesson despite it being one of Trickstar's rare days off. As things stand now, he just feels... Awkward, for lack of a better word, because while he appreciates the chance to relax, he wasn't expecting to be able to do so today and can't help but feel as though he's been thrown off momentum.
On the swing beside him, Shinobu slows to a stop. "Isara-dono, is something ailing you?" Startled, Mao glances to the younger boy and immediately feels guilty upon taking in Shinobu's creased brows and generally concerned expression. Work or no work, Shinobu managed to muster up the courage to invite Mao out here today and yet Mao is thinking of all the things he ought to be doing instead. For now, he pushes such thoughts to the side, shooting Shinobu a smile that he hopes comes across as reassuring as he puts a bit more vigour into his swings.
"Don't worry about it," he hums, no longer looking to Shinobu in favour of focusing on steadying himself - the last time he was on one of these things he was much smaller after all, and was much more preoccupied with making sure Ritsu didn't fall asleep on the damn thing than he was having fun himself. "Just thinking 'bout some things, is all."
If Shinobu wonders about what said things are, he doesn't say as such, and soon Mao grows conscious of the boy swinging beside him much more. The swing is much more suited towards Sengoku, he thinks, slowing as he watches him swing with ease. Despite being a high school student, Shinobu could easily be mistaken as a middle schooler, perhaps even an elementary student depending on one's standards, so fitting comfortably in the swing isn't an issue for him at all. And despite his inhibitions towards social situations, Shinobu lets little get in the way of his own way of living, so Mao doubts that he has any kind of fool pride that makes him less motivated to enjoy the swings just because he's meant to have "grown out of them". It must be nice, he thinks as the younger boy rocks back and forth beside him, to be able to live the way one wants to as Shinobu does.
"You know," Mao says as he starts putting more effort into his swings once more, "That part of you is pretty cool, Sengoku."
Immediately, Shinobu coughs, sputtering to a stop and sending sand flying about both of them as his feet desperately try to break his movement. Once he's managed to successfully still himself, he whirls to Mao, eyes wide and cheeks sporting a slight crimson. "W-w-w-what part of me do you mean e-exactly?" he asks, fumbling over his words as Mao tries to hide his smile. "Whatever it is that Isara-dono refers to, I'm certain he remains much cooler in the end..."
"Hey now," Mao scoffs, though a smile still plays at the ends of his lips as he looks to the other boy, "I appreciate it, but I don't mean for this to be a competition." Shinobu doesn't seem to have anything to say in response to that, so he continues on to say, "As for what part of you is cool, uh..." Honestly, it's a bit more awkward trying to put this into words than Mao had initially anticipated. Nonetheless, he can't exactly try to worm out of saying anything at all when Shinobu's looking at him so expectantly, and he's hardly one to cowardly duck away from saying what he means anyways. "I suppose the part of you that's a ninja." Shinobu opens his mouth before closing it, and Mao realizes that he'll likely have to elaborate beyond that. "You're able to act the way you'd like without limiting yourself. That's cool, Sengoku."
Shinobu openly gapes at him now, though quickly closes his mouth and straightens up a bit once he seems to grow aware of the fact that Mao is staring right back at him.
"T-that, um," Shinobu tries, before he looks away from Mao and to where he idly kicks sand up with his feet. "I'm honestly flattered you see me in such a light, Isara-dono, but... But I personally think that if I didn't limit myself, I would have managed to text you back by now."
Oh.
"That's not something you have to worry about," Mao says honestly, feeling a prick of concern as he notices the younger boy's bottom lip has begun to quiver somewhat. "I understand, so it's cool." He's not just saying as such either - sure, it can be a bit startling when he invites Shinobu over but doesn't get any confirmation until the boy shows up at his window the day of, but that's fine. He knows Shinobu struggles socially, and it's not as though he hasn't had his share of dealing with more difficult people. "Besides, you texted me today, didn't you?"
Shinobu doesn't say anything for a moment, still staring fixedly at his feet before giving just the slightest nod of confirmation. For a moment longer, the only sounds are those of children fooling around nearby, alongside the occasional bark of any dogs being walked that evening. Finally, Shinobu speaks up once more, though it's more mumbling than really speaking as he says, "That's true but... If I'm being honest, it took me a good half hour to muster the confidence to send the message, and even after I finally managed to I was rather close to throwing my phone into Shinkai-dono's beloved fountain."
"Please... Don't ever do that," Mao replies almost automatically before adding, "Still, you're doing your best, right? Even if it's hard or scary or whatever else, you're doing what you can." Very shyly, Shinobu finally peers from the corner of his eye to look at him, and Mao allows a tender smile to play on his lips in hopes of making the other boy comfortable once more. "That sort of thing is cool, Sengoku."
And once more Shinobu blushes, though a small, sheepish smile of his own tugs at his lips also. "Still, I do think Isara-dono is much cooler..." he admits, and Mao very softly kicks at his leg in response.
"Don't shame the Ninja Association by saying things like that," he says, brows raising. "You're their leader, after all." Shinobu's eyes widen before he very stiffly nods, and the two of them lapse into silence again as they start idly swinging once more.