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—Ahh.. Hah..!
Esu finally stopped running, he panted loudly. He arrived in front of the Seisoukan Apartment. As always, he was running away from Yume. Even if Yume was pretty unathletic and had low energy when it came to these things such as running, he was getting pretty fast overtime. Looks like he was getting good at this. Esu felt like his stamina was getting better and better these days since he was catching up to him way faster. Even for an athletic person like Esu, it was starting to get tiring constantly having to move from a place to another.
He held his breath in for few seconds to listen if he could hear Yume’s voice or not.
—Hmm.. I guess he lost track of me, at least for now.
He sighed in relief. While he was catching his breath, something caught his eye; rather than “something”, it was someone. He saw Kanna, sitting on one of the benches outside. His eyes instantly lid up when he saw his reliable partner, he quickly went up to him.
—Woahh, Partner! I didn’t know you were here!
—I’ve been here for a while, Esu-san. Enough to see you panting and nervously looking around to see if someone is following you or not, am I mistaken?
—Observant as always, huh? That’s the Kanna I know! You’re right as always, I’m trying to run away from Yume.
—Seems like he’s been getting faster these days.
—That’s what I thought too! It’s getting harder to run away from him.
Esu laughed, his mood lightened up like nothing happened.
—I’m happy to run into you here, Kanna.
He gets a step closer to him, putting his hand on his shoulder. Kanna slightly tilts his head to the side. He closes his eyes and sighs quietly.
—Partner, since we ran into each other, let’s explore newer areas! I’m sure there’s an adventure that waits us!
—I’ll have to decline, Esu-san. My schedule is full today.
He waited till Esu let go of his shoulder to speak.
—Besides, I think you’ll be busy after a minute, too.
Esu looks at him confused.
—Eh? What do you mean, Kanna?
—Just listen.
—…
They heard a faint, soft voice. The source of it was coming closer and closer.
That voice was no other than Yume’s voice. He was shouting Esu’s name, yelling about how mean it was to leave him alone.
Esu’s face turned white.
—Urgh.. How did he catch up to me this fast?!
—Have a nice day, Esu-san.
Kanna ignored what he said and got up to leave. However, when he turned his back to go, Esu quickly held his hand and pulled him slightly. Kanna gasped a little and looked at Esu to ask what was up.
—What are you doing, Esu-san?
—He’s going to spot you too!
—…Yes. What seems to be the problem about that?
—He will ask you where I went!
—That’s right.
Esu crossed his eyebrows vaguely.
—You would say where I went!
—…
Kanna looked away, his eyes not catching Esu’s.
—Looks like you’re not completely unaware like you seem to be. What you said is true, I would tell him where you went. I’m not really familiar with Yume-san, therefore it would be a hassle to argue back.
Esu’s expression softens, then he smiles.
—That’s why you’re coming with me.
—..?
Without letting Kanna process anything, Esu held his hand tightly and started to run inside the Seisoukan Apartment.
It was hard to follow Esu’s running pace, he was pretty fast.
—Esu-san.. Why are you forcing me to run with you? Are you scared of me telling where you went to Yume-san?
—You got it right as always, Kanna!
Esu laughed mischievously.
—It’s today’s mini adventure! I’m happy I got to experience it with you~
—..What a hassle. However, I’m aware that trying to escape out of this won’t work.
—You’re right about this, too!
He held Kanna’s hand tighter and fastened his pace. Sadly, they were too late. Yume saw them running into the apartment and chased after them. They had to hide somewhere.
—Ahh.. That’s bad! I can hear his voice coming towards us!
—It’s more logical to hide somewhere instead of running endlessly.
—Mmm.. You might be right. Let’s hide in my dorm, then!
Esu led them towards his dorm. Jun and Kohaku wasn’t there. How lucky of them, Esu thought to himself.
—Hmmn.. Where should we hide..? Let’s see, let’s see.. Oh, how about here?
Esu smiled brightly and pointed at a small locker.
—He surely won’t expect us to be here!
—..I doubt we can fit there comfortably, besides, who said I would hide with you? What’s stopping me from just standing here?
Esu looked at Kanna and sighed.
—Because when Yume finds us, he’ll also yell at you, asking why you ran with me while holding hands. You wouldn’t want to be in an awkward situation like that would you? Isn’t it such a hassle, Kanna~?
—…
Esu smirked, flattered his eyelashes. This time, he was the one who caught him.
Kanna furrowed his eyebrows to a slight extent and looked away.
—You’re very observant today, Esu-san. What a hassle.. You are surprisingly right. Okay, I have no choice but to join in your cat-mouse chase.
—Hehe, nothing I like more than getting in an adventure with my reliable partne-
Suddenly, Esu’s sentence got interrupted by a loud voice.
—Esu~ Ignoring Yume like this.. You’re so mean!
It was Yume, he was about to find them in few seconds now.
—Quick, let’s hide, Kanna!
—..!
Esu whispered as he pulled Kanna from his waist, shoving both of them inside the locker and closing it’s door as quietly as possible.
-Urgh..
Kanna whimpered silently.
—Ahh.! I’m sorry, Kanna! Are you hurt? Did I damage your glasses?!
Esu disclaimed, worried. He whispered as quiet as possible. However for Esu, that wasn’t really possible to keep quiet with his loud expressions.
—No, I’m fine, so is my glasses; thanks for your concern. But please try keeping it quiet. I’m not the one running away, after all.
His glasses moved out of their place from bumping into Esu’s head. Just as he was about to put them back on to their place, Esu reached out to them first.
He smiled softly, looking into Kanna’s eyes, dim light hitting on his face through the locker’s gaps.
—Let me put them on for you. I’m the one who dislocated them anyway.
He said in this soft voice that made Kanna shiver a bit. He gently moved his hands to his face, he tucked his hair behind his ears then slowly put his glasses back on his face. He couldn’t put them properly, Kanna noticed the dislocation of his glasses but didn’t attempt to fix it. After all, he put them back for him, didn’t he? It would be a hassle to point it out, having to watch Esu try to put it correctly again, wouldn’t it? Or did he not point it out because he found it rather.. Cute?
Kanna’s face shaped into a thoughtful expression, trying to analyze what this sudden feeling inside him was. It wasn’t unusual for him to stop completely like this.
When he came back to his senses, he noticed that he’s been looking directly into Esu’s eyes for all this time. He gasped a bit before looking away.
—Eh, is there something on my face?
—Huh?
—You’ve been looking at me for quite a while, is there something on my face that’s taking your attention?
Kanna’s cheeks got slightly red.
—No, there isn’t anything on your face, my excuses.. I was zoned out.
Now to think of it, was he really looking that intensely into his eyes? He wondered why that could be. He glanced at him again..
His eyes widened a bit. Esu had big purple eyes with long eyelashes that flattered prettily. Strangely, he never noticed how fascinating they looked before. His face was no other word but pretty, too. Pale skin, soft red cheeks.. And that stupid smile he always had on his face that radiated like sun. The smile that could always lightened his mood up that he never admitted to. A face prettier than any other girl..
He had never realized these until now.
While looking at him, Kanna’s own expression softened like he was in a dream. No analyzing could describe what he was feeling right now, it was strange to him, but he wasn’t complaining.
—Are my eyes that pretty?
Kanna jumped a bit out of his place. He accidentally zoned out again.
—…Sorry?
—Hehe, my eyelashes are long, aren’t they? Isn’t it strange for a boy? I’m not a girl after all!
Esu asked, ignoring his first question.
—Not really. Men tend to have longer eyelashes than women. So it’s not strange at all.
—Eh, really? Haha, I’m glad to not be the odd one then!
He laughed as quietly as he could.
—…
Kanna kept quieter than his usual quietness.
—Your first question..
—Hmm?
Esu raised an eyebrow.
—What about it?
Kanna sighed.
—It really is true.
—What’s true?
Esu played dumb, acting like he didn’t get what he meant.
—You’re purposely pushing me to repeat your question. Anyways, it’s true. Most people would find your eyes pretty.
Esu smiled.
—What about you? Do you think they’re pretty?
—I won’t hum and haw, I do think they’re rather.. Majestic.
—Hehe.. Majestic? That’s a fancy way to describe it!
—That would be the most accurate way to describe it.
—…
Esu blushed by Kanna’s sweet compliment.
—Eh, is that so? Then do you want to.. Take a closer look at them, Kanna?
Esu flattered his eyelashes and looked at Kanna’s eyes lovingly, even more than he did before.
—…
Kanna’s face got red. He nodded, it was almost like his head did it on it’s own.
—..Yes, I want to.
Esu got on his tiptoes, raising himself to get to Kanna’s eye level. He slowly got closer to his face, both looking at each others eyes. He could feel Esu’s breath on his skin. The sensation tingled his insides. Esu’s eyes looked even prettier when they were this close.
—Maybe a bit more closer..~?
Esu whispered in a tone that made Kanna’s face hotter.
He nodded without saying a word. Esu got even closer to his face, only leaving few centimeters between their lips.
—You know.. People usually say I have the “prettiest face” in Esupuri.. But I always thought it was you instead.
—What made you think that way?
Esu chuckled sweetly.
—Your emerald-like eyes, your expression that always makes you look precise, your soft skin..
He looked all around Kanna’s face, then locked in his eyes again.
—I wonder if your lips are that soft too..
As he leaned in, they heard a loud creak.
—Yume found you~!
—KYAAAAAAAHHHHH?!?!?!!
Yume suddenly opened the locker’s door and pulled Esu out in the blink of an eye.
—How could you run away from Yume like this!! Why were you that close with Kanna, you’re never like that to Yume!
—Because you’re a creep! AHHHH GET OFF ME!!!
Kanna watched dumbfounded as Esu fought to get out of Yume’s arms.
—Ahah~ Don’t worry, Esu. Yume will never let you go now! We’ll be together forever~
—I DON’T WANT THAT!! Kanna, help me-!
Esu turned to look at Kanna, but he was nowhere to be found.
—Where did he go?!
—He knew that he should leave us alone~!
As they kept fighting, Kanna already walked outside the building.
“What a hassle..” he thought to himself.
He knew Yume would check the locker, it was the most obvious hiding spot after all. He just recommended hiding to get out of this situation as quick as possible. Even if Esu has a breathtaking beauty, he surely wouldn’t rather dealing with hassles like this!
But at least, he learned something he never knew before..
A new feeling.