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Furin, Class 1-1 has two vice-captains who aren’t only co-working in helping their captain to fulfil his duty as the grade captain, but also a couple. The romantic one. They’re the living witness of Suo and Nirei’s love story since their first day at school. They saw how hardcore Suo is when it comes to Nirei. Nirei only needs to receive Suo’s affection and everything will be alright. They thought Nirei is fine with it but turns out it’s not.
Nirei and Suo have been dating for 3 months now, but it was a tough process since Nirei didn’t notice Suo’s efforts to make Nirei fall in love with him. Nirei was oblivious to all of the attention and affection Suo had showered him with every day. Nirei thought Suo was just being polite and considerate towards him, who is the weakest link in Class 1-1. Until Sakura knocked him out of his mind (not literally), said that his love radar was picking signals from the way Suo acted around Nirei and Nirei should try to talk to Suo about it. After that, their relationship sailed smoothly. All thanks to Sakura.
Into their 3 months together as a couple, Suo and Nirei had done holding hands, hugging, sleeping on each other’s shoulder or thigh, but not kissing. They promised to not do anything more than that since they’re still in high school. Nirei was the one who proposed it, he wanted to prepare his heart for something intimate like that and Suo easily agreed to it. Suo didn’t want to make this relationship become uncomfortable for Nirei, because a relationship is something they build together. Nirei was close to tears when he heard that from Suo. His boyfriend is the best.
But, inside Nirei’s little heart, there is one thing that makes him anxious. A boredom. He was afraid that Suo will be bored of Nirei anytime soon because Suo always does everything first, he initiates their skinship, asks Nirei to go home together, and etc. Suo does it perfectly like he has experience on dating before. It makes Nirei wonder if Suo will throw him away after Suo is done playing with Nirei. Nirei wants to do something, to fix his shyness in front of Suo. It’s not easy for the least, Nirei grew up in a situation that won’t let him speak for himself so having to try to do something intimate feels egoistic in his mind. He’s also the one who said that they shouldn’t kiss (yet) but now he wants to do it more, as the result of his anxiety. This makes Nirei feel like he is in a pinch, his heart and mind aren’t in one rhythm.
The day went by and Nirei was stuck with his mind. He doesn’t have any clue how to initiate skinship or kissing Suo. He cleverly doesn’t show his anxiety to Suo but when he arrives at home, the burden comes back to him multiple times stronger.
“Should I ask someone to help me? But, what if they mock me for asking something silly like this?”
Nirei can’t focus on doing his homework. His mind is occupied with looking for a solution to break the wall of shyness inside him, rather than solving the math problem in front of him.
“Or should I just ask Suo-san to help me with it?”
Nirei shakes his head aggressively, he will definitely not do that. He will bother Suo again and Nirei doesn’t want it to happen. Suo’s hands are full with helping Nirei with practice and protecting the city, this trivial thing doesn’t have a place in there.
“Maybe Sakura-san knows something.. he’s been with Togame-san longer than me with Suo-san.”
Nirei types Sakura’s name in his phone.
To: Sakura-san
Good evening, Sakura-san!
I hope I didn’t bother you in this beautiful evening
I just want to ask
From: Sakura-san
What?
To: Sakura-san
Can we talk on the phone right now, Sakura-san?
From: Sakura-san
Sure.
Nirei quickly presses the call button on his screen. It takes three rings until Sakura picks up the call.
“Yo, what happened, Nirei?”
“Sakura-san.. please don’t hate me after this.”
“What are you talking about? Talk.”
“Promise me that first, Sakura-san.”
“Yeah, I won’t, Nirei. What is going on?”
“Sakura-san.. Have you ever held Togame-san’s hand first.. or something else?”
“Of course.”
“How?”
“What do you mean how?”
“How do I do it without feeling burdened? Your love antenna is still working fine until now. How to overcome the embarrassment, Sakura-san?”
“Wait, just you wait, Nirei.”
It doesn’t take long for Sakura to talk again after having a couple of seconds break.
“Is this about Suo? You want to try holding his hand first and so on?”
“Yes, Sakura-san. I want to know how.”
“Pfft. Damn, here I thought it’s something related to Makochi. You’re really funny, Nirei.”
“Huh?”
“You know, sometimes I forget how awkward you are when it comes to love, just like me. You’re excited with other people's love stories but when it comes to yours, you feel disconnected. That’s how I see it.”
“Sakura-san… you sound so mature just now.”
“Wh—Don’t tease me, Nirei!”
“I’m sorry, Sakura-san!!”
“For your problem, I think you should just go for it. That guy will happily accept your initiative as long as it comes from you, Nirei. You know how crazy he’s for you.”
“Right… Thank you, Sakura-san.”
Nirei clicks the red button. Sakura didn’t explain his method or technique, just encouraging Nirei to do whatever Nirei wants. Nirei sighs, he should have been expecting this since Sakura is also a little bit shy when it comes to romantic things. Nirei continues to work on his homework, hoping that this matter will be solved soon.
But, it’s not.
His mind starts to imagine a scene where Suo left him because Nirei doesn’t want to change. He holds on to Suo’s uniform tightly, he won’t let it go but Suo pushes him away. It was a nightmare and clearly Nirei is afraid to let Suo down with himself. He chooses a new consultant after Sakura. He asks Kusumi, who has dated Kaji for over a year. Since Kusumi is older and his senior, Nirei thought Kusumi will help him and has a better solution. He sends a text to Kusumi about his restlessness and how to lift it up from his chest.
To: Kusumi-san
Hello, Kusumi-san
This is Nirei
From: Kusumi-san
Hi, Nirei!
What can I help you with? Is it about the patrol schedule?
To: Kusumi-san
Ah, actually no, Kusumi-san
It’s about something else
I want to ask for an advice
From: Kusumi-san
Advice?
What kind of advice?
To: Kusumi-san
On how to begin skinship without feeling shy or guilty to your special someone
Do you have any method to solve this, Kusumi-san?
From: Kusumi-san
Hm
I don’t think I have the right words for you, Nirei
I never really thought about that
Kaji and I are both love to just go along with the flow
I’m sorry
To: Kusumi-san
Ah, I see..
Thank you, Kusumi-san
From: Kusumi-san
Nirei is going out with Suo, right?
I think as long as it’s not something outrageous and crossing the line, Suo will happily receive it
Suo is your boyfriend, Nirei
You don’t need to be so hard on yourself
To: Kusumi-san
I will try my best
Once again, thank you.. Kusumi-san
Kusumi gives a thumbs up to Nirei to end their conversation. Reading his chat with Kusumi made Nirei think that maybe it was simple but Nirei just had to make everything difficult.
“Kusumi-san’s answer is almost similar to Sakura-san… Did they really… k—kiss their partner nonchalantly…”
Nirei has to fan himself to stop his face from boiling heat. But, Nirei can’t give up now. He has another consultant to ask. The one who looks the most promising when it is related to romance.
“What should I do… Should I ask him? He looked like he had more experience than most of us… Argh… Let’s just do it!!”
Nirei presses the button to call his last resort, the last hope.
“Yahoo ~ Nirei-chan! It’s unusual for you to call me at this time.” It’s Kiryu Mitsuki.
“Hello, Kiryu-san. I’m sorry for calling you late at night like this.”
“It’s fine! I’m still in the middle of clearing the game I told you about this morning. What’s up, Nirei-chan? I know you must’ve a business with me, you sounded serious just now.”
“Is it really obvious, Kiryu-san?”
“Hahaha, of course. What is it?”
“Can you give me advice on how to initiate a skinship, Kiryu-san?”
“Oho~ For Suo-chan, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I don’t know if I can give you one, Nirei-chan. Because you and I totally have different approaches. I love teasing Sugi-chan and dragging him to whatever or wherever I want, mostly I did everything first. You, on the other hand, are the receiver just like Sugi-chan.”
“Yes, that’s absolutely right, Kiryu-san.”
“Hm, Sugi-chan sometimes just pat my head or pinch my cheeks out of nowhere. It took me by surprise but lowkey I love it. Hahaha.”
“Out of nowhere..”
“Oh! How about you do something similar like Sugi-chan, Nirei-chan?! You can kiss Suo-chan when he is distracted. It will make you feel less burdened.”
A light bulb appears on Nirei’s head. An easy act for Nirei to try on Suo. It won’t be THAT effortless to do it since Suo is always aware of his surroundings moreover if Nirei is involved.
“Thank you, Kiryu-san! I hope everything will go well with you and Sugishita-san!”
“Sure, happy to help. If you have anything else to ask, just hit me up and I’ll be your listener, Nirei-chan. Go for it, champ.”
“I will, Kiryu-san. Thank you so much.”
Now, Nirei only needs to find a perfect time to launch his move.
On their way to school in the morning, Suo asked Nirei to hold hands. Nirei lost his chance.
At the school, Suo caressed Nirei’s cheek to wake Nirei up when the class was almost starting.
After school, they don’t have a schedule for city patrol but Umemiya ordered everyone to gather at the rooftop. Kotoha won a debate competition and he wanted everyone to celebrate it with him. Very Umemiya coded. Kotoha is there among the kings, she cooked enough food for everyone to enjoy. Suo and Nirei split up because Nirei is quick to his feet and comes to congratulate Kotoha. Kiryu says it after Nirei and they talk for a bit.
“Nirei-chan, have you done it?”
“Eh? What is it about?” Kotoha joins the conversation.
“Nirei-chan wants to kiss Suo-chan first, Kotoha-chan!”
“OHHHH. Naughty Nirei.”
Nirei’s face turns into a boiling lobster. “Skinship is not only about kissing, Kiryu-san..”
“Well, it’s better to do something big like that so you won’t be embarrassed to do small things later, Nirei-chan.”
“He got a point there, Nirei.”
“Ahh.. I really can’t win against you two!”
Suo arrives at the scene, casually holding Nirei’s waist to calm him. “Care to explain to me why he became like this, Kiryu-kun?”
“We just teased him about you, Suo. That’s all.” Kotoha answers him on behalf of Kiryu.
They don’t want to escalate the topic into something more sensitive, Suo is pretty scary if someone ever bothers Nirei. Nirei also appeases Suo’s curiosity with a drink. Suo asked again about the topic but Nirei just avoided it saying that they were asking about if they had their first kiss yet. Suo believed him and the day was saved. This is really hard!!
It was a usual day. Going to school together, patrolling the city, then going for practice in the riverside. Nothing big happens in Makochi, in other words, their day is peaceful from morning until afternoon. After their daily practice, Suo is going to stop by at Nirei’s house to teach Nirei to do his homework that is due tomorrow. Nirei has worked on it since last week when the teacher gave it to the class but some of the questions made him confused so he told Suo about it and Suo happily offered his brain to help Nirei.
Nirei’s mom prepared snacks and iced oolong tea to accompany them, she was happy to hear that Nirei will have a study session which is rare for his son to do something like that. He never did that in elementary school and junior high school. His mother didn’t know about his bullying events before senior high school so Nirei just kept his mouth shut.
They begin to work on the questions. Suo explains everything and then lets Nirei try to solve it. He even brought a sheet for exercise so Nirei can understand more, for the sake of the upcoming exams too. Suo came prepared and Nirei is really grateful for it. Suo told nothing to Nirei but he knew that Suo worked overnight to prepare this. Suo looks dreadful, still handsome but he can’t hide the tiredness in his eyes.
“Nirei-kun, I’ll observe from the side.”
“Okay, sensei.”
The sheet has 10 questions, every one of them related to Suo’s explanation before. Nirei starts to break it down one by one. He forgot to time his pace and he heard soft snores from Suo’s mouth. Too soft to call it snore, Nirei says it to himself. He brushes aside Suo’s hair to Suo’s left ear so he can see better. If I do it now, will it make me a pervert? But, if it’s just a peck, it’s okay right? Nirei beats the voice in his head and goes for it. He plants a kiss on Suo’s lips for a second then continues to finish his worksheet. Acting like nothing happened. I did it.. I really did it just now, without Suo-san noticing--
“It’s okay to do it longer, Nirei-kun.” Suo’s voice is making Nirei turn his head forcefully, he smiles at Nirei.
While Nirei is trying to act like a fool, his body reaction is more honest. There is smoke coming out from his ears. “I’m sorry, Suo-san. You look cute and I really want to make the first move.”
“Come here, I want to see you do it again.” Suo is inviting Nirei to sit right beside him but he must be never expected Nirei to sit on his thighs. “Um—Nirei-kun..” He feels lightheaded with this sudden and abrupt situation, Suo likes it when Nirei just accepts the affections he gave him because Suo can regulate his heart better but if Nirei takes the initiative like this, Suo’s heart feels about to burst out from his chest. Not that he hates it, he loves it too much and it hurts to say that he wants Nirei to do it more often.
“Yes?” Nirei looks at Suo with his innocent expression. “May I start?”
Suo nods. Nirei reaches Suo’s cheeks and gently cups it with his hands. Though it’s trembling, Nirei has to fight it. Nirei begins with placing a kiss on Suo’s forehead, nose, cheeks then finally to Suo’s lips. This is the first time for Nirei to kiss Suo with Suo's full attention on him and it kinda made him nervous. For once, he beat Suo in this kind of game. It’s sufficient to say that this feels good. Now Nirei understands why people who are in a relationship love to kiss their partner, because it brings up a happy feeling inside his heart. Nirei breaks apart their kiss with a trail of saliva in between them.
“Good grief, Nirei-kun. I didn’t know that you’re this needy.”
Nirei smirks, “I am needy, Suo-san. It’s just that I never told you.”
“Don’t tell me that you've been acting strange for the past few weeks because of this?”
Right, I can’t beat him in this game. “Yes. I’ve been trying to be casual with skinship like you but I can’t bring myself to do that. So, I asked a few people to help me and one of them said that I should do it while you’re not focusing on me.”
“Let me guess, one of them is Kiryu-kun, hm?”
“How did—”
“I had my doubts with it but I guess my hunch is never wrong. I need to thank him for this tip. Now that you did it with my focus fully on you, next time you can just do it casually, Nirei-kun. I will gladly accept the love and affection. I’m really happy right now.”
Suo wraps his arms around Nirei. “So, you won’t ever leave me, right, Suo-san?”
“Why would I ever leave this cutie pie for someone else? Wait—Did you learn to do this so you can hold onto me, Nirei-kun?”
This time Nirei nods his head a couple of times, he bites his lips in frustration. Telling Suo honestly about his feelings, not being enough for Suo and too passively receiving Suo’s care and devotion, that he was afraid if Suo ever felt bored with him. Suo attentively listens to Nirei’s rants, not moving an inch from his position while hugging Nirei.
“Nirei-kun. I love you for the way you are. Your clumsy, shy, emotional self is what makes me attracted to you so you’re being yourself is what I love the most. It’s okay if you want to change yourself for the better but do it for yourself, not for other people, even for me. Okay, my little thief?”
“Little thief?”
“Yes, you stole a kiss from me when I was asleep and you’re little. So, little thief it is! Hahaha.”
“Ish. I’m just 11 cm below you, Suo-san! It’s not that big of a gap!”
“But, still shorter than me.”
Suo sticks out his tongue. They continue to bicker, forgetting the homework that was supposed to be finished before their bed time. But, at least Nirei gains new experience from this and he can happily say that he has changed and feeling more confident with himself and also in doing skinship with Suo.