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It was one of those sunny days when your skin burned just from being near a damn window, when clothes stuck to your body from the heat and sweat, and people were more annoying than usual.
He hated how irritating everything felt especially the fact that his best friend, Ogasawara, had invited him to a party where he would have to be around at least thirty people and socialize with them. Normally, he wouldn’t attend events like that, especially with the weather frying his damn neurons. But Sasaki had skipped most events for about three months, and his sister, along with Ogasawara, had ambushed him with constant insistence that he should go out more. It was his final year of school, and graduation was only a month away.
What Sasaki regretted the most about his entire final year was agreeing to attend this stupid party. And not insisting that Hirano give him the classroom number of that mysterious boy he had once helped while breaking up a fight.
You see, more than a year ago, on an ordinary day when it was his turn to do cleaning duty, he noticed a small boy bravely trying to stop a fight. Sasaki went to help, and that was when he became completely captivated, utterly enchanted by a short boy with black hair and a beautiful mole beneath his eye, someone he couldn’t stop himself from staring at.
After everything settled down, Hirano—his classmate and vice president of the disciplinary committee—arrived to ask for the names of those responsible for the fight. Sasaki couldn’t tell him. Everything had become blurry after seeing that smaller boy; his mind clouded over with the image of those huge, innocent, deer-like eyes looking at him.
The blond boy tried questioning people repeatedly but couldn’t get a single name out of anyone. It was a lost battle—but they had managed to keep the boy who had been attacked safe.
Without any shame whatsoever, Sasaki suddenly asked about the short boy, only to receive a sharp hit from Hirano, who told him, “It’s none of your business,” and “Don’t bother my kohai.” That ended the conversation, as the orange-haired boy had to go to the infirmary due to the blows he had taken from those idiots that day.
Deep down, Sasaki felt that it would’ve been nice to get to know that mysterious boy—but to this day, he has never crossed paths with him again.
Lost in thought, his body unfortunately moved on its own, and before he knew it, he was ready for the party. Since the day was extremely hot, he chose black shorts and a simple blue short-sleeved shirt. On days like this, he usually wore sleeveless shirts, but he didn’t want to look like a pervert when he arrived.
He remembered the last time he’d gone to a party, three months ago—watching his friends set off fireworks, talking with Ogasawara or Hirano. A girl had approached him and asked him to dance. Honestly, Sasaki couldn’t dance and immediately hated the idea, so he refused—but Ogasawara, as always, insisted until he finally gave in. While dancing, the girl tried to kiss him, and he pushed her away roughly. She looked at him like he was insane as Sasaki stood there, lost in thought for several minutes, before deciding to leave.
He vaguely remembered why he no longer set off fireworks. Ever since his sister had to pick him up after he caused a scene near someone’s house—and accidentally shoved her, leaving a scar on her hand.
No matter how much he denied it, his sister was someone special to him. That moment—seeing blood coming from her hand because of him—felt like time had stopped. He remembered the sting of the slap she gave him afterward and swore to himself that he would never hurt her again, not even by accident.
Anyway, as he stood at the front door tying his shoelaces, his sister walked over, ruffling his hair like he was a little kid and wishing him good luck. Since he obviously wasn’t going to smack her hand away and tell her to stop treating him like a damn baby, he simply told her to shut up and left for the party.
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Two streets away from his destination, he could already hear that annoying hippie music irritating his nerves. These were going to be the worst hours of his day—listening to people yelling over music blasting at full volume was unbearable.
At least it was still early, around six in the evening, and he planned to walk back the same way in about two hours—if he was lucky, maybe even just one. As soon as he entered, he saw Ogasawara serving drinks to the guests.
With a long, resigned sigh, he walked over to his best friend and greeted him. He planned to stick close to him the entire damn event, stay unnoticed, and leave once people got distracted. So he sat down, and Ogasawara joined him.
Sasaki tilted his head when he heard shouting from afar—a guy standing on top of a table, holding a beer bottle in his left hand, waving it around and splashing people nearby.
It would’ve been a nightmare if any of it got on him.
The clearly drunk guy began speaking in a hoarse voice.
“Well, good evening to everyone here tonight. As many of you know, this is the last event we’re organizing as third-year students.”
Boos and sad gasps followed the reminder.
Something didn’t add up. Sasaki didn’t understand what was happening until he turned to Ogasawara, who immediately recognized his confusion.
“You’ve been skipping out a lot lately. You only made it to the third-years’ closing party. Today, they’re introducing the second-years who’ll be organizing events next year,” Ogasawara whispered.
The guy on the table pointed toward the entrance with his right hand and shouted, “You can come in now!”
Groups of people began entering. Sasaki noticed Hirano standing up, probably going to find his roommate, who was supposed to be somewhere in the crowd.
Bored, Sasaki frowned, expecting to see the same boy who looked like a kicked puppy whenever Hirano ignored him. Sometimes that boy intimidated Sasaki just by being around.
So it came as a complete surprise when Hirano returned with the short boy Sasaki had encountered over a year ago—dragging Hirano by the arm, peppering him with questions about his roommate.
And just like that, at the party he never wanted to attend, Sasaki found himself staring at the boy Hirano had brought along, suddenly never wanting to leave.
The atmosphere turned awkward. Ever since the black-haired boy sat down conveniently beside the orange haired one, Sasaki couldn’t stop staring. He couldn’t describe the boy’s beauty; his mind simply couldn’t process it. His face was probably bright red by now, but he couldn’t stop. His black hair looked so soft, and those huge, innocent eyes were the same ones he’d seen before only now he could observe him properly. The new haircut, the small braids at the nape of his neck, his cheeks faintly flushed beneath Sasaki’s intense gaze probably making him uncomfortable.
A sharp hit landed on Sasaki’s head.
“Sasaki, stop being creepy!” Hirano shouted, sitting beside Ogasawara with his usual tired expression.
“Kagi-kun couldn’t make it today because he has an important basketball game, so I brought my kohai, Miyano, to meet you guys. He was curious about meeting Eimi’s boyfriend—so yeah, he came to meet Ogasawara.”
Sasaki felt utterly miserable. Miyano had come for Ogasawara. He had no interest in Sasaki—no interest in being friends. He didn’t know why it hurt so much, but he could admit that ever since he first saw Miyano over a year ago, he’d been drawn to how kind and beautiful he seemed.
“How do you know Eimi?” Ogasawara asked.
Miyano smiled gently.
“She was at the bookstore buying a manga I wanted. There was only one copy left, so we read it together!”
“You read BL!?” Ogasawara shouted, eyes wide, pointing accusingly at Miyano.
Sasaki had an overwhelming urge to hug Miyano and yell at Ogasawara to shut up. Instead, he rested his head on his arms atop the table and simply watched Miyano.
From that point on, everything became white noise. He focused on the small braids at Miyano’s nape, how they swayed with the air, how he could almost hear Miyano sigh above the loud music.
Miyano’s loose, sleeveless white shirt revealed slightly broad shoulders and arms dotted with moles—he felt like he could count them all afternoon. His gaze traveled up to Miyano’s flushed face; he wanted to know why he was red, but he couldn’t hear a word he was saying—only those huge eyes filled with countless emotions.
Cute.
Silence.
Everyone at the table suddenly stopped talking.
Oh shit—had he said that out loud?
His face burned.
“U-uh… well, Miyano, this is Sasaki. He’s in my class. He also mentioned wanting to meet you,” Hirano said awkwardly, trying to salvage the situation.
“Oh! I remember!” Miyano smiled shyly at Sasaki.
“He helped stop a fight a long time ago.”
Sasaki felt so small under Miyano’s gaze that all he could do was nod, his blush refusing to fade.
When Miyano suddenly grabbed his arm and said, “You’re amazing, Sasaki-senpai!”—his heart raced. A quiet gasp escaped him, eyebrows raised too high, eyes wide.
“Th-thank you,” he murmured.
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Two hours passed—just listening to Miyano talk with Ogasawara and Hirano—and somehow, Sasaki still didn’t want to leave. His friends noticed and teased him, making him feel ridiculous.
Miyano barely paid him any attention, yet Sasaki just stayed there, listening to that melodic voice he could listen to for a lifetime. Imagining those soft lips wishing him good morning and good night forever, cooking desserts every day, cuddling on the couch while listening to Miyano talk about the things he loved—
He was drifting again. Damn it.
“S-sure… I’ll head out,” he said.
He could’ve killed Ogasawara. Sasaki had finally found the love of his life at this stupid party, and now he was being kicked out.
He said goodbye and headed for the exit, convinced he’d never see Miyano again. They hadn’t exchanged contact info. He could go back—but he was too embarrassed.
Halfway there, he stopped.
Screw it.
You miss every shot you don’t take.
He ran back to Miyano, who was now with his second-year friends, panting like a dog when he reached him.
“C-can I get your phone number?” he asked nervously.
“I don’t have one,” Miyano said softly. “I only use Gmail.”
“O-okay… can I get your Gmail?”
“Of course!” Miyano replied, standing on tiptoes to pat Sasaki’s hair.
He really likes physical affection, huh? Sasaki thought fondly.
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Sasaki arrived home almost bouncing with happiness, hugging a pillow as if it were the source of all his joy.
What should he do first? Text Miyano? Wait a few days so he wouldn’t seem desperate?
He couldn’t stop thinking about how happy he felt, staring at his phone as its bright screen illuminated the darkness of his room.
He felt like a schoolgirl pacing back and forth, trying to decide what to do.
He couldn’t resist the temptation any longer. He grabbed his phone and typed in Miyano’s email address.
After several drafts, he invited him to the Japanese Garden, a restaurant downtown known for its variety of delicious food. Since he didn’t know what Miyano liked, he thought it would be a safe choice. He finally managed to send the invitation, hoping to get to know him better.
It went something like this:
“Hi, Myaa-chan! It’s Sasaki, from the party today. I was wondering if you’d like to go to a restaurant I really like. They have a lot of different dishes and everything’s delicious—it’s the Japanese Garden downtown. If you like the idea, maybe we could go tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.! If you don’t want to, that’s totally fine. Sorry for bothering you.”
God, Sasaki, you’re ridiculous. What is that stupid nickname? Ugh!
Sasaki wrapped himself up in his blankets, curling into his bed, and fell asleep feeling utterly ridiculous.
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The day and time arrived, and he still hadn’t received a reply from Miyano—but he wasn’t going to pressure him. He decided he would go anyway. Whether Miyano showed up or not, he’d find out there.
He asked for a table for two and dressed in the nicest clothes he could manage, considering the heat. He wanted to impress him. He felt excited, restless, and a little unsure about whether Miyano would actually come.
After sitting down and ordering from the menu, he got a cheesecake and a café latte—he loved sugar.
Hours passed. Miyano still hadn’t arrived, and the moon began to rise. Sasaki wondered if he had typed the email address wrong, or if Miyano had simply given him a fake one to get rid of him as quickly as possible. He felt so stupid.
He scanned the restaurant, looking for any sign of Miyano, but there was nothing. By now, it had been hours. People were starting to look at him strangely, and the waiter even came over to ask how much longer he’d need the table, since other customers were waiting for a table for two.
And just as he was about to leave, Miyano appeared from behind a bonsai and, without apologizing for the time, simply said:
“How are you?”
Sasaki didn’t know if it was the floral atmosphere or the way Miyano walked, but he couldn’t resist. Like Icarus flying toward the sun, he stepped forward and gently hugged him without complaining about how late he was because he was just happy that Miyano had come.
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“Myaa-chan, huh?” Miyano asked with a small smile, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand.
Sasaki couldn’t stop himself from blushing at the mention of the stupid nickname his past self had thought was a good idea. Now, completely embarrassed, he could only mumble, “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry, Sasaki-senpai! I actually think it’s really fun—I might start using it more!” Miyano said cheerfully.
They’d been talking for an hour, and Sasaki felt like he could never get bored. It felt amazing to talk to someone who genuinely made him interested in things he’d never cared about before.
Especially when Sasaki asked Miyano about the term “BL.” Myaa-chan turned bright red but didn’t stop rambling—throwing out words and manga recommendations nonstop. Sasaki was just happy to see him so excited.
“Myaa-chan, it looks like you ordered mostly spicy dishes. Don’t you like sweets?” Sasaki asked.
“I think I ate enough sweet things when I was a kid,” Miyano replied, taking a big bite of his spicy curry, looking completely blissed out. “I don’t really crave sweet food anymore.”
“I’d like to read the manga you like, Myaa-chan.”
Miyano smiled nervously and reached across the table to take Sasaki’s hands. Sasaki couldn’t help but blush.
“P-please don’t judge me for what I read,” Miyano said seriously. “If you don’t like it, just tell me, and I won’t lend you anything like that again.”
He looked so earnest—his eyebrow twitching slightly from nerves, his hand running through his hair—that Sasaki found it unbearably cute. He simply nodded and tightened his grip on Miyano’s hands, looking at them. They felt soft, slightly tanned from the summer sun—masculine and strong, but not as large as his own.
Miyano noticed the way Sasaki was staring and quickly pulled his hands away, as if he’d burned himself.
“U-uhm… let me see if I have some with me,” he said. “I stayed late at the committee, so I had to change in the plaza bathroom… that’s why I’m late.”
So that was the reason. Still—he’d come really late. Was he okay?
Miyano rummaged through his bag and pulled out a blue pouch filled with manga.
“P-please, if you have any questions, ask me,” he said. “I’ll answer anything. Just… don’t let anyone see this. Please read it in your room—never in public.”
“Of course, Myaa-chan… just let me take a look—”
The moment Sasaki pulled out barely a few centimeters of a manga, Miyano shot up from his seat and lunged at him at lightning speed.
“Sasaki-senpai!”
Sasaki would’ve laughed at his panic if Miyano’s arms weren’t suddenly wrapped around his shoulders. He relaxed into the embrace, resting his head against Miyano’s arms. Miyano froze completely, but Sasaki could feel the heat radiating from his face.
When Sasaki looked up, he completely froze.
Miyano’s entire face was bright red, his mouth slightly open as if he wanted to scream but couldn’t. His eyes were wide, his hair messy—and Sasaki found himself wondering if it was too soon to kiss him.
“Pfft—” A small laugh escaped Sasaki.
Miyano somehow turned even redder.
“Y-you… Sasaki-senpai, stop laughing…”
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Two more hours passed with them talking and eating, laughing and almost shouting every time one of them mentioned something interesting, until suddenly they felt the accusing stares of the people in the restaurant—and one glare that burned more than all the others: the waiter’s.
“Guys, due to the disturbance you’re causing in our establishment, I’m going to have to ask you to leave and pay the bill immediately, please.”
“Y-yes, of course, s-sorry,” Miyano stammered as he pulled his wallet out of his bag.
“Wait, Myaa-chan, let me pay—I invited you,” Sasaki said, stopping Miyano’s hands.
“B-but it’s a lot of money…”
“It’s not that much. I come here all the time, and what I usually spend doesn’t even compare to what we spent today. Remember, I invited you…”
Sasaki grew more nervous by the second, still not letting go of Miyano’s hands.
Sasaki assumed Miyano noticed his nervousness, because he softened his expression and gently rubbed Sasaki’s hand with his thumb.
“Okay… but next time, I’ll pay.”
Next time?! Sasaki is in heaven.
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After Sasaki paid, he didn’t let go of Miyano’s hand. It was night now—the hot day had turned into a chilly evening—and luckily for Sasaki, Miyano got really cold. Sasaki gave him the jacket he had brought from home. Even though that hadn’t been his plan, he had planned that if the date went badly, he’d cry at the plaza fountain while hugging that same jacket.
“Your jacket smells like baked goods, Sasaki-senpai,” Miyano said, snuggling into the borrowed jacket.
“Oh—really? I never noticed a baked smell, but I guess it’s because this afternoon, before coming here, I helped my family at our bakery,” Sasaki replied, feeling nervous every time his shoulder brushed against Miyano’s.
“You have a family bakery? That’s awesome, senpai! You have to take me—I’ll buy a lot!”
Miyano seemed even more comfortable now, leaning fully against Sasaki’s arm.
“I can cook for you, Myaa-chan. I’d love to.”
“Don’t say embarrassing things, senpai!”
The orange-haired boy couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him. As they walked, he heard the crickets singing, saw the stars and the moon lighting their path, and felt so good. There wasn’t a word to describe what he was feeling.
He didn’t even realize when they arrived at a cute, quaint house, with a kind, short woman—who looked a lot like Miyano—standing outside, just about to leave.
“I really enjoyed going out with you today, Sasaki-senpai,” Miyano said in a whisper so his mother wouldn’t hear.
“Me too, Myaa-chan!”
Sasaki blushed hard when the kind woman lifted her head at the mention of the nickname.
Miyano rose onto his tiptoes and gave Sasaki a small kiss near his lips, then quickly turned toward his mother, his face completely red.
“W-were you going out, Mom?”
Miyano’s mother couldn’t hold back her quiet laugh when Sasaki brought his hand to the spot where Miyano had kissed him.
“Yes, I was going to the store for milk—we ran out. I wanted to make a dessert.”
Oh. Sasaki felt even more smitten by that—he loved desserts. But the moment he heard, “I’ll grow if I drink milk!” he burst out laughing along with Miyano’s mother.
Then he dared to say it.
“You’re perfect just the way you are, Myaa-chan.”
Miyano turned his head, his messy hair swaying, clearly about to say something stupid like “Don’t embarrass me, senpai!”—but his mother, the woman who had sworn to always protect him, made the comment that left Miyano so nervous and embarrassed he almost screamed.
“Yoshi-kun… that jacket isn’t yours, is it? I don’t remember seeing it before.”
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It was at that moment that Miyano slipped off the jacket as if it were burning him and hurried to toss it into Sasaki’s arms.
“Yoshi-kun, those aren’t the manners I taught you. Go and apologize,” Miyano’s mother said, indignant, arms crossed.
Miyano slowly approached Sasaki with soft, cautious steps. He placed his hands over Sasaki’s—both of their hands were cold. He lifted his head, determination visible in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, senpai.”
Then he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Sasaki’s lips. They were soft… and warm.
Just as red as they both were, the determination vanished from Miyano’s adorable face. He suddenly turned and ran into his house, slamming the door shut behind him.
Miyano’s mother watched the scene fondly and stepped away from the entrance, not before ruffling Sasaki’s hair.
Sasaki returned home practically fluttering with happiness. As always, he ignored his sister and his mom and ended up hugging his pillow. The jacket in his hands now smelled like Myaa-chan, and somewhere in his room he hid it away, keeping Miyano’s scent so no one would ask annoying questions. He’d probably wear it tomorrow.
His eyes felt like they were glowing as he remembered his first kiss—and Miyano’s cold hands.
To keep from missing him too much, he started reading the manga Miyano had recommended and built a barricade of pillows to support his back as he read.
With every page he turned, he wondered how someone with such innocent eyes could read such shameless things. Even though it startled him at first, he let himself go—and ended up really liking the story.
Miyano was creating a feeling in him that he couldn’t put a name to. If he tried to explain it, he’d have to guess most of it—but it was a feeling directed entirely at Miyano, and he loved it.
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More than three weeks passed in the same routine—seeing each other in the afternoons and sharing a small kiss before saying goodbye.
Sasaki and Miyano loved each other’s lips and felt drawn to them.
Sometimes at school they would be together and head home together, though Sasaki never really noticed, since he always left earlier than usual.
Miyano would start dozing off on Sasaki’s shoulder on the train ride home, and it made both of them nervous.
Sasaki always found an excuse to help Hirano in the disciplinary committee—just a stupid excuse to see Miyano, because he hated helping. And when Hirano and Sasaki were alone, Sasaki wouldn’t stop talking about how good that fluttering feeling in his stomach felt every time he talked to or kissed Miyano.
Hirano, despite how uncomfortable he looked and felt, never stopped him from talking. Still, there was something about Sasaki that didn’t quite add up—something he couldn’t understand, no matter how much he thought about it.
And just two weeks before Sasaki’s graduation—right after he’d been accepted into the university he wanted to attend—he realized that his unofficial “relationship” with Miyano had stalled.
They didn’t talk much during their outings anymore, and both felt it was too soon to say “I love you.”
Routine can be cruel to people like Miyano and Sasaki.
Sasaki felt a little empty whenever they fell into awkward silences, but it felt impossible to say that they’d run out of things to talk about.
They never did anything new—just went to restaurants and talked about almost the same things every time.
It hurt his soul to admit they were drifting apart, but he couldn’t do anything without feeling like he’d come off as too intense.
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On the day of his graduation—the last day he could see Miyano—Sasaki was adjusting the blue tie of his suit.
When he looked up toward the door, he saw someone’s silhouette approaching.
It was Miyano, looking around for someone while carrying something heavy in his arms.
“Myaa-chan?”
Miyano turned as fast as he could and locked eyes with Sasaki. What he was holding became clear. Visibly embarrassed, Miyano tightened his grip on it and spoke shyly.
“W-well… I passed by the plaza yesterday, and at the flower shop I found this bonsai. I couldn’t help thinking of you—and how much I’ll miss you when you leave.”
Miyano placed the bonsai into Sasaki’s hands. Sasaki received it and carefully set it down on a nearby table.
And suddenly, everything made sense.
Sasaki finally understood what had been missing.
“Miyano… I’m in love with you.”
Miyano’s eyes went wide, his cheeks flushed, and with a shy little smile, he stepped forward and wrapped Sasaki in a warm hug.
“I like you too, Sasaki-senpai.”
And at the start of the graduation ceremony, they shared their first official kiss—as a couple.
The end.