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There’s not many things that can be considered a worse decision than entering an infamous delinquent high school while not having a smidge of combat ability in you, is there? Unfortunately, Nirei has always liked to go above and beyond. So, on his knees in devastating agony, he presents an example of a worse decision to you right now:
Harbouring crushes on his fellow captains.
Yes, crushes. Plural. Because one isn’t enough of a problem for Nirei, he just has to have two. And because both Sakura and Suo are just so handsome and cool and incredible fighters and…
Nirei bangs his head onto his desk, narrowly avoiding slamming his forehead into his pen holder. Ouch. He has his notebook laid out, open to the page with Sakura’s profile, but it’s getting embarrassingly full—Nirei might need to use a second page soon. Unlike Suo’s page, which is barely a third filled.
It’s so stupid! Nirei came to Bofurin to become a better fighter, just like the student that protected him years ago. He wants to one day have a back broad enough to bring comfort to those he’s shielding, and be able to fend off attackers easily and confidently. And with Suo, he wants to bring Sakura to the top of Bofurin together.
He doesn’t want to be distracted by these fluttery feelings in his chest every time Sakura leans over his shoulder or Suo smiles at him. Damn it!
Just then, Nirei’s phone vibrates. His pen slips from his grasp as he jumps, reaching for the device. A quick read of the notifications tells him that it’s just Sakura saying goodnight. He’s gotten better at texting ever since Kiryu and the others convinced him to use his phone more.
Suo is replying almost instantly, with a peaceful little moon sticker, as always. Nirei thumbs over his screen, staring at the notifications with his stomach filled with butterflies. It’s not like either of those messages were directed at him, specifically, but he imagines that they were. That his fellow captains would actually think about him before they go to bed and wish him a good night’s sleep, full of love and affection.
Wow. This is pathetic. Nirei pushes his burning face into his desk again, hoping the wood would somehow open up a hole and drown him, and fails to reply that night.
There’s many things to like about his captains. If someone were to ask, Nirei could probably pull out an alphabetical, bulleted list from the depths of his mind alone.
It’s with no doubt that the other two treat him well. They’re best friends, after all, and Nirei has felt the effects of their kindness over and over, such as Sakura passing him an extra snack when they’re on patrols, or Suo always checking up on him emotionally and making sure he’s okay. And Nirei works to return these acts of kindness too, hoping to at least measure up to them in some way.
But it doesn’t help his poor heart whenever they do something a little too suave or chivalrous that leaves him combusting on the spot. Oh, if only they knew the effect they had on him. Maybe they’d spare Nirei and just— not.
Like today, they’re all in Muscle Power for lunch after school, mostly by Tsugeura’s suggestion. Except they didn’t have any tables available for over four people this afternoon, so their group split up 2-3. Nirei sits with Sakura at a smaller table, and from under the table, he swears their knees are brushing.
It’s all he can focus on. This little piece of contact between them, stinging and sharp, like electricity is coursing through his veins. Nirei doesn’t dare to budge an inch.
He’s not sure if Sakura has noticed yet—knowing him, though, probably not. He’s busy stuffing his mouth with rice, and even the silly sight makes Nirei smile fondly. His knee remains as still as a statue while he continues eating his own meal.
Nirei doesn’t want to come across as desperate, per se, but if this is the little contact he can have, then so be it.
“By the way,” Sakura says after he’s just swallowed a large swig of water. “You didn’t reply to our texts last night or this morning.”
Oh. Nirei straightens up, not having expected the random confrontation.
“I just forgot,” he replies honestly. When Sakura raises an eyebrow, Nirei has to stop himself from grimacing. He can’t let Sakura’s skepticism sway him so easily. “I was… up late anyway.”
“Doing what?”
“Uh.” He scrambles for an excuse. Why didn’t he think this through? “I was watching a show?”
That’s not a total lie. Nirei does watch shows pretty regularly, and he is getting through a rather long C-Drama right now, he just wasn’t watching it last night specifically. But then Sakura’s shoulders drop, relief settling over him.
Did he think that Nirei was going through something and wanted to help? Well, Nirei is kind of going through something, but not the kind of problem he’s going to share! The sentiment is sweet, though.
“That sounds like you,” Sakura huffs, with just the slightest tinge of laughter behind his voice, and Nirei’s frail heart is going to give out. “Tell me about it?”
Sakura wants to listen to him talk about some random drama that he probably doesn’t even care about. His captain has never shown an interest in entertainment like these, but the fact that he’s still willing to lend an ear to Nirei is much too sweet.
He can’t help his burst of excitement—Nirei leans forward, his knee bumping into Sakura’s more firmly, and Sakura doesn’t bother moving away. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Sakura shrugs. “I want to know what it’s about.”
He’s perfect. Way too perfect for Nirei’s already scrambled heart. He might just die here, and he can still die happy.
“Okay.” He grins, jittery. “So…”
“That was better,” Suo says with an approving nod. “One more time.”
Nirei gasps for air, but he still pushes himself up on his feet, gathering his bearings. They haven’t started today’s training session too long ago, yet Nirei is already panting like he’s been here for hours. A testament to the difference between his and Suo’s stamina, that’s for sure.
“Okay!” he says anyway, going back into the stance Suo showed him earlier. They’re still working on his defence, and Suo says he won’t teach Nirei any major attacks until he can actually hold his ground against him first. Which sounds practically impossible, though Nirei is nothing if not determined.
Suo walks around him, checking over his form, while Nirei keeps his eyes straight ahead. He’s staring at a tree in the distance—pinning his gaze on one specific point always helps to maintain his focus. In fact, he’s so focused on the tree that he doesn’t notice Suo inching nearer until he feels something brush against his elbow.
“A little lower,” Suo whispers, his voice ghosting past Nirei’s ear, and when did he get so close?
“O-Oh,” he stutters. He doesn’t dare pull his eyes away from that damn tree. “Right.”
He fixes his positioning, and Nirei is definitely hyperfocusing now, because he swears Suo’s touch lingers for a second too long. When Suo chuckles—for god knows what reason—it echoes loudly in Nirei’s head and sends a rush of heat to his cheeks.
Is Suo laughing because he knows? Nirei wouldn’t put it past him—he’s always painfully observant about people, but especially when it comes to the feelings that Nirei tries so hard to hide. Like the insecurity he stamps down or his barely-concealed excitement that he holds back so he doesn’t scare someone off. No matter what, Suo somehow always notices.
Ugh. The idea of Suo knowing about his feelings and just pretending he doesn’t isn’t totally off the table, but it does make Nirei’s stomach churn with nerves. Then again, he wouldn’t put it past Suo to toy around with his feelings like that if it means it amuses him—he’s pretty flippant with his jokes sometimes, after all.
“Nire-kun?” Suo calls, snapping Nirei out of his thoughts. How long has he been staring into space? “I said you can relax now.”
“Right!” Nirei does exactly as told, but he must relax a little too fast, because his knees wobble and he nearly falls over, if not for Suo looping a quick arm around his waist to catch him. He blinks, vision spinning as Suo rights him back up.
Suo finally pulls his hands away, placing them at their usual position behind his back. He smiles again, little tassel earrings glinting with his movements. “It happens. You must be tired by now, so let’s take a break.”
Dizzily, Nirei thinks that his heart might give out and that he’ll die young one day.
As much as it pains Nirei to admit, he has absolutely zero experience when it comes to romance and thus has no clue how to go about navigating his crushes.
He has some old magazines that his mother keeps in a drawer. Some of them have columns on romantic advice, like How To Get Your Crush To Notice You! and Are You Compatible With Your Crush? and How To Tell If Your Crush Likes You Back?! All of which Nirei has already studied diligently.
He doesn’t actually think these pieces of advice are helpful, but at this point, Nirei is getting desperate. Not for Suo and Sakura to like him back, no—that’s definitely more of a fever dream, like trying to catch a star in a jar—just impossible all around. But Nirei would like to do something to get a handle on his feelings, at least.
It just really doesn't help that they're such incredible people. Nirei feels that they're almost otherworldly, and to be within their close vicinity is already a blessing by itself.
"Nirei," Sakura calls one afternoon, poking his head into the classroom. "You there?"
Nirei nearly jumps out of his seat. He was staying behind to write in his notebook, obsessing over the little things he managed to learn about his captains again today, while some of his other classmates were getting ready for patrol, but it seems like he accidentally got too engrossed again.
Sakura walks in with his hands in his pockets, as he tries to look over Nirei's shoulder. "What were you writing that got you so focused?"
"Oh, it's—" Nirei realises what he's about to say and immediately retracts, slamming his notebook shut. His sudden movement makes Sakura jerk in surprise, and he frowns, giving him an odd look. "Nothing important! We're about to go, right? Where's Suo-san?"
"Over here!" Suo sings, his voice floating in from the doorway. He gives them both a cheery wave before adding, "Anzai-kun and the rest are taking the main road and the park. We've got the river area today."
"Just us three?" Sakura asks, walking back. He leans against the doorframe while Suo nods back at him, and Nirei can't help but think, wow. His crushes are standing next to each other. And they look so good. And he's going to be on patrol with both of them. He's utterly doomed.
"Nire-kun," Suo calls, a hand by his lips, "come on."
"Coming!"
They exit school via the north gate and begin heading to the river. It's a familiar walk for Nirei, since he always comes here to train with Suo. Sakura leads the way while Nirei and Suo follow behind contentedly, and as they greet the townsfolk on the way, Nirei can't help his heart from turning into mush.
It's not a huge deal or anything, but he really loves patrols. It makes him feel like he's a part of Bofurin, doing something special for the town, and he especially loves watching the way Sakura and Suo interact with the people—Sakura, with his endearing awkwardness, and Suo, with his dependable smile. They're both so good at what they do, and it's just another reason Nirei loves them so much.
"Ah! Sorry!"
Nirei grits his teeth as something rams into him and a burst of pain blooms near his tailbone and elbows. Someone drops their things with a gasp, stumbling down the steps and reaching for him with panicked hands.
"I'm sorry!" the person frets—a young girl who looks barely older than Nirei himself. She's the daughter of this shop's owner, if Nirei remembers correctly. Her family is moving out and needed help shifting all their boxes outside, which was what Nirei and the rest stopped by to do. "I didn't see you! Are you hurt?"
"I-I'm fine," Nirei manages, trying to push himself up. He winces when his hand screams in protest, and when he looks down, he sees a long cut—he must’ve scraped his palm against the steps when falling. The cut isn’t the deepest, and he’s definitely had worse injuries, but it’s severe enough that blood drips from the wound and a single drop splatters onto the pavement.
As the girl continues apologising and panicking, someone else kneels by Nirei’s side. They take his injured hand, and Nirei has spent long enough staring at those elegant fingers to know who it is without even looking up.
“We better get that cleaned up,” Suo notes, tugging Nirei up in a flurry. “Sakura-kun! Can you handle the rest?”
Sakura looks over his shoulder, his eyebrows knitted in light concern. “Sure. Are you okay?”
He sounds way too worried for something as small as a little cut. Nirei answers with a reassuring nod, though he can feel Sakura’s eyes lingering on his back as Suo drags him into the shop to look for a water source.
Later, Nirei is running his wound under water while Suo is digging around the drawers for a bandage. He manages to find a plaster just as Nirei dries off his hands.
“Thanks—” Nirei begins, about to take the plaster, but to his surprise, Suo dodges his attempt, instead taking his hand once more.
Nirei watches with bated breath as Suo carefully pastes the plaster over his wound, his movements slow and skilled. His heart thunders in his chest, keeping his eyes on his own hand so he doesn’t have to look up and acknowledge this… this proximity, or intimacy, whatever to call it. He’s never been so taken care of, touched like he was something precious.
“All done,” Suo says, thumbing over the plaster, just as Sakura bursts into the shop.
“We’re finished out there,” he informs, his footsteps a tad more rushed than usual. “Nirei, how is it?”
“It’s just a cut,” Nirei laughs, holding his hand out to show Sakura. Sakura squints like he doesn’t quite believe him, but he nods and backs off when he sees Suo’s handiwork. “See? I’m okay!”
“Your captain is just worried about you,” Suo teases as he nudges Nirei, laughing when Sakura’s cheeks visibly redden.
“Bastard! You brought him in first—obviously you care too!”
“Hm, I never said I didn’t…”
They continue their back-and-forth, with Suo insinuating whatever he can to embarrass Sakura, and Sakura pointing at him aggressively while spluttering. But Nirei remains stuck on what Sakura said earlier that he can’t focus on the conversation.
Obviously you care too. Obviously. Like it was a simple fact, on both of their ends, that Nirei is someone they’d give their heart to.
Even if it isn’t in the same way Nirei would give his heart to them, knowing that they love him is a sweet and reassuring thought.
He smiles, heart skipping a beat as he loops his arms around theirs and tugs. “We still have patrols to finish, Sakura-san, Suo-san! Let’s go!”
Neither of them really put up a fight as he begins hauling them out of the shop, even though Sakura is still muttering things at Suo over his head and Suo is still giggling like it’s the funniest thing in the world.
At the end of the day, no matter how strong his feelings grow or whether his friends ever reciprocate, as long as he gets to keep this little mundane routine of theirs, Nirei thinks he'll be satisfied.