Chapter Text
“Hey, um…”
Hirose’s gaze drifts shyly toward Nakamura. They are standing alone in the school entrance by the shoe lockers. It seems that no one else is still around. The building is quiet—perfect for speaking with Nakamura in private.
“Hm?”
The black-haired boy is puzzled by Hirose’s sudden embarrassment. He isn’t used to seeing his classmate like this. Hirose is always cheerful, open, and friendly with everyone. Could something be bothering him?
The fingers of Nakamura’s right hand tighten around the light-blue straps of his school bag. Nervousness spreads through him, but he tries to hide it behind a tentative smile.
“Well, it’s just…”
Hirose’s breath catches for a moment as he thinks about how to phrase his question without sounding strange or giving the wrong impression. He doesn’t want Nakamura to think he’s weird.
“Yeah?”
Nakamura’s eyes are practically glued to Hirose’s lips. Alongside his nervousness, a sense of unease begins to build, and he starts to sweat lightly.
“D-Did you…” Hirose hesitates briefly before awkwardly forcing out his question. “…get chocolate from anyone today?”
Startled, Nakamura jumps back a step before raising his hands defensively and shaking his head, his cheeks turning red.
"N-No!"
Why would Hirose think someone would give him a gift? Unlike Hirose, he certainly wasn’t known for being popular.
Of course, Nakamura would have been happy to receive chocolate—especially from the person he liked.
Was Hirose just asking to be nice, or was there another reason behind it?
“Oh…”
Embarrassed, Hirose looks away. A faint pink tint spreads across his cheeks, and his glassy eyes lower to the floor.
“I see…”
His words are so quiet they're almost impossible to hear.
Thoroughly confused, Nakamura stares at him with wide eyes. His own cheeks are slightly flushed, and suddenly a small spark of hope settles in his chest.
[- Chocolate?! Why did he ask that?! T-T-There’s definitely something going on! -]
He desperately searches for a reasonable response when Hirose cuts in first.
“Listen.”
Nakamura startles and stares at the opposite side of the shoe lockers, his face burning bright red. Taking small, measured breaths, he tries to calm his racing heart.
[- Q-Q-Quick timeout! -]
His gaze automatically returns to Hirose. A thin sheen of sweat runs down his forehead.
The nervousness and his pounding heartbeat are going to kill him.
[- Could he possibly…? -]
Shyly, Hirose tilts his head toward Nakamura. His brown eyes fix on the taller boy standing before him.
“You know, I…”
Again, he pauses, looking away and staring thoughtfully at the floor. What was wrong with him today?
Since when had finding the right words become this difficult?
[- Those are the exact same words… -]
Nakamura’s eyes widen with realization.
His breathing comes only in short bursts now. He discreetly wipes his sweaty palms on his black trousers before clutching the fabric of his school jacket over his chest.
Could it really be happening? Were his long-cherished dreams finally coming true?
A long silence follows.
Neither of them says a word.
Warm sunlight streams through the school windows, bathing everything in a gentle glow. Tiny dust particles dance lazily through the air.
The peaceful moment shatters as suddenly as it arrived.
Hirose taps the wooden floor twice with the red-and-white sneaker on his left foot, signaling that he has to leave.
Almost as if fleeing, he grabs the light-blue straps of his school bag with his right hand and slings it over his shoulder.
Turning back to Nakamura, he forces a smile.
“Sorry! It’s not that important after all!”
Nakamura stares at him in surprise.
“See you later!”
In a rush, Hirose pushes open the school’s front door and strides quickly out of the building without looking back.
Nakamura opens his mouth silently, unable to call after him.
Even after the door clicks shut, the black-haired boy remains standing there, cheeks flushed and eyes wide.
Only one question occupies his mind.
[- Did I do something wrong? -]
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The sunlight dazzles his sweat-covered face as Hirose finally stops beneath a ginkgo tree in the school courtyard, breathing heavily.
Using the sleeve of his jacket, he wipes the sweat from his reddened face.
“What’s wrong with me?”
He lets his school bag slide from his shoulder and pulls open the zipper with his thumb and forefinger.
A small package of chocolate wrapped in red-and-white paper decorated with tiny red octopuses seems to mock him.
Finding the right wrapping had not been easy.
“It’s just friendship chocolate…”
Hirose sighs quietly as he remembers leaving Nakamura standing there.
He absolutely has to apologize before class tomorrow.
Acting like that wasn’t like him at all.
“I hope he won’t be mad at me…”
Thoughtfully, he lifts his gaze toward the sky, hoping somehow to find answers there.
Hirose has no idea how completely these thoughts are about to consume him.
Had Nakamura already gone home?
Was he really disappointed about not receiving any chocolate?
Why hadn’t anyone given him any?
Would Hirose have liked it if he had received some?
Why did he suddenly care so much about knowing all these things?
“We’re just friends. Nothing more.”
He murmurs the words to himself and briefly wets his rosy lips.
But if they were only friends, why was he thinking about Nakamura so much?
Why hadn’t he simply given him the chocolate under the guise of friendship?
What was the worst that could have happened?
It’s not as if Nakamura just happened to have chocolate in his own bag and would have given it to him in return as a thank-you.
Coincidences like that don’t happen!
Hirose is so lost in thought that he doesn’t even notice the approaching figure waving at him from across the schoolyard.
“…rose? Hirose!”