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Vividlands×Showtime had finished their practice earlier than expected, which had left Akito with an unusual stretch of free time before he actually had anywhere he needed to be.
But instead of heading straight home and going online to play games, Akito had somehow found himself walking through the shopping district beside Toya.
Not that he wouldn't have been gaming with Toya—a.k.a. spending time with him anyway—if he went home.
So now they were walking side by side through the afternoon streets, neither of them in any particular hurry.
The shopping district was lively without being overwhelmingly crowded. Storefronts spilled colorful displays onto the pavement.
Mannequins stood behind glass in carefully coordinated outfits, and the occasional gust of wind carried the smell of something sweet from one of the nearby bakeries—most notably the smell of apple pie.
Akito had already looked at several stores without finding anything that particularly interested him. Every so often, his attention would catch on a display, and he'd slow down just enough to examine it before continuing.
There was no particular destination in mind yet, which was probably why Toya looked so unusually content.
Akito glanced sideways at him as they passed another storefront, his hands buried comfortably in the pockets of his jacket.
Toya had been smiling for most of the walk, quietly taking in the displays and occasionally slowing down whenever something caught his eye.
Eventually, his curiosity got the better of him.
Akito glanced sideways at Toya as they passed another storefront, his hands buried comfortably in the pockets of his jacket.
"You're really that happy about us doing some shopping together?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow as he watched Toya's expression.
Toya nodded almost immediately, his smile becoming a little more pronounced as they continued down the pavement.
"Well," he began thoughtfully, glancing toward Akito for a moment before adding, "It may be because it's you, Akito."
Akito's stride faltered for half a step.
He recovered quickly, but not before Toya noticed.
"...Hah?" he asked, turning toward Toya with an incredulous look. "Dude, we see each other every day at practice and at school. Today ain't all that different."
Toya considered that as they continued walking, his gaze wandering toward the rows of clothing stores ahead.
"I don't think so," he replied, shaking his head slightly. "As admirable as it is seeing you practice and sing, most of our conversations during practice revolve around shows, right?"
The taller boy looked at him expectantly. Akito's expression softened as he listened, and Toya continued at an easy pace beside him.
"But when we eat lunch together, or go out like this, we have more time to talk about other things as well," he continued, turning his head toward Akito with a small smile.
"At least, that's how I see it."
For a moment, Akito didn't answer. He simply watched Toya walk beside him, the afternoon light catching against his dual-toned hair.
There was something almost unfair about how naturally Toya said things like that now.
A few months ago, he might have struggled to put even half of those thoughts into words—heck, even morph his expression to anything resembling a smile would've been difficult.
Now, he could just casually explain exactly why spending an afternoon together mattered to him, as though it were the easiest thing in the world.
Somehow—Akito thought that Toya could express himself and his emotions better than he could. It was... adorable, really.
A dopey little smile gradually appeared on Akito's face before he shook his head and looked ahead again.
"You're so cheesy, man," he said with a quiet laugh, nudging Toya lightly with his shoulder. "If ya wanna spend time with me and yap my ears off, you coulda jus' say so."
Toya tilted his head slightly. "Ah... does it bother you—?"
Akito immediately shook his head, his expression turning more sincere as he glanced back at him. "Nah, not at all. The opposite, actually," he reassured him with a small smile. "Think 's pretty neat how open you are now."
Toya's eyes softened at that, and he gave a quiet nod as they approached the entrance to a clothing store.
"Is that so?" he asked, the faintest hint of curiosity slipping into his voice.
"Yeah," Akito replied as he pushed the door open for him, gesturing for Toya to go ahead. "I mean, you're not exactly known for spillin' your guts."
Toya stepped inside and glanced around the racks before looking back at Akito. "I've improved."
"Mhm," Akito admitted with a laugh as he followed him inside. "Still got a ways to go, though."
Toya hummed thoughtfully as he ran his fingers over the sleeve of a dark-colored jacket hanging from a nearby rack. After a moment, his attention shifted back toward Akito, and his expression suddenly became a little more inquisitive.
"Ah, Akito," he said as he held up the jacket to inspect its cut, "you're good with fashion, right?"
Akito stopped dead.
He slowly turned his head toward Toya.
"...Who told you that?" he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes as though he'd just discovered a conspiracy.
Toya blinked before lowering the jacket slightly. "Kohane told me," he explained, tilting his head. "She said you have a good eye for clothing."
"Of course she did," Akito muttered as he rubbed his forehead, though the tiny smile tugging at his mouth betrayed him.
Toya returned the jacket to its place before looking through another section of the rack.
"Could you help pick out clothes for me?" he asked, holding up another shirt as he compared it with the one he'd just been examining. "I'd like to find something that suits me, but I'm not entirely sure where to start."
Akito stared at him for a second.
Then his expression softened.
"...Course," he answered as he stepped closer to look over the clothes with him. "That's what I'm here for."
He looked up, and the smile he saw was all worth it.
And just like that, their shopping trip became a little more than either of them had originally planned.