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Amane was a diligent student. Usually. Sometimes. Errr… okay, maybe occasionally. But it wasn’t as if he made a habit out of skipping classes. Only when he was feeling a little antsy from staying inside for too long. Or when it was a subject that he didn’t like. Or when the sun was shining, and the birds were singing, and the clouds painted an idyllic view. Like today.
Okay, so maybe he did skip a lot, but he figured that his grades more than made up for it. The next day, Tsuchigomori would probably call him into his office, and he would be forced to sit there listening to the importance of attending classes, and warnings about detention, and complaints about other transgressions that Amane had supposedly (definitely) committed.
“You can’t keep doing this, Amane,” he would sigh.
Watch me.
“Okay, okay, I won’t do it again, Tsuchigomori,” Amane would say instead, hands clasped together, and remorse coated all over his tongue. “I promise.”
He was totally going to do it again. And Tsuchigomori could see right through the façade. But he didn’t have the energy to call him out on it, and as long as Amane did all his work, there was no real reason for him to follow through on his threats. Tsuchigomori would dismiss him with a tired wave of his hand, and Amane would scramble out of his office with a self-satisfied hum.
But that was a problem for tomorrow’s Amane. Right now, Amane was trying out how effective his new hiding spot was. In terms of concealment, definitely the worst one yet, but if he woke up and started the day again, he would still choose the same place.
Amane leaned against the beams of the metal bleachers, sighing contentedly. The sun filtered through the gaps in warm rays, and he shut his eyes, appreciating the smell of summer and freshly mowed grass sweeping by. As long as there weren’t any outside classes, he was likely to get away with it for the whole period too. And it was so warm. A quick nap probably wouldn’t hurt.
Nene tilted her head and squinted, looking closely at the familiar, dark tufts of hair that peeked out from behind the bleachers. She had been busy gardening when, from the corner of her eyes, a dark flash of something — or someone — had quickly scurried by her.
“Nene-chan~”
“Ah, sorry!” She turned around. “Did you need something, Aoi?”
“Mmm, yes. This shrub’s been wanting a prune for a while now, but I haven’t been able to find the shears,” Aoi said with a frown. “Is there any chance you could head out to the teacher’s office to see if we’ve left it by Okamoto-sensei’s desk?”
“Of course!” Nene nodded. She quickly dropped the shovel and watering can that she had been holding and peeled the gloves off her hands. “I’ll be back!”
“Thank you, Nene!” Aoi called out gratefully.
She was going to go to the teacher’s office, certainly. Right after, she quickly checked behind the bleachers. She was just curious, that was all. It would only take a second, really.
As soon as she neared the spot, she slowed down to a cautious stroll. Attempting to look casual, Nene quickly looked over her shoulders, eyes darting about to see if there was anybody else nearby. The moment she discerned that the coast was clear, she dove beneath the bleachers, almost taking her leg out in the process. Nene softly cursed under her breath, hand nursing the spot that she had grazed. Leave it to her to make a complete fool of herself, she muttered inwardly.
Then, as if remembering why she was even there in the first place, she looked up to see who the mysterious student playing hooky was. Her eyes softened, and she brought up a hand to suppress a giggle. Of course it was Amane. Looks like he found a new place to hide, she mused.
He lay there, eyes closed, hair lazily drifting on the warm breeze. For a moment, she was content to just watch him. It wasn’t often that she had the opportunity to do so — not without the watchful, accusing gaze of her friends.
Then, carefully, so as to not startle him, she sneaked along the grassy floor until she was but an inch away from him. Briefly, the temptation to scare him passed through her mind, but seeing how serenely he looked, she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Instead, she raised her index finger and pressed into his cheek.
“Boo!” she breathed out.
At the feel of her breath ghosting his ear, Amane’s eyes suddenly flew wide open. He jerked back in surprise, and the sound of metal echoed through the air, followed by a string of curses. A hand shot up to clasp his burning ear.
“Y-Yashiro!?”
“Hi,” she giggled.
“Jeez, Yashiro,” he muttered. “You trying to kill a man or something? What are you doing sneaking around like that?”
“In my defence,” Nene reasoned. “I wasn’t trying to scare you.” She adjusted herself until she was seated next to him, their shoulders gently bumping against each other.
“Hmm, is that so?” He murmured, distractedly.
She raised her hand and began to rub the injury on his head. Amane hissed at the fresh, stinging sensation, and Nene apologised, the pad of her fingers now lightly caressing against the bump.
“Are you meant to be here?” He said with a contented sigh, his head pressing closer to her palm.
Nene ignored the flutter in her stomach and scoffed instead. “That’s rich coming from you. I’ve got gardening club on right now, I’m meant to be here.” She looked at him with an accusatory glance. “And you? Wouldn’t happen to be skipping again, would you?”
“Me? Skipping?” Amane said with mock indignation. “I am a model student, Yashiro. How dare you accuse me of such a thing?”
Nene rolled her eyes and playfully flicked him on the forehead. “Yeah, sure. And you’re totally not hiding under the bleachers right now.”
“No need to get hung up on all the details,” he grinned. “Just didn’t feel like wasting a nice day out by rotting inside a stuffy, old desk.”
“Okay, but don’t come running to me when Tsuchigomori-sensei calls you into his office again.”
“Aw, come on, Yashiro. You and I both know that he doesn’t mean half of what he says, anyways.”
“I think he would be inclined to disagree, actually.”
Amane laughed at that, and the sound of it was contagious. Nene bit back a smile as she looked at him, her eyes twinkling with mirth, and for a while, they sat there, side by side, bantering with each other beneath the balmy sun.
Below them, on the fine blades of the grass, their hands lay close by, the tips of their pinkies just a hair’s breadth away. All they needed was a slight shift in movement, just one twitch, one jerk, one flutter of the wind, and they would touch. And it was for that exact reason that neither of them even dared to breathe out loud.
Then, slowly, Nene began to inch her finger towards him, her pinky lightly hooking on top of his. Amane’s voice faltered for a second, and she froze. Fear that she had somehow misread the moment and crossed a line began to prickle across her skin, and she tried to pull back.
Though they were both now…ahem, dating. Crossing the boundary between friendship and relationship was something that both of them weren’t quite yet accustomed to. It was easier before. Nene didn’t have to think so carefully about how she interacted with Amane, and now it was like every word, every action, every thought had to be carefully kept in check. She had often been told in previous relationships that she was too much.
Overwhelming. Clingy. Intense. And Nene was scared that they were right. That the reason they had broken up with her was because she had scared them away with her…too-muchness. A load of rubbish, was what Amane would say, or, to be more exact, would growl, when she had told him that. But it didn’t exactly stop the thoughts and insecurities from resurfacing. So, she began to pull away.
But Amane didn’t let her. Instead, he tightened his hold on her pinky, causing Nene’s breath to hitch in her throat. Then, gently, he turned his palm around, uncurling his hand until their fingers finally laced together. He continued to speak as if nothing had happened, as if the feel of their hands together didn’t send goosebumps across Nene’s skin, as if the sound of her heartbeat racing wasn’t deafening to her ears.
How could he act so calmly? Did he not feel nervous too? Was she the only one going crazy over this? She looked up at him, trying to gauge the expression on his face — and the corners of her mouth quirked up. A flush was present across the back of his neck all the way to the tips of his ears, and he momentarily stumbled over a word the moment she had turned her gaze on him. She bit back the temptation to tease him and instead squeezed their hands together, a fluttery joy washing over her, making her lightheaded and dizzy.
He squeezed back.
As much as Nene would have loved to stay there, basking under the sun, hands intertwined with Amane’s, she knew that she would have to get up at some point. Aoi’s request lingered at the back of her mind, and Nene, unlike Amane, did try her best to be an exemplary student.
With a reluctant sigh, she tugged at Amane’s arm. “I should go now. Aoi’s probably wondering why I’m taking so long.”
“Do you have to?” he said with a small frown. “Stay here. With me.”
Nene’s heart melted at that, and she groaned inwardly, desperately wishing she could just say yes. She put on a stern face instead. “If I remember correctly, you’re not even meant to be here right now.”
He sighed dramatically and let their fingers unclasp from each other’s, the warmth peeling away all too soon. “Okay, okay, yes, boss. I got it. Just leave me here. All by myself.”
Nene rolled her eyes affectionately. “I’ll see you later after school?”
“It’s a date.” He grinned. Then he froze, cheeks burning hot as if he had suddenly registered what he had said. “U-uh, I mean um…”
Years of jokingly flirting with Nene, but the moment he realised he could no longer pretend that it was all just a joke, he turned into a stuttering mess. A sudden pang of fondness swelled within her chest, and before she could change her mind, she leaned close and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.
“Okay, it’s a date.”
Then, before he could answer or say anything else, she bolted away, red dusting all over her face, leaving Amane to sit there all by himself, wide-eyed, the colour of his face a mirror to hers. His hand moved slowly, almost in a daze, to the spot where the warm press of her lips still lingered. He flopped back down in the grass, eyes staring at the bright blue sky through the metal gaps, a giddy laugh slipping through him.
At that moment, he didn’t even care if someone caught him and dragged him back to class. He had a date to look forward to later.
“G-good afternoon, Okamoto-sensei! Is it alright if I come in?”
“Why hello, Nene. Of course! Did you need something?”
“Yes, I was wondering if there was a pair of shears left on your desk this morning...”
“Matter of fact, yes, there was. Here you go. I take it you’re gardening outside today? Don’t stay out in the sun for too long and make sure to take some breaks. You’re looking quite red today.”
“I-I am?! Ahah… yes, thank you. I’ll...I’ll make sure to stay out of the sun…”