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AFTER CHIGIRI, it had been Kunigami, then even Bachira — also from the football team. Reo was lucky because none of them got upset, but none of them had worked either, and he came out more affected by the last one than he imagined.
Kunigami was too oblivious. Reo had walked him to his classroom, chatting about nonsense until they reached it, and just as expected, Nagi was already there preparing the presentation they had been working on during Monday. They settled by the door, and Reo pushed one of his bangs behind his ear and smiled coyly, projecting less of his player image and more of his good-boy act.
Kunigami didn't notice there, but to anyone else it would have been obvious by how Reo then shortened the space between them, moving closer to fix Kunigami's collar before his big presentation. He had said something along the lines, "You actually look handsome for once," and had moved his hand from Kunigami's neck to his arm. Doing what every girl that had met Kunigami has always done, he felt the muscle of his bicep and said, "Wow, have you bulked up even more?"
Kunigami shook it off naturally, honestly thinking it was a compliment from an (ex) athlete to another, or from a man with a firm physique to someone with a stronger one. It wasn't until the professor cleared his throat and asked them to move from the entrance, eyeing Kunigami with an obvious don't-do-that-here stare, that Kunigami's face changed.
Reo caught a glimpse of Nagi where he stood by the teacher's desk and found indifference for a second time. Reo wanted to groan, Kunigami held him by the arm before he could walk away.
"Don't play dirty," he said. Reo didn't care enough.
Bachira had been different though, completely different. Reo usually avoided making plans with any of his football friends if it meant he had to wait for them to finish training – as in, he had to wait by the lockers or at the parking lot – but now with his new resolution, he found those opportunities much more useful.
He was waiting for Shidou with his Airpods on, but he wasn't looking at his phone, choosing to scan the place instead. The players were leaving and starting to get in their cars when suddenly Bachira bumped into him accidentally. He was far from Reo's type, and Reo wasn't even sure of his sexuality, but Bachira was also Nagi's friend, Isagi's best friend, and not bad on the eyes. Reo took one of his earphones off, willing to start a conversation.
"Sorry," Bachira said, taking a step back. "Didn't see you there. Are you waiting for Nagi?"
Their falling out had been obvious. They went from being attached by the hip one day to avoiding each other like the plague the other, even Reo's parents had noticed. Reo couldn't be sure if Bachira was being genuine or trying to mock him in any sort of way.
