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( eight, after school. )
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the next day after minamoto kou and mitsuba sousuke's first encounter, the two met by the shoe locker on pure coincidence. mitsuba was the first to notice the blonde. he was entering the school when he noticed a certain blonde by his own locker, trying to change his outdoors shoe to his indoors. mitsuba felt stiff at that moment, not knowing how to react towards kou because of the event that took place yesterday. he made up his mind to pretend that he didn't notice the blonde since he wouldn't come across him too because his locker is in a different row, meaning the decision he took is in favor of him. he then tried to cover his face by facing in directions that would not show his face as he walked towards the row his shoe locker was in. he succeeded. he arrived at his shoe locker without getting noticed by kou — afterall he looked kinda busy at that moment.
the pink head shook his head, brushing off thoughts in his head. he removed his outdoor shoe and then wore his indoor ones. after that, he closed the locker door when he was done. to his surprise, minamoto kou was leaning on the locker next to him. so much for trying to avoid him and pretending not to notice him. he flinched at the sight. "good morning" kou greeted, a grin plastered on his face — a bright grin that is probably too much for anyone at this early morning.
"minamoto-kun, could you please not do that again? that almost gave me a heart attack" mitsuba said, putting a hand on his own chest, feeling the intense beat his heart makes in every second.
kou chuckled as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "sorry, i won't do it again" he apologizes.
"it's fine" the pink head slightly tilted his head, adjusting his bag before he began to walk.
the blonde followed him — he catches up to mitsuba and walked by his side. he glanced over him, thinking about what to say next. "so..." he cleared his throat. "how are you?" he asked.
mitsuba glances back at the blonde for a second before returning his gaze forward. "i'm doing good" he answered. "and you?" he asked, returning the question to the blonde.
"i'm also doing good," kou answered, letting out a small awkward laugh. as he let out the last laugh, he also brought his gaze forward. "especially now" he smiled, a small yet genuine one.
mitsuba's eyes remained where they were. "why is that?" mitsuba asked. he would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous at that moment because there was a small hope inside him regarding some thoughts he had in mind about what the blonde said.
"i just feel like... the gods are answering my prayers," he replied, letting another sheepish laugh. "it's quite nice" he added.
"then, what is it you've been praying for?" mitsuba questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"that's..." the blonde paused, his gaze shifting to the side. "a secret."
"i see" mitsuba nodded. "then, see you later, minamoto-kun."
kou blinked. "erm... what?" he asked, confused as to why the pink head was already saying his goodbyes.
mitsuba pointed at the classroom sign above. "here. my classroom."
kou made an "oh" face. he nodded his head. "okay, i'll keep that in mind."
mitsuba raised an eyebrow. "what for?" he asked.
kou glances at him. "for future reference" he answered.
mitsuba squinted his eyes, suspicion all over his face, but he tossed it all aside as he chose not to keep the conversation any longer. "okay... i'll see you around" he said.
"yeah, i'll see you too."
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the bell had just rung, signaling the end of the class. mitsuba stood from his seat as he grabbed his bag and place it on his seat. he fixed everything inside his bag — making sure it's tidy and organized. he smiled in satisfaction upon finishing, then afterward he wore it over his shoulder and head to the room's exit.
the pink head had just taken a few steps outside the room when suddenly, "mitsuba!" a voice called from behind.
he turned to see who the voice belongs to. although he already knew the answer, he still wanted to confirm if it was really who he thought of. and he was right, the voice did belong to none other than the minamoto boy who seems to have barged in his life ever since yesterday. "minamoto-kun" he greeted.
kou smiled as he made his way towards mitsuba. "going home?" he asked.
mitsuba shook his head. "no" he answered.
kou slightly tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "well... where are you headed?" he questioned.
the pink head walked to the nearby window on the side. "i'm thinking of taking pictures in the courtyard" he responded, looking outside the window.
kou followed him. his gaze went to mitsuba to where the pink head's eyes are. "then... can i join you?"
mitsuba's eyebrows raised. he quickly turned to the blonde beside him. "why?"
the blonde shrugged before meeting the pink head's eyes. "just because" he answered. "besides, i don't have anything i have to do."
mitsuba coughed in an attempt to make the warmness in his face go away. "suit yourself."
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the pair soon made it to the school's courtyard. mitsuba first settled on one of the benches, putting down his bag. kou followed him, he sat on the bench watching mitsuba go through his bag. mitsuba then brought up his camera, then wore it on his neck before zipping the bag close.
"you look like a real photographer" kou said, smiling at the pink head.
mitsuba huffed. "well, i am a real photographer" he answered before walking off from the bench.
kou followed him immediately, leaving both of their school bag on the bench. mitsuba soon started his camera, then began adjusting it, readying to take a picture. the blonde, on the other hand, watched him in silence.
mitsuba continued his photography session a bit longer. kou stayed with mitsuba through it, making a few comments here and there about the scene mitsuba was trying to capture.
"minamoto-kun," mitsuba called out, removing his sight from the viewfinder of the camera. "i need your help with something."
kou walked a bit closer to the pink head. "what is it?" he asked.
"you see, those little birds look cute, don't you think so?" he said, pointing above some storage room's roof in which a nest can be seen where a couple of chicks and a few adult birds rest.
kou eyes traced where mitsuba's finger is pointed at. his eyes soon reached their destination. he hummed in response, nodding his head. "they're cute alright."
"yeah, so i need your help in luring those big birds away" he explained.
kou raised an eyebrow. "why not just include them?" he asked.
"i don't feel like it" mitsuba shrugged.
kou slightly sweatdropped at the response given to him. "o—okay, i'll grab a bread or something" he said before walking away.
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it took some time for kou to come back. when he arrived, the pair started their plan. kou began to rip the bread into a smaller size before scattering it to the floor. not too long, the adult birds finally came, trying to feed themselves the pieces of bread the blonde continues to scatter.
kou took a quick glance at mitsuba. the pink head already climbed up the metal staircase and was taking the pictures, and the blonde smiled at the sight.
the birds he was feeding soon became aggressive as they tried to get his attention and make him go back to feeding them by using their beak. "ouch" he winced out of pain. "okay, okay, i'll feed you... stupid birds" he said, ripping yet another piece of bread and scattering it to the ground.
unbeknownst to him, mitsuba was watching the scene unfold, and was dying to control his laughter.
the pink head coughed, trying to remove the attempting laugh to escape his mouth. after, he climbed back down to the ground and walked towards kou. "minamoto-kun" mitsuba called.
kou turned around, meeting the pink head. "yeah?" he asked.
"let's take a quick break" mitsuba suggested, eyeing the bench where their bags lie.
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kou held two cans of tea as he made his way towards mitsuba. he sat beside the pink head. "here" he said, handing the pink head a can.
mitsuba accepted. "thanks" he said as he opened the canned drink. he took a sip, then placed it down on his side when he finished. he opened his camera, flashing on the screen the pictures that he took earlier.
kou also eyes the camera screen, watching mitsuba control his camera and slide the pictures in the screen from one to another. "they turned out really great," kou said, smiling through the can he was sipping. "as expected of one skilled photographer."
mitsuba didn't react to the compliment. instead, he gently placed his camera down on his lap and turned to the blonde beside him.
kou noticed quickly the pink head's movement. he raised an eyebrow. "what is it?" he asked.
"can i ask you a question?" mitsuba asked.
"aren't you doing that right now?" kou asked back, keeping a raised eyebrow.
"haha, that's very funny" mitsuba sarcastically said with a deadpanned expression.
kou then cleared his throat. "okay, nevermind that... ask away" he replied, turning back to mitsuba.
the pink head let out a breath, to which kou slightly sweatdropped. "why are you doing that? should i be nervous?" he asked, feeling quite tense at the action the pink head did.
"no, no... it's not a life-threatening question, so chill" mitsuba rest assured.
"okay, i trust you... you can ask now."
mitsuba nodded his head. "so, then minamoto-kun," he started. kou nodded his head immediately. "yesterday, why did you act like that — uhm... you acted really strange as if i was someone close to you that you hadn't seen for a long time..." he paused for a moment, trying to recollect his thoughts. "and now — now, you're acting as if we did not, not talk for a really long time..." he added. "so why — why all of the sudden?" he finally asked, looking at the blonde with a pained expression.
the blonde didn't reply right away. he was trying to process in his mind all the things mitsuba had said. he blinked twice. "is that all?" he asked the pink head.
as a response, mitsuba eagerly nodded his head. "yeah" he answered.
kou leaned back to the bench, as he let out a relieved sigh. "is it that weird?" his eyes moved to the side to see the pink head.
"very" mitsuba replied.
kou then let out a laugh. "sorry, i just — i don't know what happened yesterday... i think i was possessed by something" he told the other boy. "anyway, after seeing you yesterday, i— everything... felt right, and that became a driving force to make me intrigued by you."
mitsuba leaned back on the bench too. he rubs both of his eyes, then stared at the sky above. it was now sunset, the sky was no longer in the shade of blue, but in the shade of warm orange.
mitsuba thought today was much more exhausting than how his usual days are, but it was nice. having someone by his side as time flew by, isn't really that bad — and he wouldn't mind experiencing it again.
he squinted his eyes as he took one last look at the sky. "minamoto-kun" mitsuba called.
kou turned to the pink head as he hummed in response. "yeah?" he followed a reply.
"you..." the pink head paused. "... are hella creepy!" mitsuba exclaimed, sitting straight. "what do you mean 'intrigued'? are you already in love with me within two days of me talking to you? well, dream on! i don't like creepy people, especially if they can say random, strange shits with a straight face" he rambled.
surprisingly, kou let out a laugh — a long one. mitsuba then furrowed both of his eyebrows. "why are you laughing?" he asked.
it took quite a time for kou to finally calm down. "nothing, you just reminded me of someone i used to know" he smiled.
"and who's that?"
"that's a secret."
mitsuba leaned back on the bench again. "you're weird," he stated. "but... i enjoy your company very much."
kou then perked up upon hearing those words. "really?!" he exclaimed, full of energy. "do you really?! i enjoy your company too so much!"
"let's just call it a day" mitsuba said as he stood up, not giving a reaction or a reply to what the blonde had said. afterward, he grabbed his things and walked away.
kou grinned at the back figure of mitsuba. "mitsuba!" he called out in a loud voice.
it took quite a short time before mitsuba turned around. "what is it?" he asked.
"let's meet again tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that... let's meet every day from now on!" he proposed, grinning at the pink head.
blushing, mitsuba huffed as he immediately turned to where he was going. he tightened his grip on the strap of his bag. "do whatever you want!" he exclaimed as he gave the blonde a small wave.
"see you tomorrow!"