"Kotaro?" Ken poked Kotaro's shoulder. "Hey, man, are you okay?"
Kotaro let out a low grumble. Hina frowned. "Leave him alone," she said to Ken. "He's going through something."
"What's he going through that you know about and we don't?" Ken demanded. "We're his friends as much as you are! Right, Kodai?!"
Kodai shrugged. "I suppose," he said.
"I don't care," Arisa said breathlessly. She was staring blankly out the window, a dazed smile on her face.
"...Okay, what's with her?" Hina asked.
"Probably saw a cute girl or something," Ken said with a shrug. Then he glanced at Kodai, then back at Arisa. "I hope you got her number for me!" he said pointedly.
"I would never inflict you on this girl!" Arisa snapped, turning to glare at Ken. "She's pure and sweet and doesn't deserve such a jerk!"
"Whoa," Ken said, holding his hands up. "Geez, I get it! No cute girl for me!"
"Shibaken, leave Arisa and her new girlfriend alone," Kotaro mumbled. "I'm dealing with something..."
"She's not my girlfriend," Arisa insisted.
"What are you dealing with, Kotaro?" Kodai asked. "Can we help?"
Kotaro sighed, and lifted his head. He looked around at the fast food place that they'd all stopped in. No one was particularly close to their table.
"I have a crush on... Someone. And they like someone else."
"Wait... What?!" Hina shrieked, shooting into a standing position and staring at Kotaro in shock and horror. Ken, Kodai and Arisa all stared at her.
Kotaro simply sighed. "Hina... You're going to get us kicked out."
"...Oh." Slowly, Hina sat down.
"Hina-chan, did you already know about this?" Ken asked.
Hina blinked and gave an awkward smile. "Maybe...? I mean, I knew about his crush..."
Kotaro rolled his eyes. "Anyway, yeah. They haven't actually said they like someone else but I saw how they act around this one person and... I definitely think they like them."
"Who is it?" Hina asked.
"Mochita."'
"Wait, what? Who's Mochita?" Arisa asked. "Is that the person you like?"
"What? No. Mochita is Mochizuki Sota. He's the person that the person I like likes."
Hina looked absolutely furious. "How could Mochita betray you like that?!" she demanded to know, slamming her fists down on the table. "Jerk! I'm gonna give him a piece of my-"
"Hina, calm down!" Kotaro said. "He didn't know I like-... This person. A-and I doubt he ever will because I'm not gonna tell him. I'm not telling either of them."
"What?!" Hina's eyes widened. "Kotaro! You can't let Mochita sway you! You said you were going to confess!"
"I changed my mind."
"Well, change it back!"
"Hina-chan, calm down," Kodai said, adjusting his glasses. "If Kotaro doesn't want to confess, that's his choice, don't you think?" He turned to Ken. "What do you think?"
Ken blinked. "Huh?"
"Should Kotaro confess?"
Ken awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Kotaro was staring at him, as was everyone else. "Uh... I mean, not if the person likes someone else. He'd only get rejected, right?"
Kotaro, Kodai, Hina and Arisa all sighed in disappointment. Ken blinked. "What?!"
"Nothing," Hina said dismissively.
"Yeah, nothing," Kotaro muttered.
"I literally agreed with you!" Ken said. "I said you shouldn't confess! What am I missing?!"
No one responded. Hina quickly changed the subject to asking Arisa about the cute girl she'd met, and no one paid attention to Ken anymore.
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