To make matters worse, Asakura soon heard Rintarou continue his provocative monologue, unaware of what stormy waves his words caused to rise in Asakura's mind.

"You know, I really admire Asakura-san."

"Hearing you say this, I'm not sure whether you're praising me or mocking me instead." Asakura squeezed through gritted teeth, a strained smile plastered on his face.

"No! It's definitely praise!" Rintarou exclaimed hastily. "I mean, there is nothing laughable about loving someone. Harboring an unrequited love for so long, being able to bear the pain of longing despite the hurdles you have encountered... I find that to be very praiseworthy. In my eyes you are a strong and cool person, Asakura-san."

‘Oh yeah? Then I invite you to try that for yourself! See how you like it!’ Asakura cursed silently then let out a deep sigh. 

At this point, he had to admit defeat in the face of such raw bluntness. 

With this, Rintarou managed to deal yet another blow to his ego. 

However, despite all the anger and vexation he was feeling, Asakura’s next words were said in a different kind of tone from before. 

"Well, to be honest, I find you to be more praiseworthy." 

"Me?!" Rintarou’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, you. Despite looking like an idiot most of the time, you're actually a very sensible guy. You have an honesty that I have never seen before. I guess that's why Keita chose you in the end."

Those last words were said in a low whisper, only for him to hear.

"Well, I guess I'm not used to going around in circles and I dislike having to fake my feelings. But I'm not that perfect, no one is. After all, I was one step away from losing someone very important to me because I felt scared." Rintarou smiled sadly.

"But you didn't. In the end, you chose to face your own feelings as well as Keita's." Asakura retorted, clicking his tongue in displeasure. "Tsk. Now stop making me praise you. I dislike you enough as it is. Any more than this and it will grow into a passionate hatred."

Rintarou let out a laugh, taking Asakura by surprise. 

The young man in front of him was showing such a sincere reaction, rendering Asakura completely speechless. Just like a fluffy and cute animal or a lovely, innocent baby, Rintarou made hatred virtually impossible for anyone who saw him. 

Hence, Asakura could only smile and shake his head. There was no doubt about it. Keita had chosen a good man, one who would not abandon him. In Asakura's eyes, Rintarou was the kind of person who would never give up fighting for those who were important to him.

Asakura had to wonder, could he ever be like this? Was there even an ounce of steadfastness in his persona that could help him gain such power? Sure, he had watched over Keita from the shadows all those years, but he had never done anything, not personally at least. On the contrary, he had always maintained a safe distance, always afraid of being found out. 

So, will he ever be brave enough to get close to someone by pushing past their boundaries, just like Rintarou had done for Keita?

"...ra-san. Asakura-san! Are you alright?" 

Rintarou's voice sounded in his ears, startling Asakura out of his deep thoughts.

"Mh, yes."

"There is something else I would like to say. For allowing me to join the team and follow Keita on this trip… Thank you very much for making all this possible, Asakura-san."

"If you don't stop thanking me, I swear I'll punch you in the face." Asakura threatened only half-jokingly. 

As though a button had been switched, Asakura’s disposition immediately flipped and he felt a vein almost popping on his forehead. His voice was light, but his tone carried an underlying trace of menace.

"Alright. I'm sorry." Rintarou said, sounding remorseful.

"And don't apologize either!" Asakura finally snapped.

"Eeh?! Asakura-san, then what should I do?" Rintarou asked, feeling both confused and slightly irritated.

"Just shut up! You don't have to say or do anything. Just sit there in the water until you feel like fainting!" Asakura threw at him on a whim, before hastily getting out of the hot water. In that instant, he just wanted to put as much distance between them as possible.  

From that moment on, Asakura’s behavior towards Rintarou took an even stranger turn.

Whenever they saw each other, Asakura would avert his eyes, ignoring Rintarou sometimes to the point of rudeness.

However, for some strange reason, no one got upset over this, not even the man who was purposefully ignored in such a blatant manner. It was as though Asakura’s performance was to be expected or rather, like an odd type of truce had been achieved between the two men.

The only person who couldn’t fully understand what was going on was Kota. And since he was an extremely curious person he made sure to bring up the subject the moment he got a chance to be alone with his good friend.

On their third day at the inn, Asakura and Kota were enjoying a bath outside. It was still early and the sky hadn’t changed colors yet. The deep blue looked particularly beautiful in contrast with the soft white clouds.

In short, it was the perfect weather for a friendly interrogation.  

"What's going on with you lately?" Kota asked suddenly.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Asakura inquired in a disinterested tone.

"I couldn’t help but notice that you lately have been avoiding Kurosawa-kun. Did you guys have an argument? Or did you finally snap and hit him?"

"We did not have an argument and I can proudly say that I have refrained from any violent acts."

"Then what's wrong?" Kota looked even more confused now.

In his opinion, no arguments and no fights were good enough. In fact, considering Asakura’s wild temper, it might even be considered one of the best outcomes there could be. 

So, what could possibly have happened to make his friend act even colder than before?