“Mm. . .”

Wen Xulong stretched his whole body, then relaxed with a satisfied sigh. He hooked his bag onto his shoulder. “Shini-sama, you have any plans this weekend?”

Rin was in the middle of taking a long drink. It was a moment before he lowered the bottle and shook his head. “Nah, I’m free. Why?”

“You should do something,” Wen Xulong said. “Invite Nao-chan out for lunch or something. You two always just go along with whatever I suggest. You should go somewhere, do some bonding.”

Rin didn’t answer at first. He was glad that his skin was already pink from exertion—it hid the blush.

“. . .I guess,” Rin finally said. “But I’m bad at planning stuff like this. I don’t know what Nao-kun would like.”

Wen Xulong poked his forehead. “Then go with your gut.”

Rin’s gaze became flat. “. . .What are your plans for the weekend?”

Wen Xulong grinned merrily and turned to leave. “Got a date! See you Monday, Shini-sama!”

His words stuck with Rin. He spent the ride home racking his brain, eventually deciding to just ask Nao if he was interested in spending the day at the mall. Almost as soon as the message had gone through, Nao replied.

[Hatsukoi: Sure]

[Hatsukoi: When should I be there?]

And thus, Rin now stood waiting for Nao to arrive.

He was actually a little zoned out. He’d spent half the night tossing and turning, then more than an hour trying to make himself look decent. Thankfully, Wen Xulong was still available at that time—with his help, Rin managed to scrape together a somewhat handsome appearance.

Rin was finally pulled back to the present when a travel pod stopped nearby and Nao stepped out. He stared for a moment, then forced himself to raise his hand and wave. Nao turned and smiled once he caught sight of Rin, returning the wave.

“Morning, Rin-san,” Nao said once he’d reached Rin. “Sorry if you’ve been waiting very long. . .”

“. . .No, it’s just been a few minutes,” Rin said. “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

“. . .” Nao gave a crescent-eyed smile. “Not just yet. I figured we could have breakfast together? I can pay.”

“We’ll split the bill,” Rin said. “Do you have a place in mind?”

Nao shook his head. “I’m still not very familiar with the mall. We can eat wherever you like.”

“Alright.”

Rin contemplated at the speed of light for a moment, then settled on a café he thought Nao might like. He motioned for Nao to follow him, then headed toward the escalators.

Unexpectedly, Nao’s gloved fingers slipped into his palm. When Rin reflexively glanced back, Nao gave a sheepish smile.

“Sorry. . .I might fall behind if I don’t hang onto you,” he said. “I’m not used to big crowds like this.”

Rin hummed vaguely in response, then forced his attention away from Nao's hand in his and focused on reaching the café.

Unlike most of the mall’s shops, this one’s business was slower—more of a trickle than a flood. A few people were seated at the various square tables, but most of them were deserted. Rin and Nao sat down facing each other; a waitress came over upon seeing them and took their orders.

Nao was silent while they waited for their food, looking pensive. His fingers were curled around the pendant of his necklace; Rin noticed this and felt his heart grow lighter.

It wasn’t until they were both halfway through their breakfast that Nao finally broke the silence. He paused in his movements and asked, “Rin-san. . .what do you think it means to like someone?”

Rin blinked and looked up. “. . .In what way?”

Nao frowned. “What do you think it means to have a crush on someone, I mean.”

“. . .Oh.” Rin deliberated for a moment. “Well. . .It’s different for everyone, but I guess it’s like. . .like that person scratches an itch you didn’t realize you had. They take up a lot of space in your thoughts and you want to find reasons to get closer to them. Being with them is comforting. . .but also. . .sort of like a sugar rush.”

“Oh. . .” Nao’s frown deepened, and he rubbed his mouth. His cheeks and nose were faintly pink. “Rin-san, I think. . .”

A strange feeling sprouted in Rin’s gut. He strove to keep a neutral expression, though he was suspicious that Nao was about to start talking about some person in their class that he liked. Some tiny voice in the back of his mind wondered why Nao hadn’t chosen Wen Xulong to chat about this.

“. . .I might like you,” Nao finished in a quiet voice.

“. . .”

Rin’s mind was wiped blank. It was a long moment before he finally managed to say, in a dead tone, “Oh, is that so. . .”

Nao set down his chopsticks and put his face in his hands. “Sorry. . .”

Rin came back to himself and waved his hands, face reddening. “No, no, no. . .I. . .Uh, it’s actually fine, I also think I like you. . .”

He’d been rambling in an attempt to make Nao feel better, and now he fell silent, his hands also stopping. Nao peeked up at him; he wished he could disappear. He must’ve looked like an idiot, sitting there with his hands raised and his face red as a chili.

Nao put his face down again, and his shoulders trembled a little. After a moment, a tiny laugh escaped his hands.

Rin put his head down in his arms, pushing his plate to the center of the table. “Well, at least I have entertainment value. . .”

“Rin-san. . .” Nao continued to giggle. “Sorry, it’s just. . .You’re really cute.”

Rin willed himself to sit up, then rubbed his forehead with a sigh. “I apologize if I’ve made things weird at all.”

“No, actually. . .” Nao reined in his laughter and wiped his eyes. “I feel better now. I don’t have to hide anything, and I can understand you a little better. I feel like we’ve bonded more.”

Rin’s embarrassment faded as Nao spoke, and he pondered his words.

Nao was right. Rin’s shoulders felt lighter now, and an awkwardness he hadn’t even noticed had drained from the atmosphere between them. A warm rush of giddiness swelled in his chest, and he had to fight not to grin like an idiot.

He suddenly felt very glad that he had met Nao.

Nao sat up straighter, looking a bit more solemn. He put his hands in his lap. Then, in a timid but earnest voice, he asked, “Rin-san. . .Can I be your boyfriend?”

Rin was stunned speechless again. Nao continued speaking.

”I’m really naïve and I don’t know a lot about relationships or dating,” Nao said. “And you also have a lot going on in your life right now. I understand if you don’t want to be with me. But I wanted to ask, even if the answer won’t necessarily be yes.”

“No, um, yeah—I mean, I’d love to be your boyfriend,” Rin said. He blushed a little, then forged ahead. “Um, I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I might not be good at it, but. . .”

Nao smiled and tilted his head. “Then let’s try our best and learn together.”

And thus was the beginning of a tentative, soft romance. That day was the pinnacle of their youth—a day spent hand-in-hand, the hours slipping by to arcade games and sappy holiday movies, filled with fluttering hearts and butterflies. When the day ended and the two boys parted, they were entirely satisfied, hearts full of warmth and laughter.

Nao grinned the whole way home, through dinner, right up until he fell into bed and stuffed his face into the pillows, laughing himself silly. When he’d calmed down a little, he rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. He suddenly felt drowsy and let out a deep yawn.

For once, Nao fell asleep on his own and stayed asleep through the whole night, only waking when the sunlight fell on his brow.