I decided to meet Kenta at the end of his classes as we agreed on yesterday. He said that it'd be a few minutes after classes ended as he would take care of some personal business, but I was so excited that I decided to stop by a bit earlier.

I managed to overhear a conversation from him by complete happenstance. I took advantage of the happy coincidence and decided to listen to a quick snippet of Kenta's conversation. As long as I entered the room before hearing the whole exchange, I could leave with Kenta guilt-free.

I pressed my head to the door, keeping my profile out of view.

"So you finally talked to her. Dare I ask how it went," A soft baritone voiced guy asked.

Was that Hayato?

"I'm apparently dating her now. The details weren't entirely clear," Kenta said.

"That's great, bro. It's about time you back on that dusty horse," Hayato said, followed by a slap loud enough that it was audible to outside observers. In this instance, that observer was me.

"But now my lifestyle as a simple single person is being disrupted," Kenta said, sighing.

I wasn't sure how to respond to this info, but then again this probably wasn't for my ears, anyway. I considered just heading inside. I kept myself away from the door for an indeterminate period of time, until I heard a more interesting part of their conversation.

"It's fine to want to be single, but you need to tell Kotonoha that, or else what's blue point of your relationship?"

"So what do I do, then," Kenta asked.

"Huh?"

"How do I show her that I'm willing to make a serious effort?"

"I say just show an interest in her and her hobbies. I imagined she's scared a lot of people with her intensity towards writing, but this could be your chance to show her that you're not one of those people that scare easily," Hayato said.

I greedily leaned one of my eyes closer into the open crack near the door, noticing a strange male ritual taking place, almost tribal in its brutality. I almost couldn't help but snort through my nose at the absurdity.

"You're right," Kenta said, slapping his cheeks to regain his senses.

"Once you've thought up your plan of attack, drive in and go for the kill," Hayato said as he pumped both of his fists.

Kenta follows suit and pumped his fists as well, ending when a fist pump.

"Yeah!"

I became too ambitious and leaned too close to the door, the door creaking open and revealing my physical frame to both Kenta and Hayato, the aftermath resulting in what felt like an awkward penance stare. Knowing other recourse to dissolve the tension, I simply smiled.

"I'm sorry, was I interrupting a hot-blooded moment," I asked.

"Oh, no. I was just greeting my friend Hayato like I normally do. Nothing else!"

"You guys can keep going if you want. I can come back later," I said bashfully, retracting my body from the open space cracked fully ajar between the frame and the door.

"Is this the Fumiko Kotonoha I've heard about," Hayato asked, lowering his fist.

"Yes, I am," I said.

I decided to move from my perch behind the parted doorway and entered the classroom.

Hayato took a few steps toward me, extending his hand after taking a sweeping glance at me.

"I'm Hayato. Best friend, best teammate, and keeper of all Kenta's most cringe-inducing secrets."

"Ha, that's a nice bluff, bro," Kenta said.

"Oh, it definitely wasn't," Hayato said. 

I accepted his hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Hayato. It's a nice gesture, but I don't think I'm at phase yet," I said. 

"Did Kenta tell you that? I think you might be closer than you think."

"Okay, Hayato. I think she has enough info for now," Kenta said, pinching his arm with his thumb and index finger.

Hayato gritted his teeth as I watched his pinched skin turn a new shade of red I hadn't seen before. He eventually let go, but the damage was done. I couldn't unhear what he said and it couldn't have made me happier. I was scared for a moment that Kenta knew it as well, as he kept trying to lock eyes with me, despite how much my sight jumped from every corner of the room imaginable.

Then a new sight happened that made my heart flutter even faster. Kenta bolted towards me in a half-running burst and grabbed my hand.

"Kotonoha, isn't it about time we left to go see your writing," Kenta asked. 

"Mmm, you're right. Let's go," I said, Kenta clasping our joint hands with his remaining free hand.

"See you guys later," Hayato said, waving us off.