“Oh, yeah. We still need to talk about the fact that you two know each other.” The event had swept all from her head. Even afterwards, while she watched the cosplayer pose for photos with many kids and even some of the older guys there, the girl didn’t remember.

“How about if we talk in a quieter place?” the cosplayer said, pressing the third floor button. Even if they were one of the last to leave the event room, they weren’t alone on the elevator.

They exited on the bookstore café. Yuuno-sensei headed to the counter after asking what they wanted, while Taiyou-kun and Tsukiko went to find a table for them.

After the cosplayer brought their drink, there was a long silence, broken only when they drank. “So how do you two know each other?” Tsukiko finally asked when she couldn’t take anymore.

Yuuno-sensei looked at Taiyou-kun. After a moment, the cosplayer sighed and told her everything.

“Wow… I had no idea your aunt was friends with Yuuno-sensei, Taiyou-kun.” Tsukiko had no idea how to react. But that wasn’t the biggest piece of information. “And you’re a man? For real?”

“Please, not so loud,” Yuuto, Yuuno-sensei’ true name, said, looking around to see if anyone as eavesdropping. And he confirmed they were saved, he sighed again. “And please don’t tell anyone.”

“I can’t believe the cosplayer I admire was a man all along…” Tsukiko said, thinking back on the times she had see the cosplayer on the events and such. To think that cute girl with awesome cosplays was a man. I never even suspected anything… he’s better than I thought!

“I’m sorry for deceiving you,” said the cosplayer, dropping his shoulders.

“No!” Tsukiko quickly added, moving her hands. “I’m more surprised.” Tsukiko had an awkward smile on her lips. “To think I was admiring a guy…”

“I’m sorry,” Yuuto said again.

“It’s not that! I’m surprised because you can make himself cuter than most girls.” Tsukiko was sudden all fired up. “If a guy can make himself this cute, it makes me want to work harder on my cosplays!”

The cosplayer blushed and showed a gentle smile on his lips. “Thanks.”

“Please let me call you master!” The words came out before Tsukiko realized what she was saying.

Yuuto widened his eyes. “There’s no need for that much…”

“Please!” Tsukiko’s eyes shone with a fire. “I want to become as cute as you!”

“You’re already cute,” Taiyou-kun whispered. Little by little, his eyes widened and his cheeks blushed.

As she turned towards him, his words sank in and her face became an alarming shade of red. She opened and closed her mouth many times before pinching his cheeks. “You’re gonna give a lot of girls troubles with that loose tongue, Taiyou-kun,” she said to hide her embarrassment. Why a brat’s word are making me blush this much?

A low chuckled brought her mind back. “You two really are good friends,” he said with a huge smile this time. Tsukiko turned back to the cosplayer, letting the boy’s cheeks go. The cosplayer phone ringed. He pulled from the short’s pocket and stared the screen “I have to go now.” He stood up bowed his head to them. “It was nice to see you two here. And please don’t tell anyone about… my identity.”

“Don’t worry, Master,” Tsukiko said, beaming. The cosplayer had an awkward smile, sighed and then headed to the elevator chuckling.

“You made him uncomfortable…” Taiyou-kun mentioned.

“You think?” She turned to look at him. He stared her with those too innocent to be true eyes. “Come on, give me a break. It’s my birthday… I mean, almost.” Tsukiko laughed and messed the boy’s hair, forcing him to stop looking at her. “Besides, Master Yuuno is my ideal cosplayer. I’ve looked up to her, I mean him, for a long time. To imagine she, I mean he, was a boy… it makes me want to go all out and reach her… his level.”

Though it was almost invisible, the girl could see the smile on his lips.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Yuuto-sensei is a great person, but he fears is people rejecting that side of him. But you’re still treating him the same way. You’re great person too.”

Tsukiko blushed. “You should’ve told me you knew Master Yuuno.” She pinched his cheek.

“How was I supposed to know?” He rubbed his cheek when she stopped. “You never said anything.”

The girl opened her mouth… but when no sound came from her lips, she closed it, pressing her lips. He’s right… again… Tsukiko shook her head. “Come on, we still have a full day,” she said, pulling him by the hand.

After leaving their bags on a rental locker on the station, they decided to kill some time before lunch at the game center. “Which game first?” Taiyou-kun asked.

It wasn’t Tsukiko’s first time there and even though she had played almost every game there, she looked around, trying to find something to spark her interest. When her eyes ended up on one particular game, a smiled popped on her lips. “That one,” she said.

The boy followed her eyesight. When he saw which game she was talking about, he smiled too. “Are you sure? Last time you complained a lot.”

“You still haven’t given me a rematch, you brat” she said. So he does remember, she thought, her smile broadening as they headed towards the fighting game, the same one they played the first day they talked.

They sat next to each other and started the game at the same time. Both screen flashed for them to choose their character—Tsukiko was player one— and then the fight began.

“You’ve been practicing, huh?” Tsukiko grunted, forcing the controllers. It’s too different from mine, she complained. This fight against Taiyou-kun remembered a lot their last one. When I lost, she thought, still a bit resentful. But today’s the day. She pressed her lips and forced the controllers even more, almost standing from her seat.

“Maybe you’re the one who’s been lacking training,” he said. Even though it was with the same low and polite tone, she could feel the mocking behind his words. “I mean, you are getting older.”

The girl couldn’t hold her laugh. “You’re getting too cocky!” she screamed, preparing her character’s special move with a grin on her lips.

Taiyou-kun managed to dodge her attack on the last moment. Right afterwards he took advantage from the character’s cool down time and used a combo, defeating her. His screen flashed ‘you win’ while hers showed ‘you lose’ in huge letters. Why it look bigger and flashier? She thought, not daring to turn her head and look at him. But she did after feeling the boy’s stare.

He had a tiny smile on the lips, and it was enough to make her eye twitch. “Again!”

They played for almost an hour when finally decided to stop.

Tsukiko flashed a smile and turned to his direction. The boy avoided her eyes. “Oh, come on. Don’t be a bad loser,” she said, poking him on the cheek. They had both won and lost many times, but in the last fight, Tsukiko had one victory over him. Now I have two, she thought, but never voiced it. “Don’t pout just because you lost. I mean, I’m older and wiser than you.”

Taiyou-kun turned back to her. “You’re right about the older part,” he said in his cool and low voice, his expression the same as always.

“Why you brat…” She messed his hair. Even when he teases me he’s cute.

A laugh behind them brought Tsukiko back from their world. She hadn’t realized, but for some reason they were attracting too much attention and now there was crowd around them.

“Hey, isn’t that Keiou Girl?” a voice echoed among the crowd.

“Yeah, I think it’s her.”

“Oh, Keiou,” a man dressed in the game center’s uniform said, walking towards them as most of the crowd dispersed. “So you decided to show up after all.” Three more people stayed.

Tsukiko widened her eyes when she recognized the people. Then she smiled. “Hey Poruko, I didn’t know you guys were here. Show up to what? Tsukiko asked back tilting her head. “Ah! The offline meeting! I completely forgot!”

“How could you?” The woman standing next to the employee covered her face with both hands and shook her head.

“And here we thought we were best friends.” One of the man hugged the woman and tapped her back gently, pretending to comfort her.

Tsukiko and the other two laughed. “Could you two be a little more dramatic?” she said. “Maybe then I’ll feel sad.”

“If you’re not here for the meeting, why are you here?”

“I came for an event with Taiyou-kun,” she said, turning to the boy. “Now we’re just killing some time before lunch.”

“Oh, so this is the infamous Taiyou-kun.” The woman eyed the boy, her face too close to his comfort.

“He looks just like you said,” The employee spoke. “Maybe a little shorter.”

“But just as cute.” The other woman said.

With three people speaking almost at once, the boy blushed and lowered his head.

“Hello.” Despite his embarrassment, he spoke in his same tone as ever and even bow his head to them. “My name is Fuyuzora Taiyou. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Wow, he’s just like you said, Keiou,” the woman said, smiling to him. “It’s pleasure to meet you too, Taiyou-chan. I’m Akiho, but you can call me header.”

Tsukiko couldn’t help but chuckle seeing Taiyou-kun’ reaction. “They’re my gamer friends,” she said. “Let me introduce you to them. This is Header, that’s Poruko, he’s Keikaku and she’s Egomin.”

“And you’re Keiou Girl,” Header said. “I know you never said it to him. There’s nothing to be ashamed and here you are trying to hide it.” The woman shook her head.

Taiyou-kun turned to her, his eyes shining full of curiosity. Tsukiko’s cheek blushed slightly and she looked away, avoiding his eyes. “They call me that… for some reason…”

“For some reason?” Header laughed. “Haha, that’s the first. Keiou Girl’s been humble and all. Let me tell you why we call her that, Taiyou-chan. She’s always grabbing about defeating us by K.O. on fight games we just ended up calling her that.” The woman patted Tsukiko on the head and then showed a sly smile the girl recognized. “And this kid was making you all worried.”

The others laughed. “Taiyou-kun, we need you into our group,” Keikaku said.

“Yeah. K.O. needs to keep her ego like this during the games.” Egomin slapped Taiyou-kun on the back in a friendly way.

Despite his cheeks reddening, Tsukiko saw the boy smile on the boy’s lips. Damn! I wished I could talk back, the girl thought.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Taiyou-kun said and then left.

“Haha. Did perhaps we made him uncomfortable?” Poruko asked, scratching his beard.

“Maybe. Don’t worry about it though. He’s that shy,” Tsukiko said, but despite her words, she kept watching the boy as he walked to the bathroom.

“So that’s the boy you kept talking, huh?” Header said.

“I thought for sure he was older,” Keikaku said.

“I thought he was her boyfriend,” Egomin added, elbowing Tsukiko lightly.

The girl blushed. “Did I really talk about him that much?”

“Yeah,” Header said. “But it just mean he’s that important to you, right?”

Tsukiko widened her eyes and turned towards the men’s bathroom. What Taiyou-kun is to me? To her, the boy was important. Whenever something happened, good or bad, Tsukiko wanted to tell him, just as much as she wanted to tell her friends. But there were parts of her she would never dare to show her friends, and even went to tiresome lengths to hide it from them. But if it was Taiyou-kun, the girl would gladly share without giving a second thought.

The mornings when they had breakfast together, both when he invited and cooked for her or when she invited him to the family restaurant, had become the best way to start her day. In fact, they spent so much time together it was weird if the boy wasn’t the first person she talked to in the mornings.

The occasional meals she had with his family also were precious to Tsukiko. She loved hearing about his mother’s work stories in the flower business and his aunt’s adventures when she was younger. Her complaints about Sawa-chan-sensei were interesting to hear as well.

Even when they did nothing especial, and just hang out playing video games or even reading manga in the same room were fun to her. We’re really that close, she realized, surprising herself. I had never stop to think about it.

“Yeah, he’s very important to me,” Tsukiko said, a gentle and warm smile on her lips.

“Is that so?” Egomin smiled too.

“Then make sure he knows,” Header said, messing Tsukiko’s hair. The girl blushed but didn’t push the woman’s hand away.

“I will,” Tsukiko said, still blushing.

“Umu,” Header hummed satisfied. “I’m guessing since you forgot about the meeting, you’re not coming with us to buy the game, right?”

“Oh yeah…” The girl had forgotten about that as well. Even though the game would only go on sale on midnight, she thought about joining her friends to buy and stay all night playing with them. She even had gotten her dad’s permission. But after Taiyou-kun made the promise to spend that day with her, Tsukiko had forgotten about everything else and only thought about what they would do. There was no part of her that would choose the game. “No. I rather spend the rest of the day with him.”

“Ouch!” Poruko said, putting both hands over his heart as if something had hit him there. “I can't believe we lost to a kid.”

“You better believe!” Tsukiko beamed and they all laughed.

“We’d buy the game for you as birthday present, but…” Keikaku started, looking at the floor.

“I know, I know. One per customer.” Tsukiko waved her hand to dismiss his apology. “Don’t worry. Actually, it’s best this way. You guys need to buy the game before me and have a head start. It’d be too boring if I left you guys behind too soon.”

“That’s the Keiou Girl we know.” Egomin said and they all laughed again.

Poruko looked at his watch. “We have to go now,” he said. They all checked the time.

“Oh crap! We’re supposed to meet Yareyare at the restaurant in like two minutes,” Header said. “We need to go, but happy birthday, Keiou. We’ll see if we can by some extras for you.”

They all said goodbye to her. Tsukiko was still smiling when Taiyou-kun came back from the bathroom. The boy looked at her for a moment and then looked around.

“If you’re wondering about my friends, they already left. So you don’t need to get shy again,” she teased him.

His cheeks went a shade of pink and he looked at the floor. “Where did you meet them?”

“Header is my senior. She graduated last year and is now a first year at Hyouzan. She introduced her gamer friends to me.”

“They seem like good people. I’m glad you have friends like them,” he said, smiling.

Tsukiko blushed. Damn it, I loose my words when he smiles like that, she thought, quickly trying to change the topic. “So, where should we go next—” before she could finish her sentence, her stomach rumbled rather loudly. She widened her eyes and her cheeks reddened even more. Taiyou-kun smiled and chuckled and the girl messed his hair. “Let’s eat before anything.”

I can’t wait to see his reaction, Tsukiko thought, trying her best to suppress a grin while leading the boy by the hand. She knew exactly where they should go. A famous maid café located on the basement of a shop close to the game center. It’ll be my payback for making me embarrassed, Taiyou-kun.