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5: Seasoned Cod Roe (mentaiko)

5: Seasoned Cod Roe (mentaiko)

"That kid's waiting for you again, Ito-kun."

One of Ito Shunsuke's classmates pointed out. Some distance ahead was a certain sorcerer waiting under the shade of a tree, busy looking through his phone. The corner of his lips twitched.

"There's nothing wrong with that, is it?"

The woman frowned. "Of course there's something wrong with it. Ever since that kid showed up, you rarely hang out with us anymore."

Something flickered within Shunsuke's eyes and his normally warm gaze turned chilling, but his classmate remained oblivious to this sudden change. "Why don't you just ditch him? The rest of the class is going out for KTV."

"Sorry," came Shunsuke's blatant refusal. "I already made plans with someone else."

.

.

He's a little late today.

Inumaki Toge had grown a habit of picking Shunsuke up from his uni. Ever since the first day, he waited for the other near the exit, always standing underneath the same tree every day.

Although he received tons of stares from passerbys, Toge didn't mind as long as he could get to spend time with Shunsuke a little longer.

"Inumaki!"

Raising his gaze, Toge found the person he was waiting for jogging towards him. He was even waving his hand in the air while his ponytail trailed behind him. The dusk light reflected from his eyes, making them appear gold.

The sorcerer's eyes lit up, turning into crescents as his lips quirked behind his collar. "Kombu."

"Sorry, sorry," Shunsuke chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I got held back by my professor. Did you wait long? I hope you didn't; the weather's been erratic lately. One moment, it's scorching hot and the next, it would be freezing cold."

"Okaka."

"Oh, good! Let's head to the store, shall we? Did Maki and Panda go with you?"

"Okaka."

"On a mission?" As if recalling something, Shunsuke shivered and took one step closer to Toge. "... I hope they safely return then."

The way Shunsuke pretended that the idea of cursed spirits didn't affect him seemed humorous in Toge's eyes. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, that pair of deep pools of amber reflected just how terrified he was of curses.

Toge found it kind of cute.

Right from the beginning, Shunsuke acted like a proud lion; talking with confidence and building connections like a piece of cake. But every so often, he would act like a bunny; soft and cuddly, a frightened bunny in the face of cursed spirits.

His eyes would shine like an adventurer, ready to face the world but there would also be times when his eyes would have a sheen of nervousness; a telltale sign that he was afraid of something.

When Shunsuke reaches out for Toge's uniform, always taking a step closer towards him; Toge's heart would tremble and he wanted nothing more than to protect this scaredy cat.

The two of them walked together to Shunsuke's workplace. Of course, the university student made sure that he walked side by side with Toge.

His hand would sometimes reach out for the sorcerer unconsciously but he would pull it back when he realized what he was doing.

Sometimes, when something startled him, Shunsuke would cling onto the shorter boy and beam, acting as if he hadn't just been frightened. Him behaving that way often made Toge's attention focus on him.

This person, who was so full of life and unafraid of expressing himself, captivated Toge very much.

He couldn't stop looking at Shunsuke.

Especially when he smiles while he spoke.

There was something enchanting about the way his amber eyes would turn into crescents and the way his hair would bounce every time he moved.

Simply put, Toge seemed to have grown some sort of fixation towards Shunsuke.

"Say, Inumaki," Shunsuke spoke up when his workplace was just a few buildings away. "Don't you have your own missions? Don't get me wrong!" He nervously shook his hands in front of him. "I really like spending time with you but I'm kinda curious how you, you know, manage to pick me up every single day from my uni."

A flash of curiosity glistened in his warm eyes. "Aren't you busy like Maki and Panda? I wouldn't get mad if you miss a few days, you know? I'm sure your own work is pretty important considering-" goosebumps ran along his arms. "- you have to fight those things."

Disgust was plastered all over his face.

Toge couldn't help but soundlessly laugh before shaking his head.

"Mentaiko."

"... holy shit, just how strong are you? You always finish your missions before picking me up?!" Disbelief overwhelmed the poor university student as he reevaluated the sorcerer's strength. "But, like, you're not forcing yourself to take missions near and around Tokyo just to pick me up, right? What if your teacher sends you farther?"

"Tarako."

"You exchange tasks with your classmates?"

Upon hearing Toge's explanation, warmth spread across Shunsuke's chest. Glee bubbled at the pit of his stomach, touched by Toge's efforts.

After all, there had been no one else but Inumaki Toge who worked that hard just to see him.

A hint of shyness painted Shunsuke's features in an instant.

And seeing the embarrassed face he was making, Toge stiffened; staring at the linguaphile's expression in a daze.

... Ito-san's shy... The sorcerer quickly lowered his face into his collar, hiding the fact that his cheeks had turned out red.

Bit by bit, the atmosphere between them turned ambiguous up until they reached the store.

It was only when Shunsuke's boss greeted them that things turned back to normal.

.

.

Later that night, Inumaki Toge couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see a shy Shunsuke looking down at him. And each time he sees that image, the sorcerer's cheeks would heat up and Toge would hide beneath his comforter.

A shy Ito-san...

... is very cute.