Unconditionally Yours.

Part 28

"Have you two kissed yet?"

Completely caught off guard by the question, Y/N choked on her spit. "W-What?!"
"Come on, sweetie. I'm your mom, I can easily tell whenever you are lying or not."
"I-Im not lying! Really!"
Himari glanced at Y/N through the mirror with a knowing look on her face.
Letting out a sigh of defeat, she looked away. "...Was it that obvious?"
"To me, it was. But he certainly looks like a nice guy, so I have no complains."
"..."

'I never told her about my nose bleeding during the soccer match.. Should I tell her?'

Himari chuckled to herself. "Anyway, I was surprised to hear him saying that he will go home on his own."
"Oh, yeah. Me too. He's probably going to the arcade."
"Ah now that you said it, there is an arcade nearby the airport."
"Yup."

MEANWHILE WITH NAGI....

Nagi's fingers danced across the buttons of the fighting game, his concentration laser-focused on the screen. He was deep in the zone, the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he dodged attacks and landed combos. But then, a single, fleeting image flashed through his mind, unraveling his focus like a frayed thread.

It was Y/N, her eyes sparkling with laughter as she was talking to Shizuko. He could almost hear her voice, soft and melodic, making his heart flutter. Thoughts like a rogue wave crashed over him, bringing with them a tsunami of emotions. She had a smile that could brighten the dullest day, and a laugh that echoed in his mind long after she was gone.

The warmth that bloomed within him was strangely familiar, reminding him of Y/N's mother – the same kindness, the same gentle spirit.

'Hmm.. Y/N's mom has the same smile as Y/N. They're both very kind too. It's cute.'

Lost in his thoughts, Nagi barely registered the game's final countdown. His reflexes, dulled by his daydream, failed him, leaving him defeated and staring blankly at the "Game Over" screen. His mind was still swirling with fragmented images of Y/N, her smile, her laughter, and the comforting warmth that emanated from her.

He sighed, realizing that he'd lost track of the game completely. "Meh, the game is pretty boring anyway."
Stretching his limbs out, he yawned. 'I should probably head home. I wanna sleep so bad.'

Just as he was about to stand up, his phone buzzed with a message.
'Hm? Oh, it's Reo.'

reo

Let's meet up at our usual cafe.
We need to talk.

im too tired to go, can we not?

Nuh uh! It's urgent. Carry your lazy ass to the cafe.

Nagi sighed. He was too tired for this, but the insistent tone in the message, and the fact that Reo rarely called for meetings, made him reluctantly agree. The cafe was just a short walk away, and as Nagi pushed open the door, his eyes immediately found Reo sitting in a corner booth as he was sipping on his drink, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

He took a seat across from Reo, feeling the weight of his exhaustion even more. Reo leaned forward, his chin resting on his interlaced hands, and a smirk curled his lips. "So," he began, his voice low and teasing, "did you and Y/N finally get together after last night’s sleepover?” The words hung in the air, a playful challenge, and Nagi’s heart skipped a beat.

"Oh right, I forgot that you knew about sleepover. But.. yeah we did."
Reo slammed his hands down to the table. "Hah! Alright! Congrats dude!"
"Thanks." Nagi replied, reaching for the lemon tea and took a sip.

"Did you two kissed?"

Nagi almost choked on his tea before he composed himself. "...Yeah. I hope Y/N won't kill me if she finds out that I told you this."
"How sweet of you to be considerate of her feelings. She really affected you huh?"
"..You think?"
Reo scoffed. "Of course! It's obvious! But anyway, brushing that aside," he put down his drink on the table and leaned his head against his palm, "after we go back to school tommorow, will you still be going to those tutoring lessons?"
"I dunno. But I think Y/N told me that it's not necessary for me to go there anymore."
"Really?! But now that I think about it, school year is almost ending anyway. So her reason is understandable."
"Yeah, that's exactly how she said."
Reo's face lit up. "Awesome! Now we will get to play soccer more often!"
"Ugh... Seriously? I don't want to.."

The morning sun streamed through the classroom windows as Y/N settled into her usual seat. Her gaze instinctively darted towards Nagi's empty chair, a slight frown creasing her brow.
Before she could dwell on it, a voice sliced through her thoughts, "Good morning, Y/N!" Reo's face materialized inches from hers, a smug grin plastered across his features.

The sudden proximity sent a jolt through Y/N, her heart leaping into her throat before she managed a shaky laugh. "Reo! Don't do that, you scared me," she exclaimed, pressing a hand to her chest. Unfazed, Reo chuckled, sliding into the seat infront of her.

As they chatted, the conversation inevitably steered towards Nagi's absence. With a knowing glint in his eye, Reo leaned forward, "By the way, I'm glad that you and Nagi are together! I'm thrilled for you both." A blush warmed Y/N's cheeks as she shyly nodded, the memory of their first kiss replaying in her mind. Reo chuckled at the sight of her flustered expression.

"I can't believe that little Y/N is dating my best friend! Ah, kids surely grow fast." Reo teasingly said, wiping a fake tear from the corner of his eye.
Y/N sighed. "Haha."

The history lecture droned on, the teacher's voice a monotonous hum in Y/N's ear. She tried to focus on the rise and fall of ancient empires, but her gaze kept drifting towards the empty seat beside her. "He's late again." Reo whispered, reading her mind. Y/N sighed, a familiar pang of exasperation mixed with affection stirring in her chest. Where was Nagi anyway?

The bell finally rang, signaling freedom from the classroom and a much-needed caffeine fix. As their classmates streamed out, Y/N and Reo remained, "He'll be here," Reo assured, his usual carefree tone tinged with a hint of amusement as he out his hand on Y/N's shoulder. Y/N nodded, pulling out her phone to shoot Nagi yet another text.

They filled the time chatting about Reo's recent soccer triumph, Y/N's mind wandering back to the game. "Leon was amazing," she gushed, recalling their classmate's footwork on the field during Friday's match. "He almost scored the winning goal! He's like a cheetah with a football…" Suddenly, a voice, low and unexpectedly close, cut through their conversation. "Who is Leon?" Y/N and Reo both jumped, whipping their heads around to find Nagi leaning against the doorframe.

How much has he heard? Y/N panics as Nagi raises a hand in greeting.

He promptly marches over and snatches Reo's hand off her shoulder, patting off imaginary specks of dust and leans his head on her shoulder.
"Petty..." Reo mutters.
"You sure are late." She says.
"Mm, yeah. I overslept. But then I remembered that I need to go to school to see you," Nagi replies.
Y/N kicks Reo's leg just as he starts shooting her teasing glances. Reo winces, then lightly jabs her in the ribs with his elbow.
"Hey, don't hit her," Nagi says to Reo.
"Huh? But she kicked me first!"
Nagi shrugs. "That's okay."
"I don't like this favouritism." Reo
accuses.
"That's your problem," she tells Reo with smirk.
Nagi calls your name softly. "Are you free on the weekend?"
"Yeah I am, why?"
"My parents want you to come over for dinner."