Guys Don't Like Me

Side Story 1: The Festival

Kazu looked down at the paper in his hands as he leaned against the door frame of his house. Then he looked up at Ryuu, handing the paper back.
"No."
Without another word, he shut the door.
"Wait! Kazu! Please, just- just hear me out!" Ryuu called out, knocking loudly, and a few seconds later, Kazu opened the door again, looking pissed.
"I can't sleep if you make that much noise..."
"Then I'll keep knocking until you agree to go with me!" Ryuu said, quickly latching on to anything that would force Kazu to leave his house and accompany Ryuu somewhere. Yes, his desperation had reached this point.
Kazu stared down at the bright-colored paper once more. "Does a fireworks festival really mean that much to you?"
Ryuu hesitated, avoiding eye contact with Kazu. "Well...I think it's something...that girls like to go to."
He looked up to find Kazu staring at him.
Kazu.
A guy.
Not a girl.
Kazu, as though to reinforce this (temporary) fact, pointed to himself, and Ryuu rolled his eyes.
"Well, look. I was thinking that you could go as a girl...and I could...you know...go with you, like I could walk next to you and talk to you and...uh...yeah."
"So..."
Like a date, Ryuu was thinking, expecting the words to fall out of Kazu's mouth, a slight blush staining his cheeks, but as usual, Kazu failed to meet expectations.
"Like a chauffeur."
"...Yeah," Ryuu finally agreed, sighing. "Like a chauffeur."
Kazu, not noticing Ryuu's disappointment, stared down at the sheet of paper. "And I'm supposed to go as a girl?"
Well, if I'm just being your chauffeur... "Just go however you're comfortable." Another thought suddenly popped into Ryuu's mind. "Do you want me to come pick you up that day?"
Kazu shrugged. "It looks like the festival is being held between my house and your apartment, so it makes more sense for me to just meet you up there."
Ryuu hesitated. "And you'll be awake, right?"
Kazu blinked. "Probably."
"...Please don't forget, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"..." Ryuu just sighed and turned away, calling out over his shoulder, "Saturday! 6:00! Be there!"
"Mmhm," Kazu murmured before closing the door and resuming his nap.
***
Saturday came in a fit of panic for Ryuu. He wanted to go over to Kazu's house on a thousand different occasions, making up excuses in his head, because although he trusted Kazu, he also trusted that sleeping was Kazu's nature.
And we've never really gone on a date before... He erased the thought from his mind, looking up at the clock for the thirtieth time in as many minutes.
5:30. I should go...I don't want to be late...but I don't want to be too early, either, and make Kazu uncomfortable...Should I wait five minutes? Or should I leave now? Wait? Or leave?
He decided to wait ten minutes.
In the end, he only lasted until 5:33 before the door was swinging shut behind him.
***
By 5:52, he had already been strolling around aimlessly for ten minutes. I should go find Kazu...
He began searching the area, desperately hoping that Kazu had remembered to show up. He had debated texting Kazu a reminder (or twenty), but he was pretty sure that texting Kazu would only annoy him. He was so caught up in worry that he nearly missed Kazu.
Or rather, Kazumi.
Ryuu could only blink. "You...came as a girl?" Albeit the fact that you're wearing a sweatshirt and jeans...but still, you came as a girl?!
Kazumi shrugged, looking down at herself before looking back up and meeting his eyes. "Yeah, I guess." She shrugged, tilting her head slightly. "It sounded like you wanted me to come as a girl."
"Well...not...particularly," Ryuu said, blushing and looking away. Yes! Of course I wanted you to come as a girl!
"I can change if you don't like it," Kazumi said, crossing her arms. "Ever since Valentine's Day,  the changes have reversed."
Kazumi was referencing the fact that a kiss now changed her gender, rather than sealed it. Neither of them were sure how long it would go on, but it had certainly made things...interesting, in the meantime.
"N-no!" Ryuu stuttered. "Just...stay like you are."
Kazumi deadpanned, completely lost by Ryuu's mixed signals. "Sure. Fine. Whatever."
***
Ryuu and Kazumi decided to walk around for a bit. For normal people. that was a simple task. Walking beside people is something we do our entire lives. And yet...
Ryuu was a special shade of awkward, as always.
Do I hold her hand? Or do I not hold her hand? What would that say about our relationship? Does she want to say anything about our relationship? But what if she doesn't like it? Kazumi's the type who would bluntly tell me to let go of her hand...Can I face that level of rejection? But what if she likes it? Is that even possible?
Ryuu squeezed his eyes shut.
Okay, on the count of three, I'll just reach out and go for it. Holding hands - it's such a simple thing! It can't be that hard! I'm just overthinking this!
One...
Two...
Three!
Ryuu reached out and grabbed the hand beside him, opening his eyes and turning (upon his perceived success) to find a guy a few years older than him standing next to him and giving him a strange look.
"I'M SORRY!" Ryuu immediately apologized, grabbing his hand back and looking around for Kazumi. I only closed my eyes for three seconds! Where could she have gone!
Blushing with embarrassment, he finally caught sight of her at a takoyaki stand and ran over, panting as he stood next to her.
"Are you okay?" Kazumi asked, putting her hand against his forehead to check for a temperature, although there was little to no sympathy in her eyes.
Her hand...is touching my forehead...Ryuu jumped a step back. "I'm fine!" he insisted. Physical contact must be avoided at all costs.
Yes, our Ryuu is a special shade of awkward.
***
As they resumed walking (not holding hands, for the record, because Ryuu was a nervous wreck), some women from one of the stands abducted Kazumi, dragging her into their stall.
"Hey! Wait!" Ryuu cried out, trying to follow, but a woman blocked his path.
"She'll be out in ten minutes," the woman promised. "You can wait here until then."
Nervous, Ryuu did as he was told.
Ten minutes later, the women from earlier came out of the stall, laughing slightly as they unveiled...
Kazumi?
That's Kazumi, right? Ryuu thought, his mind going blank.
It certainly was Kazumi - and yet...
"Congratulations! This stall has a special where we offer a free festival makeover to any couple that catches our eye! Enjoy the rest of your night!" the women said, giving Kazumi a slight push.
A y-yukata...and makeup...
Ryuu couldn't even look at Kazumi. Instead, he turned away, blushing, and held out a hand, forgetting his earlier lesson. "C-Come on..."
Kazumi just shrugged and took his hand, but the second their fingers touched, Ryuu pulled his hand away, unable to deal with the pressure.
Yes, Ryuu is ~ you get the point.
***
The two of them were walking around once more, Ryuu awkwardly maintaining a distance of two feet between them so no physical contact occurred, when the unthinkable happened. A stranger bumped into Kazumi, throwing her off balance and falling towards Ryuu, who turned at just the right moment for their lips to touch.
Oh, no! Wait a second! Ryuu thought, hoping that he was wrong, but when he looked over at Kazumi, she was no longer Kazumi, but Kazu.
Kazu...in a yukata...A guy...in a yukata...He's going to kill me!
Kazu merely looked down at the yukata then looked back up at Ryuu. "I still look good like this," he said flatly.
And that's the sad part - YES, YOU STILL DO! Ryuu bemoaned in his head.
"You could always just kiss me again-"
"NO," Ryuu said, blushing and looking away. "T-that was an accident...and I don't think my heart can take another surprise like that..."
Kazu just shrugged. "Whatever."
Ryuu hesitated. "Why aren't you...you know...mad?"
Kazu tilted his head. "Because I'm still the most attractive person here."
Again...that's the sad part! Ryuu sighed. "Well, you're not wrong..."
***
As though to reconfirm this fact, a few guys later tried to hit on (and carry away) Kazu.
Surrounded by delinquents, Kazu just raised an eyebrow. "You know I'm a guy, right?"
"THEN WHY ARE YOU WEARING A YUKATA?!" they yelled in near-unison.
"Because I look good in it."
"Well...he's not wrong..."