They met up the following Saturday—this time without hesitation.
Ren didn't ask if it was a date.
Kaito didn't pretend it wasn't.
They went to a small arcade tucked into the side of a shopping plaza, the kind that had creaky floors and prize machines that probably hadn't been restocked since last summer. Ren was shockingly good at claw games. Kaito was hopeless at them but fierce in rhythm games. They teased, laughed, leaned too close.
And no one around them cared.
It was the kind of day that didn't need perfect weather or perfect plans. Just the right person beside you.
They ended up in a quiet park afterward, vending machine drinks in hand, sitting on a bench while the sun dipped behind apartment buildings.
Kaito glanced sideways. "This is… good."
Ren sipped his drink. "You sound surprised."
"I guess I didn't think something like this would feel so normal. Like, I'm not second-guessing everything."
Ren's smile was soft. "Maybe that's what love's supposed to feel like."
Kaito choked on his drink. "Wha—"
Ren laughed. "Relax. I said maybe. But I meant it."
The silence that followed wasn't awkward.
It was heavy in the best way.
Monday at school was different.
Not because Kaito and Ren were broadcasting anything. They didn't hold hands in the halls or kiss by the shoe lockers. But they walked in together. Sat closer at lunch. Shared a milk carton without comment.
People noticed—but didn't stare.
Haruka gave Kaito a quiet nod when he passed her desk. Nakamura offered them both a piece of gum. Even Shun from cram school cracked a joke about "power couples" during a break.
The whispers had faded.
And in their place: glances that carried curiosity, not cruelty. Familiarity, not fear.
During a lull in class, Ren passed Kaito a folded note.
You're still my favorite song. Even louder now.
Kaito didn't write back.
He just turned, met Ren's eyes, and mouthed, Me too.
Later that afternoon, as they walked home, Ren bumped their shoulders together. "So… third date?"
Kaito grinned. "Where?"
"I'll surprise you."
Kaito's fingers brushed Ren's briefly. No one was around.
So this time, he didn't pull away.