And it isn't just the eyes. It's the faint sweetness of her perfume, the glisten of sweat along her collarbone, the heat rolling off her skin.
This is the very girl he's been dodging all this time. But now his thoughts scatter, stripped away. Only his instinct left, raw, unguarded, and undeniably male.
They freeze in place. Two figures locked in silence, standing just close enough for everyone else in the gym to notice.
And gyms, as it turns out, are not great places for awkwardness, because awkwardness in a gym doesn't just exist, but echoes.
Across the mats, Ryohei nudges his partner. "Hey, Okabe… look at that." His voice is restrained, but the disbelief in it is not.
Okabe frowns, face wrinkling like a paper bag. "That kid…"
He doesn't even finish, because really, what words can capture this?
But fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, someone else breaks the deadlock.
"Hey, you guys!"
It's Aki. She's just arrived, alone, cheerful as ever.
