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This was going to be the end of the world for Akito Shinonome.
Well, not really. It’s not like anything bad was happening. Admittedly, it was a dream to be here.
But the feeling of Kohane’s hand in his own made him feel like he would die at any moment.
It was Golden Week, meaning that school was closed. School being closed meant that the both of them had a lot more time on their hands… a lot more time to go on the dreaded outing people called “dates”. Even worse, it’s not like Kohane said it was a date at all, just an outing! It wasn’t like Akito hated the idea of going on a date, not at all! He hated to admit it to himself but he was nervous . Yeah, nervous. How did someone so confident-appearing and tough by objective standards melt at the sight of a girl?
The two had a heart-to-heart about how they felt about each other two weeks earlier. That day had started as a simple chance meeting at Scramble Crossing, only for it to end with the two idiotically blubbering out their feelings toward each other in the middle of the park. Both hadn’t proclaimed themselves to be dating quite yet, but it was clear they weren’t just friends anymore. Even thinking about how that awkward confession went down made Akito go as red as the tulips that grew in the school garden. Or as red as those roses he was thinking to get Kohane— enough! Just stop, you’re embarrassing yourself, you stupid idiot!
“Are you alright, Shinonome-kun? I know it’s hot outside, but it looks like you’re overheating at this point!”
Kohane’s chipper yet shy voice snapped Akito out of his thoughts, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because those thoughts caused him nothing but embarrassment… but also a curse because she was the reason he was having all these thoughts in the first place! Judging by the way her eyebrows furrowed and the way the small frown sat on her face, he must’ve really looked like a mess.
“Huh? It’s nothing. Also, quit calling me Shinonome-kun. You already know my name, no?” Akito responded back, sounding a little more aggressive than he intended to. Not even five minutes into their outing and he already messed up.
Luckily, it seemed that Kohane was already used to Akito’s blunt mannerisms.
“You’re right.” She chuckled, her cheeks going slightly pink as she raised her hand up to her mouth to stifle her laugh. “But Akito, are you sure it’s nothing?”
She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. For the sake of his own sanity and to keep himself from overheating to the point his blood would boil and he’d die of embarrassment, he pretended it never happened… even if felt really nice.
“Yep. Everything’s fine.” Akito responded, popping the ‘p’ at the end of his “yep”, trying to appear nonchalant.
Oh, who was he kidding, he couldn’t pretend any longer. He gave a little squeeze back. Damn this girl and what she does to him.
—
After a couple of minutes of the two walking in one-sided awkward silence from Akito’s side, they both arrived at their destination.
Kohane immediately gushed at the location of their outing, exclaiming “Oh look Akito, we’re here! Isn’t it just so pretty?”
The two had come to a flower field that wasn’t too far from Kamiyama High School. Considering that she didn’t even go to Kamiyama, Akito was left clueless as to how she knew about this place yet he only found out about it right now. In his defense, this was on the route opposite of what he took to go to practice every day.
But she was right. The flowers really were pretty.
“Yeah… it really is, hm?” Akito glanced over at the girl, an eyebrow slightly raised as he let a small smile slip. Maybe it was the way that she gushed over the flowers, her eyes sparkling exactly how all the romance novels describe, but there was just something about Kohane at that moment that eased Akito’s nerves.
He wouldn’t fuck this up. He’d be okay.
—
"Jeez, you're making me think that your life was at risk from the way you're begging to take photos."
Akito grumbled as walked into the flower field, being careful not to step on any of the blooming flowers. They were all sorts of colors: white, pink, orange, the entire rainbow. the sky was nice and clear today, so the color of the petals was even more vibrant.
He turned towards the camera she was holding, shoving his pockets into his hands as he gave a deadpan expression. Though his expression seemed to show otherwise, Akito secretly eyed the flowers and their beauty.
"Oh come on, Akito! Smile for me, please?" Kohane asked, a small smile on her face as she pointed the camera at him.
Akito took a good look at her. The way her eyes shone as she looked at him and the flowers around them, how her blonde hair had been tied back into her signature pigtails... Kohane really was a sight for sore eyes. It couldn’t be helped, he unconsciously gave a small smile, his cheeks turning the slightest of pinks.
"There you go." She cooed, and the sound of a camera shutter could be heard.
—
“This picture’s blurry.”
Akito stated bluntly, leaning over Kohane’s shoulder to take a better look at the pictures she had taken. The pictures on the camera’s screen were barely visible because of the sunlight reflecting off the glass, but it was obvious that some of the pictures weren't focused.
“Oh… you're right.” Kohane sighed, before pressing on the D-pad next to the screen, scrolling through the rest of the photos.
However, one photo caught her eye. Kohane let a small smile slip as she looked over it, the slight tinge of pink in her cheeks becoming evident.
“Oh Akito, look at this one!” She called out softly, prompting him to look down at the screen once again.
It was a picture of Akito taken just about 5 minutes ago, a candid photo for a change. On his face, a smile that not many people got to see. It wasn't the one he put up just to be polite or to charm others, it was the slightly crooked smile that he only let slip when he was so happy that he could care less about appearances. That was his smile.
Akito suddenly felt his face burn up. An would use this as blackmail if she were here.
“That picture… it's nice. Somehow it's nice for being such a spur-of-the-moment photo.”
“Just nice? I hope I’m not flattering myself when I say this, but I think it's cute. I love your smile in this.” Kohane beamed as she brought a finger to tap the camera screen, letting her finger hover over his smile in the photo.
Akito choked on his own words after hearing that. How can this girl just casually say such things? Does she even know what she does to him?
“It's—” Akito sighed, trying to get his nerves under control. “Nevermind.”
He let himself rest his head on her shoulder, half-tempted to wrap his arms around her from behind. Akito cringed at how ridiculous he was being around Kohane, but that was just the effect she had on him. He was hopeless.
To his response, Kohane laughed.
“What're you laughing at?” Akito questioned bluntly, raising an eyebrow as he gave her a side glance.
“Nothing, nothing! I promise it's nothing… nothing bad, okay?”
She brought a hand up to rest on the side of his head, giving it a little pat. After a little hesitation, she turned her head and gave him a hasty kiss on his temple, before turning back to look down at her camera.
That did it. Akito Shinonome had died, and it was all because of a girl.
He dropped his head further into Kohane’s shoulder, burying his face into her shoulder to hide just how red his face became. An would be having a field day if she was here to witness the scene.
Sure, Akito had died from just how much he burnt up. At least he died happy.