“Hey…” Nakazono greeted me after he left to eat lunch at the cafeteria. I just also finished eating lunch together with the girls, and I mean, with the three girls.

“Yo.” I greet. Sitting on his chair in front of me, Nakazono turns sideways, facing me. He sighs languidly and looks at me. “Sorry for not eating lunch with you, dude.” he utter.

“It’s okay.” I answered.

“I was in rush to school that I forgot my lunch at home.”

So that’s the reason why. I also have that kind of days before, too. So I understand. Nakazono then became quiet again, then lifts his head up to look at the ceiling.

“Say, Kira…”

“Huh?”

“How can you tell if you’re in love?”

A sudden drop of question. A question that even me doesn’t even have an understanding about it. “Huh?”

Facing me once more, Nakazono shows a serious expression on his face.

“What… what are you talking about?” I asked, puzzled from what he asked. So, this guy, a side character (?) like me found someone, huh? Well, as the author implies the story, there are several revamps happening in the imagination of the reader.

Not all times, it only focuses on the main characters; it also implies the importance of the side characters, or may be; a wild guess of the reader on their imagination.

In my case, a reader and author of this book, I never thought this would happen.

“Such pretty girl…” Nakazono mumbled. His eyes then stared somewhere off, like he’s in a dream. I honestly don’t care much about the development of the side characters’ stories at all. My goal is to make this story meet the true ending between Kagome and Kei.

“Who?” I asked. I pretend to care…. just to humor him. He then sneers at me and grins. Picking his phone off his pocket, he fiddles for a moment and shows the screen to me.

An image of a pretty girl wearing thick frame glasses, with a nice figure for a young woman. Her hair tied up in a ponytail style; silky and black. On her hand is a tray holding the food she bought.

“Hey, Nakazono….” I called.

“What? And don’t call me that. We’re friends, right?” his brows fuzzed.

“Huh? Since when?” I asked again. I don’t remember having a friend like him. We just ate lunch together for the first time before.

Nakazono agape his mouth after hearing my retort. “Dude… how could you?”

“What? What’s the matter?”

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His eyes welled with tears. What now…? Why suddenly becoming dramatic. “We’re friends, right?”

“Uh…. I don’t know.” I replied nonchalantly.

“No! From now on… We’re friends. I call you Kira. You call me Haruki!”

He suddenly got adamant about it. We’re just exchanging greetings, dude. Why considering yourself my friend? I don’t really care about not having a friend, because I am a non-existent character on this story.

“Uh…. it’s bothersome.” I tepidly replied.

Nakazono—no, Haruki grimaced his face. His looks turn awful. So awful I chuckled out. “All right, all right! Haruki. Happy?”

“Ah! Yes… you’re my comrade now from now, okay?”

“Yeah, whatever…” I utter. “So, you capture her a stolen shot?” backing to the conversation we had awhile ago, I asked him.

Haruki, still holding his phone, nods at me.

Dude, what you did is a crime. Capturing someone’s photo or video without their consent is a major crime. But I don’t know the law of this world so… I’ll just keep quiet about it.

“She’s pretty, right?” he giddily asked while giggling.

“Yeah, so-so…” I answered. I honestly don’t care much about the girl’s looks. When she’s good to pair with another girl, things gets more interesting. “You sound like you’re not interested.”

“No, not at all.” I answered nonchalantly again. Fuzzing his eyebrows, he glances at me scrutinizing my answer. “Tell me, are you… perhaps, gay?”

“Huh?!” I snarled out. He chuckles from my sudden burst. How dare he asked me if I’m gay. And this is the second time someone thought me if I’m gay.

“No offense, dude.” still chuckling, Haruki retorted. “No, I’m not. It’s just… I don’t know to myself. I don’t feel any attraction to anyone.”

It’s true. In my past life, I started going out with someone. We just clicked the time we met. But years passed, we started to drift apart…. No, it was me who drifted apart from her.

It’s just the beginning of the relationship that made me feel special. For some reason, as time passes between me and her… I started not to understand why I am dating her.

“Really?” Haruki asked. I nod to his question. “I don’t feel like dating someone. I feel empty… and seems no one can fulfill it.”

That’s right; since I felt that way, I confront my ex-girlfriend before and told her I don’t love her anymore. Just one day, I realize that love isn’t something to understand anymore.

I still feel the tingling sensation when I read romance novels, portraying myself to be the main character of the story. That way, I sense the feeling of the author from the book they wrote.

“Hmm… that might be, you haven’t found someone you truly want to be with?” Haruto conveyed. I nod faintly to his answer. It's still ambiguous to me. “But for me, I feel like I found the person who can complete my life.”

He shows a sincere smile while glancing at his phone. I understand the meaning of love because of many varieties given by the perspective of anyone. But the concept where I can say I’m in love… feels like finding a needle in the haystack.

“But here’s the thing…” Haruki then became serious.

“What?” I asked.

He leaned forward to me, reaching my ear. “I believe Senior Sakagami likes you.”

That phrase made me twitch and gives a chill throughout my body. “Huh!?” I grunt out as he grins.

“Don’t you believe?” he asked. Holding my ear, I shake my head sideways. “How can you say that?” I asked.

“Just because.” Haruki languidly answered. Seriously, he’s the one asking about how to know if they fall in love, then telling me this?

“How come you say that? You don’t even know if you’re in love or not at all.”

His lips show a sincere smile and deliberate the words I never expect. “It’s her eyes. Her eyes tells that she’s really and madly in love with you, dude.”

That they say… the eyes of people never tell a lie. Even if words actions say so, it won’t imply the lie they want to conceal. But how would that happened? I am here to make them get closer together.

“I was asked about you. Well, you and Shirasawa went somewhere that day, right? I saw how she got disappointed and feel sad about you hooking up with a girl.”

But why? Of all the people… why me?

There’s no way, right…? There’s no way she will in love with me. This isn’t the thing I want to happen. Yet… what’s this flickered feeling arise inside me. I don’t understand. My face feels hot.

And recalling what she said to me last time…. made my heart thumps fast.

“Hey, are you okay…?” Haruki asked.

“Huh?” I mumbled. Haruki chuckled and sways his head sideways. “No, nothing…. you’re just funny.”

I never knew to myself. The way how she looks at me, and the way everything turns the moment I met her. I still don’t understand, but I just know right now… I can’t helped but to smile.