Before going to morning club activities, Ayoshi meets up with Amao for his daily sweets. Today sweets were cupcakes. They were sitting at the dining table in the clubroom.
Amao opened up the container, showing off cute pink and white frosted cupcakes. "I made these at home. I had a sudden stroke of inspiration and just had to make them."
Ayoshi picked up one, sniffing a sweet aroma. "What flavor is it?"
"They're sakura-flavored, frosted with cherry blossom flavored cream and shiro-an, a white bean paste. I added a dollop of sakura jam and pistachios. I already tried one, they're delicious. Quickly try!"
"Mm," Ayoshi pulled off the cupcake wrapper and took a small bite. The combination of flavors melted in his mouth, his sleepy eyes widening.
Amao chuckled with a soft breath: "I'm assuming you enjoy it. I'm glad." He grabbed his teapot, poured some into a yunomi, and slid it across the table. "My parents recently got a raise! They bought me this tea set as a surprise, along with some sencha tea leaves. I made some before you came over. I thought the fresh flavor would go well with the sweet taste of the cupcakes. Drink, it'll help wash it down."
Ayoshi peered into the teacup at the green-yellowish liquid and took a small sip. The swirl of herbal and sweet taste created a new world in his mouth. He snatched up another cupcake and took a big bite, along with another sip of tea.
'His little bulging cheeks are always so cute.' Amao laid his head against the palm of his hand, staring at Ayoshi as he ate.
There was a sudden knock at the door. "Excuse me?"
The peaceful, quiet atmosphere shattered. Amao looked to see Mrs. Nishioka's apprentice, brows furrowed. 'That letter…' He stood up, "Can I help you?"
Mido walked in and sat next to Ayoshi. "No, I'm just looking for Ayoshi-kun. What are you doing here?"
"I'm eating cupcakes. Amao-kun made them. They are really good." Ayoshi looked at his remaining cupcake and handed it to Mido. "Eat."
"Haha, always so sweet. Thank you," Mido ruffled Ayoshi's hair.
Amao stood there awkwardly, watching as they ignored him. He pursed his lips, 'What is their relationship? Why is this guy seeking out Ayoshi? That letter…'
***
Kizano stood in front of his full-length mirror in the Drama Club. He brushed his hair as he hummed a tune. 'Have to look nice for my prince.' After finishing up his hair, he put on strawberry-scented lip gloss and walked off with a hair flip.
It's lunch, so teachers, along with students, are enjoying their free time. So it wasn't shocking to see someone in the faculty room, however… 'Ayoshi? What is he doing there? Who's tha– Mrs. Nishioka's apprentice!'
Mido sat at Mrs. Nishioka's desk, swirling side to side in her chair. "What time do you want to meet at the park?"
Kizano's eyes widened: 'What possible reason could he have to hang out with a student? Could the last part of that note be true?'
Ayoshi sat in a chair next to Mrs. Nishioka's desk. "We can meet at two. I can bring sandwiches. Do you still like kiwi?"
"Yes, I've really missed your fruit sandwiches." Mido tilted his head with a nostalgic sigh.
Kizano let out a huff, 'I won't allow this!' He stomped forward, a bang echoing inside the room. "My prince, what are you doing here? I've been looking all over for you. I'm hungry, let's go eat!"
Ayoshi turned his head to see Kizano strutting towards him. "Hello, Kizano-kun."
"I bought some delicious chocolates from this beautiful chocolate shop. I just knew you would love them!" Kizano pulled Ayoshi up from his seat, wrapping himself around Ayoshi's arm. Then he looked at Mido with a lifted chin. "Oh… sorry, can I take him off your hands… sir?"
Mido stood up, smile fading. "Ayoshi, we will speak later in class. You two may go."
Kizano dragged Ayoshi out of the room. 'I can't let this guy anywhere near Ayoshi!'
***
Mrs. Nishioka smiled at her class. "Class, it's only been a month, but I'm already proud of your progress. You guys have really improved."
One girl raised her hand and exclaimed, "Does that mean we get a reward from Rana-san?"
"Ohh! I hope so!"
The boys huffed, rolling their eyes. "Of course you do."
Mido tilted his head, smirking. "Oh… you guys wish for a reward?"
They straightened their backs, vigorously nodding: "Yes!"
With clasped hands behind his back, Mido squinted his eyes. "How about…" They leaned forward, eyes widening with each passing second. He let out a chuckle: "How about… no!"
The boys burst out laughing as the girls glared at them with red faces. "Shut up!"
"That was hilarious! I can't believe you guys actually thought he would give you a reward."
Mido clapped his hands, face serious. "Quiet down. I'm sorry for teasing girls, but from the looks of it, you all want your own individual rewards. That wouldn't be appropriate. What would I even give you?"
After calming down, the girls looked a little ashamed at being exposed. "We're sorry."
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. "Ok, off you go!" Mrs. Nishioka said.
Everyone started gathering their things, leaving the classroom. A few saying their goodbyes to Mido and Mrs. Nishioka. The only two left were Ayoshi and Megamo.
Megamo handed Ayoshi his bag. "Are you ready to go?"
"Actually, Ayoshi, I need you to stay back a few minutes." Mido walked up to Ayoshi, patting him on the shoulder.
"He can't. We have somewhere to be." Megamo grabbed Ayoshi's wrist and started walking away.
Mido grabbed Ayoshi's other wrist. "I'll make sure he isn't late. Don't worry about it."
Megamo frowned, jaw tense. "How can I not? You can't be trusted to be alone with him. Especially when your motives are unknown."
"My motives and our relationship are none of your business." Mido pulled Ayoshi towards himself, breaking Megamo's hold on Ayoshi.
"Ayoshi?" Megamo clenched his hand, Ayoshi's warmth still lingering.
Ayoshi moved away from Mido, giving Megamo a small nod. "It is ok, Megamo-kun. I will meet with you soon."
Megamo sighed, "Ok, I'll be waiting for you." He lifted his head, giving Mido an icy stare, and walked out in large strides.
Once the two were alone, Mido crossed his arms with a smile. "Now we can continue our conversation from earlier…"
Megamo leaned against the wall outside the dance room. 'That note, no matter how foolish it was, may have some merit. I don't want to invade more of Ayoshi's privacy, but I need to look into their past.'
***
"Good job Kunin-kun! Your reflexes have really improved!" Budo clapped his hands as he circled the mat.
Kunin ran over, panting, "Thanks! I was actually wondering if I could go against someone with a higher skill level? No offense Ren-kun!"
Ren looked over confused, munching on a senbei. "None taken?"
"Sure, I think it's time to test your progress." Budo looked over to his side. "Ayoshi, can you come over?"
Ayoshi put down his water bottle and walked over. "Yes?"
"Would you be willing to spar with Kunin-kun?"
"I would really appreciate it, Aishi-kun!"
"I do not mind," Ayoshi nodded his head.
"Great! Both of you prepare and we will begin in a few minutes."
Kunin nodded and walked back over to Ren. "Bro, give me one."
"What, no! These are mine."
"I need the energy. I'm about to go up against Aishi-kun."
Ayoshi watched as Kunin and Ren bickered and fooled around. 'It has been so long and I–'
"Ayoshi-Kun, I… was hoping we could maybe hang out after school. I would love to take you to my dojo." Budo rubbed the back of his neck.
"That would be nice. I have never been to a dojo before." Ayoshi tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.
Budo stepped closer to Ayoshi, their bodies almost touching. He looked down at Ayoshi as his beautiful dark eyes fluttered up at him. "I want you to meet… my parents."
"I–"
"Ayoshi," a voice called out.
Budo jumped back at the sudden interpretation. Ayoshi backed away from him and walked towards the door to see… 'That man! How dare he show his face here?' He rushed over to intercept the two.
Ayoshi looked at Mido and gave him a few slow blinks. "What are you doing here?"
Mido shook a metal water bottle in front of him. "I'm here to keep you hydrated."
Budo crossed his arms, muscles building in his club uniform. "Ayoshi already has a water bottle. I always make sure my club members are properly hydrated. Health and safety are important to me."
"Ohh… I guess you won't need this, Ayoshi. I'll take it back." Mido frowned, eyes drooping.
"The other water bottle is just a regular plastic one, a reusable one would be useful. Thank you." Ayoshi took the water bottle from Mido, their hands grazing each other.
Budo lowered his head, eyes cast to the side. 'He lied… just to make him feel better. That letter…'
***
"Shouldn't we call him before we just show up at his house?" Taro frowned, trying to keep up with Osano.
Osano huffed, "It'll be fine. It was your idea to go over anyways."
Taro and Osano were walking through the park on their way to see him. They continued to talk back and forth when they heard a twig snap.
"I brought the fruit sandwiches with kiwi."
"Great and I brought your favorite. Strawberry milk! It's this new brand in the store. I thought you would want to try it."
Taro looked around confused. "That's Ayoshi's voice and some other… guy's voice."
Osano crossed his arms, "I don't see him. Where is he?"
They continued walking down the stone path, following the voices to a large patch of grass. The face of the mystery voice finally appeared. "Mrs. Nishioka's apprentice!" They quickly hushed each other, straining their ears to listen in on the conversation.
"I bought this picnic blanket so we wouldn't have to sit directly on the grass." Mido placed a soft pink blanket on the ground. He grabbed Ayoshi's hand and led him to sit.
Ayoshi placed the picnic basket between them and took out everything. There were multiple containers of food and sweets. "I made extra, so you can take some home later."
Mido chuckled, "I can make myself meals. I'm not that bad of a cook, you know!"
"I was sick for a week and could not get out of bed." Ayoshi looked into Mido's eyes and shook his head.
Taro bit his lip, turning it bright red from the pressure. "They look really close… It sounds like they've known each other a while."
"This isn't right! A flirt like him shouldn't be anywhere near Ayoshi," Osano almost screamed, but managed to keep it in.
"How long do you think they'll stay here?"
"I don't know, maybe they'll leave once they're done eating."
They continued to watch Ayoshi and Mido have a wonderful time eating and talking. However, the two didn't leave once they were done eating like they assumed.
Mido put everything back into the picnic basket and put it to the side. He laid down and patted the spot next to him. "Come on, like old times."
Ayoshi laid next to him, their arms touching. "When you left, I never came back to this spot. It has been a long time."
"Ayoshi, please look at me…"
"Mm?" The two looked at each other, faces centimeters apart. It almost looked like they were kissing.
"What the fuck!" Osoro aggressively chewed gum, the gum packet crushed in his hand.
Taro and Osano flinched, heads turning to the side, and made eye contact with Osoro. They froze, unsure of what to do.
Osoro stomped over to them, "Hey! Who the fuck is that with Ayoshi?"
Taro took a breath, "He's the new dance teacher's apprentice at the school."
"New teacher?" Osoro raised his brow.
"I'm assuming because you're never at school, you don't know that we finally got a dance teacher. She brought him with her. A few weeks after he arrived, Taro and I got this note in our lockers." Osano shoved his phone towards Osoro.
[You may think Aishi Ayoshi is your friend, but he's just manipulating you. Don't be fooled by his cute, oblivious act. He may make you feel like you're special, but to him, you're just someone to fool around with. He knows how you feel and uses you for entertainment. Just look at how he acts with Mrs. Nishioka's apprentice. He'll leave you for him. Watch!]
Osoro looked at the photo, veins in his forehead bulging. 'This note is obviously bullshit, don't believe it.' He looked at Ayoshi again and looked at his… peaceful face. 'I need a smoke so fucking bad, but this is for him.'
Taro looked at the ground, back slouched. "Should we… talk to him? That guy is clearly trouble."
Osano took back his phone and started walking over. "Obviously we should! In fact, let's do it right now!"
Osoro grabbed Osano's arm. "No, we have to wait for the right moment."
Osano huffed, "Fine."
***
After what happened at the park, Osano, Taro, and Osoro came up with a plan. They contacted all the people who they knew were close to Ayoshi and could have possibly gotten the note. It was agreed upon that they would all meet in the back of the school by the track when the weekend was over. There were… a lot of them. Ten of them, to be exact.
"I'm still confused. I looked in my locker this morning and didn't find any note." Aso yawned and scratched the back of his head.
Megamo looked the tanned boy up and down. "Could that piece of paper stuck to the bottom of your foot be it?"
Aso looked at the bottom of his foot and peeled off a paper, quickly reading. "It is! How did you know it was there?"
"I'm not an idiot," Megamo sighed and shook his head.
Aso nodded his head, then paused. "Hey!"
Oko raised his hand, "I actually didn't know about the note either."
Osano crossed his arms, "What is your excuse?"
"I don't ever open my locker… for reasons and just change my shoes in my clubroom." Oko's neck shrunk like he was trying to hide.
Kizano raised a brow, "Why?"
Megamo interrupted, "The reason is not important. Right now, we need to discuss how we will handle Ayoshi and Rana Mido."
"I'm worried about what he could do to Ayoshi," Amao fiddled with his hands.
Budo cracked his knuckles, "If he dares to hurt Ayoshi…"
Osoro unwrapped a piece of gum, throwing it into his mouth. "My exact thoughts."
"What about before when you told us to wait for the right moment?" Taro asked.
"I just didn't want to scare Ayoshi by beating up that piece of shit in front of him." Osoro stuck his hands in his pockets, lifting his head.
Oko shivered, 'He's scary, but… I have to be tough, for Ayoshi.'
"We will do no such thing. Beating him up will do nothing and it might make Ayoshi mad at us," Mujo said.
"We have to talk to him alone and show him that man is dangerous." Megamo looked to the side, 'I know they have an innocent past, but… now who knows what his intentions are.'
Budo sighed and lowered his hands. "I'm willing to do whatever is best for Ayoshi."
"Ayoshi does the same thing in the exact same order every morning, so it won't be difficult to find him." Taro looked at his watch, "He should be in the restroom right now."
Amao frowned, "How do you know his routine so well?"
Aso leaned towards Taro, his blue eyes dark. "Are you some pervert?"
Everyone had never heard such a loud silence. Jaws fell with fast, shocking eye blinks. No one knew what to say.
"Wha-what?! Of course not!" Taro waved his hands around frantically, face turning red.
"It's just weird how you know his routine so well that you even know when he goes to the bathroom." Aso tilted his head, smile gone.
Osoro stuck his hands into his pockets. "Maybe he isn't so stupid."
"I-I… I noticed because he would always tell Osano and I, he was going and it would always be at the same time."
"Enough! I do not have time for such foolishness. I will go now to find him and if you wish to stay here and bicker, so be it." Megamo clasped his hands behind his back and started to walk off. The others rushed to follow him.
Students watched in confusion as a big group of boys with ranging looks and styles walked through the halls. It was quite a sight to see.
Taro looked at his watch again, "He should be at the vending machine getting his morning strawberry milk."
"Ok, I'm sorry Taro, but I kinda agree with buzz-cut. This is pretty creepy." Osano couldn't even look at Taro.
"I'm just observant, ok," Taro yelled, deflating like a balloon. Even if it was creepy, it was very helpful. Ayoshi was exactly where he said he would be, sipping on his strawberry milk.
Ayoshi noticed them right away. 'I have never seen them all together before. It is… nice.' He walked up to them. "Is this why I have not seen any of you guys around all morning? You were with each other."
Megamo, the self-appointed leader of the group, spoke up for everyone: "Ayoshi, we have something serious to speak to you about. Let's go somewhere more private."
They all ended up in the Student Council Room and Ayoshi sat down while the rest stood. He scanned all their frown-filled faces. "What is wrong?"
They placed multiple of the exact same paper in front of Ayoshi. "Ayoshi, we don't believe what these notes are saying about you, but we're worried about your relationship with Rana," Megamo said.
"What do you mean?"
"Your… relationship seems very… intimate and we're worried. We've seen and overheard some concerning things between the two of you," Taro said.
Ayoshi looked at the notes for a few seconds before looking back up at them. "It seems you have misunderstood our relationship."
Budo walked over to Ayoshi and kneeled beside him, taking his hand. "Ayoshi, you don't have to protect that guy."
Oko sat in the seat next to him, taking his other hand. "It's concerning how… he's preyed on you so quickly. You've barely known each other, but you've already grown so close."
Ayoshi gently took his hands from their hold and reached for his bag. He took out a small photo and placed it on the table, shocking everyone. It was an old photo of a young Ayoshi standing next to Mido. "I met Rana Mido when I was twelve. When I was younger, I never had any friends, but my mother still wanted me to go out. So I would go to the park and lay on the ground to watch the clouds slowly go by. One day, Mido came along. He laid down and watched the clouds with me. It was like that every day for weeks. He was… my first-ever friend. It was one of the most wonderful periods of time in my life. He filled the loneliness I never realized I… felt. However, one day he did not show up. I waited… and I waited… and I waited, but he never came back. I never heard a word from him. I was alone again. Until he showed up here."
"What happened to him?"
"That is not my place to discuss, but he explained what happened and we made up. For the past few weeks, we've been spending more time together to make up for lost time. I understand your concerns and I am very thankful for you, but Mido would never harm me. I never realized you all cared for me so much."
Everyone felt ashamed and stupid. "Ayoshi, we're sorry. Obviously, this note was nonsense, but we still somehow partially fell for it. We should have asked you before making our own assumptions," Amao said.
Ayoshi tucked a strand behind his ear and placed the photo back into his bag. "Mido is a good guy and I want you to get along."
"We'll do our best. All we want is your happiness," Mujo said.
Kizano placed his hand on his hip. "Ok, so everything has been figured out, but… who sent these notes?"
Megamo sighed, "I immediately started investigating when I received the note, but I'm still looking into it. Ayoshi, I won't let this person get away with it. They will face the consequences."