It was lunchtime, and Mirai ran to the infirmary room with her and Ryosuke’s lunch in her hands. She opened the door. “Maya-sensei! Is he still here?”

“She’s out.” It was Ryosuke, playing something on his phone as he laid in bed. “What you need?”

She showed him the lunch boxes. “I was gonna ask if she’d let us eat here.”

He sat up and smiled. “Us? Us as in you and me?” He liked this ‘us,’ not the ‘us’ he had heard this morning.

“Of course, us. Thought you’d eat it all by yourself?” She went to sit at his bedside.

“I thought you, Miss Piggy, would eat it all.”

She grimaced. “Your wish is my command. None for you.” She immediately moved away to sit on the other bed, opened the lunch boxes, and fanned the food toward his direction with the lid so that the scent would reach him. “More for me.”

He dropped his phone as he inhaled the air. “I’m sorry. I lied.”

“Lied about what?”

“That you are Miss Piggy.” He saw her smile and then added, “You’re actually Miss Cow.”

She frowned and got up to playfully hit him. “You’re really not gonna get any!”

He held onto her wrists and stopped her. “You’re as big as a bunny. Happy?”

They laughed at his comparison.

As he held onto her wrists, he slid his hands up to interlace with her fingers, brought their hands to his chest, and placed it there.

“You okay?” She bent down to place her forehead on his. She wanted to compare body temperatures. Unfortunately, her action caused his body heat to rise, and she mistook it as his fever. She moved away, gasping. “You’re hot! Your face is red too!” She pulled her hands away and pushed him onto the bed. “Go to sleep now. Lie down—hurry!” She tucked him in with the blanket and grabbed all the blankets she could find to put over him. “You’re a big kid, and you can’t take care of yourself?” She shook her head. “You’re like another baby, Natsu Junior.” She added a laugh. “You’re just not as cute as him though.”

“So, you don’t like me?” he asked, teasingly.

“Of course, I do.”

“How much?”

“A lot. I like you a lot.”

“More than Senpai?” It was a soft question as if he had been hesitant to ask it.

She stopped and avoided his eyes to think. Did she like Yuta more or Ryosuke more? One of them was a gentleman. The other? A huge doofus that caused problems for her.

He tapped her to get her attention. “Can you sing me that lullaby you sing for the brat?”

“You’ve heard it?”

He nodded. “Sing.”

“I-I don’t like my voice.”

“Me too, but only something so harmful to my ears can knock me to sleep.”

She playfully socked him in the stomach.

“Kill me with your voice, not with your hands,” he teased.

She massaged where she had hit him. “Fine, fine.” She sat at his bedside, placed a hand at his side, and hummed the lullaby.

He reached for her free hand to hold and then closed his eyes.

She smiled and wondered when he had had the chance to hear her because she made sure to keep it low every night. “Goodnight, Natsu Junior.”

*

After a long silence, Ryosuke carefully opened his eyes to check up on his friend. She was still sitting at his bedside but had fallen asleep to her own humming. Her head bogged up and down, so he laughed to himself and made room on the same bed for her to sleep beside him. He pulled the blankets over them, and as he fixed them, he heard her inhale while snuggling closer to his chest and had to cover his mouth from making a sound. He looked down and saw her short and sparse eyelashes. He could smell a faint vanilla scent from her. His tempted hand cupped her cheek, and she was as soft as the pillow below him. Maybe even softer. He looked around the room. They were still alone. He took this chance to plant a light peck on her forehead.

When he pulled away, he was aghast. He pressed a hand at his head, whispering, “She’s not a girl. She’s Mirai.”

*

Mirai and Ryosuke woke up to someone shaking them gently. They looked up and saw Maya-sensei.

“Kids, it’s a bit past four. You two should head home now.”

The friends came to their senses and realized they had slept all day in the infirmary. They got up and fixed themselves.

“Thanks for taking care of us,” said Mirai. “Ryosuke, stay here. I’ll go get our stuff.”

Maya-sensei stopped her. “Your friends had dropped them off after fifth period when they stopped by to check on you.” She glanced at Ryosuke. “Make sure you get extra rest this week.”

He wanted to laugh because they both knew he was nowhere near sick. “I will. And thanks for today.”

She smiled and nodded, and the friends bade her goodbye, walked out of the room, and made their way out of the school.

“Ryosuke,” said Mirai, “we’re gonna have to cancel tomorrow’s event. We’re not going.”

“Why?” he asked, taken aback.

“Because you’re sick. Coach will understand.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not. Maya-sensei just said to get a lot of rest.”

“If I’m still in pain tomorrow morning, then we’ll call it off. You’ll get to yell at me as much as you want.”

“We’re not going.”

They turned at a corner.

She continued, “If something were to happen to you, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He stopped walking, but she was still walking until she realized he had stopped.

She turned around and ran back to him. She took him by the hand and attempted to drag him. “Come on, Ryosuke. The sooner we get Natsu, the sooner we can get home and have you—”

“You mean it?”

“What?”

“You won’t know what to do without me.”

She stopped and looked away. She didn’t like this conversation.

“Why?” He wanted an answer. He was hopeful for an answer, but when he felt her hand squeeze his hand, he hated himself for being happy over something he should’ve realized that could be agonizing for her. “Sorry, Mirai. Let’s go—”

“You’re my family now,” she quickly said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t take care of you, and that’s why you’re like this.”

He was confused.

“If only I had paid more attention to you too, you wouldn’t be—”

He hugged her. He hated when girls cried. It was why he left them before he could see it happen. But Mirai was a different story. He wanted to be there when she cried so that he could be the hand to wipe away her tears, the shoulder for her to rest on, and the person she would be with. “Idiot,” he said, quietly. “It’s not like that. I’m okay, really.”

She looked up at him while in his embrace. “But you’re—”

“I have you, and that’s more than enough. I mean it. Look, if you keep crying, you’re gonna get uglier, and our son won’t recognize—” He received a blow to his stomach and wheezed. “What was that for?”

“Gosh, why did I worry about you?” She walked away and muttered under her breath, “You messed with me big time. Especially with my feelings. Stupid Ryosuke.”

He knew she had turned shy. “Hey, wait up!” He paced behind her. “If you run and bump into someone, they’re gonna freak out when they see you.”

She turned around and stuck out her tongue, and when he saw her turn, she was breathtaking. For the first time, something that seemed like it had been suppressed for a long time crept up in him.

It was a feeling of temptation.

*

It was late into the night, and Kota had arrived later than planned because of his delayed plane to pick up Natsu for the weekend so that the teens could help their coach with the move.

“Enjoy the sleepover,” said Kota, sitting opposite the friends.

“You said you got a place?” asked Ryosuke. “We got some relatives back there?”

“It’s with this family that has been helping me around. I figure I should settle into a local area and slowly gather news than waste money going from place to place. In return, I work for them.”

“You sure they nice people? They aren’t like those creeps we see in movies?”

Mirai nudged him.

“I’m serious,” said Ryosuke to her. “You never know. I mean, look at you. You look nice and all, but you’re so mean.”

They laughed.

“We get along just fine,” continued Kota. “It’s only a family of three. The grandparents and their grandson, and the grandson used to be in the city, so he understands some of the things I say.”

“That’s nice,” said Mirai.

“He actually used to live in this city. He moved in with his grandparents about a few years back, and he only got back to his hometown today with me. His grandparents want him to visit his hometown more often.”

“Wow, what a small world.”

“It sure is.” Kota stood up. “Since it’s already this late, I’ll take him now.”

Mirai put Natsu into the car seat, and the teens watched Kota drive away with him.

*

“Sorry for the long wait,” said Kota to the passenger beside him. “Have you told your friends you’re here? I’m sure they’d be glad to see you again.”

“All but one.”

“The one you’ve mentioned before?”

The passenger nodded. “When she sees me again, I want to be the best man she’ll ever have.”

*

Ryosuke, sitting on the couch, was choosing channels with the remote when a hand gently rested on his forehead. He looked up, knowing whose warm hand it belonged to. “What’s up?”

She pulled her hands away and came around from the back of the couch to sit beside him. “Just checking your temperature. You seem fine now.”

“Because I’m not sick. I took a long rest already.”

“Even if you’re not sick, you’ve been weird lately, Ryosuke.” She hesitated to mention the time he had avoided her and went to school without her but decided not to.

“Don’t think too much. I’m just hyped for the upcoming game, that’s all.” It was the first lie he told her, and guilt ate him.

“If you ever need anything, I’m here for you.”

“Thanks.” He was about to switch channels again, but she snatched the remote from his hand. He frowned and looked at her. “What’s wrong now?”

“You should hit the bed. If you want to go tomorrow, we can’t stay up or it’ll affect your health.”

“Just an hour. I just said I’m not sick.”

“I know how much of a deep sleeper you are, so I’m not risking you tossing and turning and pushing me away when I wake you up. You even slapped me here last time when I pulled the blankets over you.”

“You-you came into my room?”

She nodded, and he pretended to act coy. She shoved him playfully. “It’s not like that, idiot. I went downstairs to get milk for Natsu but saw the lights on in your room. I peeked and saw you curled up in bed without a blanket, so I pitied you and thought you might be cold.”

Feeling loved, he was about to put a hand over her shoulders but then pulled back.

She saw his awkward action and raised a brow.

“Oops, can’t do that anymore.”

“Do what? And why?”

He didn’t want to say that it was because she was trial-dating Yuta, so that meant he should lay off any kind of physical things with her. Even if they were just friends. He pretended to yawn and stretch. “Night.” He passed by her, but she held onto him.

“Before I ask you, let me clarify that it’s nothing you’re gonna think about.”

He nodded, curious.

“Sleep with me.”

*

Mirai walked out of the bathroom with a towel around herself. On her bed was a scowling and dissatisfied Ryosuke, who glared at her every move. She laughed and walked to him. “Oh, stop pouting.”

He scoffed. “Who’s pouting? It’s your fault.”

“What did I do?” She walked to the other side of the bed where she had laid out her clothes and got dressed while he had his back toward her.

“You messed with me by telling me to sleep with you, but it’s really so you can make sure I won’t have a fever in the middle of the night.”

“You should be glad I even asked. It’s an honor to sleep next to me.” She finished dressing and permitted him to look her way. She pointed at him. “But if you dare make a move, I’ll kill you.” She put her finger away and smiled. “Got that?”

He clicked his tongue and pulled the covers over him. He had made himself comfortable on one side of the bed. “Who’d do anything to you? It’s more like you better not do anything to me.” He then pushed and kicked the blanket away as he spread his legs and arms. “I know you can’t resist me.”

She broke into a laugh and smacked his belly. “Go to sleep.” She nudged his feet to have them put together so that she could pull the blanket over him. She sat on the bed and touched his forehead again.

He held her hand and held it at his chest. He looked up at her, deep into her eyes. “You don’t have to keep checking. I’m fine.”

“I know, but...” She squeezed his hand. “You haven’t been yourself lately.” She looked away. “You even avoided me too.” She bit her lower lips because saying it out loud was something she didn’t want to do because it meant that she was accepting how hurt she felt in response to her friend’s actions.

It was his turn to squeeze her hand back. He could always lie to Shintaro, Juri, and Haruka, but lying to Mirai always made him have second thoughts. When it came to telling the truth or lying to her, he felt like he had to tell her everything because she, for some mysterious reason, was a bit more special than the rest. He finally confessed, “Sorry. That day, I was thinking of something, and it kinda took a toll on me.”

“What about?” she asked in a slight whisper, already becoming sleepy even though her hair was nowhere near being dried.

He chuckled. “We’ll talk next time. You’re tired.”

She shook her head. “I wanna know. Does it have something to do with me?”

He pulled her down to rest beside him, and she submitted. He hugged her as she snuggled close to him, and fixed the blanket over them and felt her hand clung onto his shirt. His thoughts stopped when he looked at her.

She was fighting to stay awake. The bridge of her nose was long and slim. curved at the sides, and her cheekbones were more evident than ever. Her beautiful jawline traced down to her neck, connecting to her seductive collarbone. Everything below that was covered by the blanket. Just then, she snuggled closely beside him again and was off in dreamland.

He smiled to himself, happy that she found some sort of comfort sleeping next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and rhythmically tapped her on the back, gently.

“Because you’re my family now.”

Her words from before popped into his mind. He didn’t think she’d ever see themselves in that way. He thought she’d never use that word to refer to themselves and had believed she’d see this simply as a job that she had applied. He felt weird at first when he heard of it. To him, family was a concept he never quite understood, and it was due to his parents’ lifestyles.

Growing up, not once had his parents ever had the time to see his plays or to attend his award ceremonies. When he accepted his reality, he stopped trying and lived for himself. He figured that if they want to have their own lives so bad without any tails—their kids— that meant that he could live in any way he wanted. But after seeing how sincere she was when those words slipped through her pink lips, he was glad he had applied for this position, a position he’d probably never have a chance to encounter.

He slightly whispered to her, “I’m glad we’re co-workers.” He laughed himself to sleep when he realized he had added a different meaning to that word.

*

Mirai batted her eyes to the sound of the alarm. She turned to her right where she usually kept her phone on the small desk, but it wasn’t from her phone. Instead, it was coming from behind the sleeping Ryosuke. She groaned and wondered how her friend could sleep through it. She reached for his phone in a cautious attempt to not wake him up.

While doing so, he shifted in his spot and rubbed his eyes and sat up, and it resulted in him smooching her cheek. They immediately distanced themselves, and he turned off the alarm.

“Morning,” she casually said, running her fingers through her hair.

He greeted her back and stretched. Then, he flung his head back onto the soft pillow behind him.

“Ryosuke, you better get ready now. We’re leaving in an hour to Juri’s.”

“In thirty minutes.”

“We still have to pack.”

He covered his face with the blanket and turned away. “Get my shirts and pants, and put them with yours. I’m fine with whatever.”

She sighed and pulled the blanket away. “Get up, Ryosuke.”

He whined, “I don’t want to.”

She got off the bed and went to pack her stuff.

He finally sat