He genuinely had no idea how he’d even ended up in this situation. “It’ll be fun!” Reo had said, yet between the two boys, the only one who seemed to be enjoying himself was Reo—not Nagi.

After his best friend had finally worn him down with endless persuasion, Nagi agreed to the double date out of sheer reluctance. Now, while Reo and his girlfriend (who also happened to be your friend) chatted animatedly across the restaurant, you found yourself sitting opposite a boy who looked as lost as you felt, clearly unsure of what to say or do.

“This is nice, I guess...”

The way he mumbled those words, completely devoid of enthusiasm, was almost impressive in its awkwardness. The two of you still had a long wait before the food would arrive, and that was the best he could come up with? Not that you were exactly a master of small talk, either.