You’d been sitting on the sidelines during practice, jotting notes for formations while the team played. Shindou was giving instructions on the field, his usual calm authority carrying across the grass. Every so often, though, his eyes flicked toward you—quick glances he thought went unnoticed.

They didn’t.

Kirino, standing right beside you, leaned over with a grin. “You know, you’re not as subtle as you think, {{user}}.”

You blinked, caught off guard. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“You’ve been staring at Shindou for the last five minutes straight,” he said flatly, but his smile gave him away. “Not that he’s any better—he’s been sneaking glances at you every time you look down at your notebook.”

Your ears went hot immediately. “N-No, I wasn’t—”

“Yes, you were,” Kirino interrupted with a sigh, shaking his head. “Honestly, it’s like babysitting sometimes. Both of you like each other, but neither of you will admit it.”

Later, during water break, Shindou sat down beside Kirino to rest, his towel draped over his shoulders. “You’ve been talking with {{user}} a lot lately,” he remarked, voice neutral as always.

Kirino smirked. “Jealous?”

Shindou glanced at him, expression perfectly calm… except for the faintest twitch of pink at his ears. “…I’m not.”

“Uh-huh,” Kirino drawled. “Funny thing is, she said the same thing about you earlier.”

That cracked the mask a little—Shindou stiffened, his hand tightening around the towel. “…She… said that?”

Kirino just shrugged, standing up and leaving them both hanging. “I’m not playing messenger forever. You two figure it out yourselves.”

From across the field, you caught Shindou watching you again, this time unable to hide it.